BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 9. Uzbekistan and
Belarus have formally established a strategic partnership and
signed a broad package of agreements covering trade, labor
mobility, agriculture, finance, tourism and scientific
cooperation.
This was reflected in the statement by the press service of the
Uzbek president.
According to the statement, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev
and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed a declaration
establishing strategic partnership relations following bilateral
talks.
''The presidents of Uzbekistan and Belarus signed a declaration
on the establishment of strategic partnership relations,'' the
presidential press service said.
The two countries also exchanged a series of bilateral documents
in the presence of the heads of their delegations, setting out
cooperation priorities for the coming years.
Among the key documents was an action plan for developing trade,
economic, social and humanitarian cooperation from 2026 through
2030. The foreign ministries of Uzbekistan and Belarus also adopted
a consultation program for 2026-2027.
The sides signed a protocol amending their 2005 agreement on
mutual travel by citizens and concluded an agreement on the
organized recruitment and employment of Uzbek citizens for
temporary work in Belarus.
''The package of documents covers a wide range of areas of
practical cooperation,'' the Uzbek side said.
Agreements and cooperation programs also addressed forestry
development, cultural ties and emergency management. The two
countries adopted a cultural cooperation program for 2026-2028 and
an emergency cooperation action plan for 2027-2028.
Tourism was another focus of the agreements. Uzbekistan and
Belarus approved a joint action plan aimed at increasing tourist
flows and developing tourism cooperation in 2026-2027.
In agriculture, the sides signed a roadmap to deepen cooperation
in the agro-industrial sector through 2028. The Uzbek and
Belarusian agriculture ministries also signed a memorandum
outlining plans to develop investment cooperation in
agribusiness.
The package included a protocol on light industry cooperation
between Uzbekistan's Light Industry Development Agency and
Belarusian state concern BELLEGPROM.
Uzbekistan's National Agency for Social Protection and Belarus'
Ministry of Labor and Social Protection signed a memorandum on
cooperation in social protection, while the two countries' finance
authorities agreed to strengthen cooperation on financial
issues.
The Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the Uzbek
president and the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies also
agreed to establish an Uzbek-Belarusian Expert Council.
Scientific and technological cooperation featured in the
agreements, with the academies of sciences of Uzbekistan and
Belarus signing a memorandum of understanding.
"Cooperation in science and technology is among the areas
included in the new bilateral framework," the presidential press
service said.
Separately, the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of
Uzbekistan and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus signed a
memorandum during the visit.
The agreements reflect Tashkent and Minsk's efforts to translate
their newly established strategic partnership into practical
cooperation across economic, social and institutional sectors.
