Meeting with Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Belarus Rakhmatulla Nazarov

Belarus and Uzbekistan can teach $2 billion in bilateral trade, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Belarus Rakhmatulla Nazarov in Minsk on 9 March.

At  the beginning of the meeting, the head of state noted that there is much to discuss in light of the preparations for the planned visit of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Belarus.

“I think by that time we will update the list of all our points, summarizing them and developing a plan for the short and medium term. Relations are developing well. Especially in the light of the recent visit of our government delegation headed by the prime minister to your country,” the President said. “I greatly appreciate the agreement to hit $2 billion trade turnover in the near future, by around 2030. This is entirely possible. Especially since the economies of our countries are not competitors to one another. Everything that we produce from agriculture to mechanical engineering is all needed by the densely populated Uzbekistan.”

“We have a good history of relations; our relations are very good. I hope that these relations will continue. I very much hope so. Therefore, the visit of Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Belarus in this regard will be a landmark and historic one, if you will. You are a key partner for us,” the President stated.

There are several very important areas for cooperation in Uzbekistan’s interests, Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “These include a trade house and agriculture. We are ready to provide you with all the conditions and our technologies. Our people will help here. If you wish, please, here is land in specific regions – Vitebsk Oblast, Mogilev Oblast - produce on it and take the products back. We reached an agreement to work this way with Oman. I’m sure if we reached an understanding with Oman, then with Uzbekistan we definitely will,” the head of state said.

“We would also be very interested in the supply and processing of your wool at our enterprises. We are talking, I believe, about the cotton mill in Baranovichi and not only that. You can take a look at what might interest you. As I said, $2 billion in trade [reaching this level over the next few years] is not a problem,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

“Uzbekistan is one of us. We speak the same language, no translators are needed. Therefore, we are ready to bring relevant technologies to you, to Uzbekistan, and to train your people. If you need assistance in any areas - agriculture, mechanical engineering, nuclear energy -, we are ready to offer you a helping hand wherever we can,” Aleksandr Lukashenko assured. “We are ready to work with you deeply, seriously, and for the long term.”

“We are aware of your interest in our specialists in nuclear power plant construction. We have mastered these competencies thanks to Russia. Together with the Russians, we work in all parts of the world where they are building nuclear power units. If this suits you, come at any time you need. Your representatives can sit down with our specialists and discuss everything. The minister then will give the necessary instructions. We will assist in the construction of your nuclear power plant. We will do our best to ensure that our specialists provide you with all possible support. You will see for yourselves where we may be of interest to you,” the President said.

He explained that on Belarus’ part, this is not charity. It is beneficial for the country given the scale of Uzbekistan’s market: “Listen, millions of people. Such a large country that needs what we have today. I don’t mean to say that we are so great. We created all of this together with you. You extracted the relevant raw materials, cotton. Here we had processing capacities for that cotton, for wool. We produced here and sold it on the lucrative European market and beyond, earning currency for the common big country.”

“Therefore, you can count on us. We would very much like to deepen and expand our cooperation. Well, what is $2 billion for our countries? Almost nothing. So we are ready to cover this distance as quickly as your country is ready,” the President emphasized.

He also praised the dynamic development of Uzbekistan, which is “drawing in competencies and experience from around the world.” Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned that during his visit to Uzbekistan, he had the opportunity to see the new educational facilities which should yield good results in the near future. “We are ready to participate in this regard, to go even further,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

“Many Uzbeks live here. They want to live and work. They are our people. We are very happy to invite them, especially families. Unfortunately, our population doesn’t grow as much as yours. Therefore, we are always happy to see very hardworking people from Uzbekistan if they decide to come here,” the President said.

The head of state noted that Belarus maintains a strict procedure for accepting migrants: “This is probably even better for those who come. They understand clearly that we are hiring people for specific jobs. We offer them all kinds of opportunities and give access to services for their children, like kindergartens, schools, higher education, on an equal footing with Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians, and others. So please, come and compete.”

“We offer great opportunities. People are happy to come and work here. Therefore, in this regard, we are ready to work with our brothers from Uzbekistan,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized. “We know that you did a lot for Belarusians during the Great Patriotic War. Many of our people found refuge in Uzbekistan, and they were treated humanely. In this regard, we owe you a little, even though this was within the borders of one country.”