By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on Thursday signed 15 documents on expanding bilateral cooperation.
A statement by the Kazakh presidency said the agreements were signed in a ceremony in the capital Astana attended by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who arrived on a three-day official visit a day earlier.
The documents signed include a joint statement, as well as protocols on cooperation in areas including border control, culture, agriculture, finance, and health.
Commenting on the narrow and expanded talks held with Mirziyoyev earlier in the day, Tokayev told a press conference that both countries confirmed their mutual interest in enhancing bilateral relations.
“Following the meeting, the Strategic Partnership and Alliance Program for the next 10 years was adopted. The key tasks are to further strengthen friendly ties and give new impetus to expanding contacts in various fields,” Tokayev said.
He said both countries intend to increase their volume of trade turnover to $5 billion in the near future, and then to $10 billion, for which they need to “remove barriers that hinder economic integration.”
Tokayev said they paid special attention to the need to implement new and large-scale projects in the industrial sector.
He added that cooperation in the transport and logistics sector was an important topic during their discussion, regarding which they considered the effective use of the Trans-Caspian and the North-South international transport routes.
We exchanged views on the implementation of joint projects within the framework of the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway, Tokayev said, adding that the issue of opening new border checkpoints has been worked out.
For his part, Mirziyoyev said Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan managed to bring their ties to the level of allied relations thanks to “joint systemic and practical efforts,” expressing that they agreed to intensify work on developing interregional ties.
The Kazakh presidential statement added that Tokayev and Mirziyoyev will take part in the 6th consultative meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia on Friday.