Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Important agreements covering various aspects of cooperation are being reached at the highest-level meetings. An example of this is the creation of the Uzbek-Kazakh Expert Council.

The first meeting of the Expert Council took place on 2 August in Astana, while the second was held via videoconference on 28 August. The meeting focused on the outcomes of the recent state visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Kazakhstan.

In his speech at the meeting, Dr. Umid AbBidkhodzhaev, Director of the Institute of Macroeconomic and Regional Studies (IMRS), noted that there are significant opportunities for further increasing trade volumes between the two countries. “First of all, we need to consider the export potential of both countries,” he said.

Based on the calculation of the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) Index, IMRS experts identified three categories of promising export goods. Goods with a comparative advantage for export to Kazakhstan include textiles, fruits and vegetables, fertilizers, ceramics, and tobacco products. Goods with high comparative advantage for import from Kazakhstan include fuel, grain, ferrous metals, and inorganic chemical products.

The third category of goods—those with high priority for joint export to third countries—includes copper, zinc, lead and its products, as well as other metals and ceramic-metal composites.

Thus, based on the preliminary analysis, it would be beneficial for ministries, chambers of commerce, and industry associations to jointly explore increasing the export of these goods to third countries with the involvement of entrepreneurs from both countries. Such analysis is also useful for the private sector, aiding in correctly identifying unfulfilled business opportunities in the future.

Proposed directions for expanding cooperation between producers from the two countries include:

1. Establishing Clusters for Deep Processing of Copper: Both countries have significant copper reserves.

2. Creating Scientific and Production Clusters in Chemistry: Cooperation in this area will help both countries enhance their export potential for mineral fertilizers.

3. Setting Up Joint Ventures for Processing Ferrous Metals and Developing Agricultural Machinery: Establishing such joint ventures will meet the agricultural machinery needs of both countries.

4. Developing E-Commerce: This will increase mutual trade volumes, stimulate production, and reduce costs associated with entering third-country markets. A joint program for developing e-commerce between the two countries is proposed.