Despite their geographical distance, the two countries have established an effective partnership built on the complementarity of their economies, the similarity of their approaches to socio-economic development, and their shared interest in expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.

Since 2017, the dialogue between the two states has acquired a qualitatively new substance. Regular contacts at the highest and high levels, the work of the Intergovernmental Commission, as well as the holding of regional forums and business events, have made it possible to give bilateral cooperation a comprehensive and systematic character.

An important factor in the expansion of international ties has been the large-scale reforms carried out in Uzbekistan under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Economic liberalization, the improvement of the investment climate, the development of free economic zones, and the policy of openness have significantly increased the country’s attractiveness and created additional opportunities to deepen bilateral partnership.

Today, amid the transformation of the global economy, the restructuring of logistics chains and the emergence of new centers of economic growth, this partnership is gaining particular relevance and strategic significance.

At the same time, a key factor in the sustainable development of relations between Uzbekistan and Belarus is the high level of political mutual understanding. The constructive mechanism of interaction established between the two sides enables them to coordinate joint actions effectively across a broad range of issues.

The strength of the relationship is evidenced by regular negotiations at the highest level: since 2017, more than eight meetings have been held. This intensive schedule of contacts has enabled prompt attention to emerging issues on the bilateral agenda and the definition of long-term priorities.

A powerful impetus to cooperation was provided by the official visit of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to Uzbekistan in February 2024. Following the visit, a Joint Statement was adopted, and a Roadmap was prepared to implement the agreed decisions. Practically all subsequent steps – in trade, industrial cooperation and the humanitarian sphere – have been a direct result of these agreements.

In February 2026, Tashkent hosted the Prime Minister of Belarus Alexander Turchin. During his talks with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a new agenda was outlined in preparation for upcoming interstate events at the highest level, and the readiness of both sides to consistently implement the planned projects was reaffirmed.

The practical elaboration of joint initiatives is carried out within the framework of the Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation. In May 2026, its 12th meeting was held under the co-chairmanship of Deputy Prime Ministers of Uzbekistan and Belarus Jamshid Khodjaev and Yuri Shuleiko.

The parties discussed preparations for the Partnership Roadmap for 2026-2030, as well as measures to expand trade, economic and investment cooperation. Particular emphasis was placed on broadening the range of mutual supplies, intensifying industrial cooperation, and establishing joint production facilities for high-value-added goods. The priority areas identified include electrical engineering, pharmaceuticals, the chemical industry, agricultural machinery production, construction materials, textiles and ready-made garments.

Contacts between the foreign ministries deserve special attention. In 2025, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov visited Termez, where, together with his Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov, he discussed prospects for expanding trade routes through the free trade zone of the International Trade Centre Termez, as well as promoting routes through Afghanistan. This confirms that transit and logistics are assuming an increasingly important place on the bilateral agenda.

The treaty and legal framework of relations between Uzbekistan and Belarus is also being consistently expanded. To date, the two countries have concluded more than 126 interstate, intergovernmental, and interdepartmental agreements that regulate cooperation in various areas. This extensive body of agreements forms a reliable institutional basis for cooperation, enabling political decisions to be translated into practical implementation and ensuring continuity in key areas.

The trade and economic sphere demonstrates the highest growth rates. Over the past five years, mutual trade turnover has increased 2.7 times. Belarusian supplies to Uzbekistan have grown 2.5 times, while Uzbek exports to Belarus have increased almost fourfold. By the end of 2025, mutual trade had risen 25 percent, bringing its volume to $965 million. This brings the two sides close to the $1 billion threshold set by the heads of state as a strategic benchmark.

Moreover, the pace of growth is accelerating. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, trade turnover increased by almost 50 percent year-on-year, reaching $259.7 million. Against this background, the parties have begun developing a joint program to raise trade turnover to $2 billion by 2030. Today, Belarus ranks third among CIS countries in Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover, after only Russia and Kazakhstan.

The principal components of Uzbekistan’s exports to Belarus include textiles, fruit, metals and selected industrial products. Imports from Belarus consist primarily of meat and dairy products, timber, vehicles, pharmaceuticals, fuel, machinery, equipment and metal products.

An important step towards expanding trade and economic cooperation was the announcement in March 2026 of the establishment of the Uzbekistan Trade House in Minsk. The project envisages creating a permanent platform to promote Uzbek products, showcase domestic manufacturers’ output, and strengthen business-to-business ties.

Importantly, bilateral interaction extends well beyond trade. Increasing significance is being attached to industrial cooperation aimed at establishing joint ventures, localizing technologies and developing export-oriented production facilities.

As of early 2025, approximately 250 enterprises with Belarusian capital were registered in Uzbekistan, while around 87 joint Uzbek-Belarusian companies were operating in Belarus. The overall portfolio of joint projects exceeds $300 million, demonstrating that bilateral cooperation has evolved into a systematic and sustainable partnership rather than a series of isolated business initiatives.

The priority areas of industrial cooperation include mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, pharmaceuticals, the textile industry and food processing. Traditionally, agricultural machinery has remained the flagship area of cooperation, with Belarusian products – including tractors, combine harvesters and specialized agricultural equipment – holding strong positions in the Uzbek market. Today, however, the two countries are moving to a new stage by establishing assembly lines and manufacturing facilities within Uzbekistan.

In February 2026, prospects for further cooperation were thoroughly examined during a business dialogue held at the Mogilev Free Economic Zone, with the participation of diplomats, regional authorities and business representatives from both countries. The participants identified several priority sectors, including electrical engineering, the chemical industry, construction materials, and textiles, while also emphasizing the importance of expanding Belarusian companies’ presence in the Uzbek market through investment mechanisms rather than relying solely on exports.

It should be noted that a solid practical foundation for deeper cooperation has already been established. A joint production facility manufacturing BELARUS tractors operates in Tashkent region; in partnership with EnergoKomplekt, the Enco Group high-voltage cable manufacturing plant has been launched; and the Belarusian-Uzbek joint venture UzShoes has been successfully operating in the city of Karshi.

The two countries have also agreed to promote joint production of high-value-added goods. This transition – from traditional trade to the joint creation of competitive industrial products – represents the most significant qualitative shift in bilateral economic relations.

One of the most promising areas of cooperation remains the agro-industrial sector. According to 2025 results, agricultural products accounted for almost 25 percent of Belarus’s total exports, while the agro-industrial sector generated around 7 percent of the country’s GDP. These figures highlight considerable potential for cooperation within the CIS market, based on the complementary nature of the two economies. Belarus possesses a highly developed dairy and meat industry, grain-processing capacity, and an advanced food industry, whereas Uzbekistan offers a rich agricultural resource base, a strong fruit- and grape-growing sector, and a large consumer market.

Against this backdrop, the cooperation agreement on food security and food industry development, signed in Tashkent in May 2026 between the relevant ministries of the two countries, represents a logical and important step forward. The agreement elevates bilateral cooperation in the agro-industrial sector to a fundamentally new level of systematic and predictable partnership, replacing ad hoc commercial transactions with long-term strategic collaboration. A clear indication of this progress is the substantial increase in bilateral trade in agricultural and food products, which reached $338.9 million in 2025, compared with $234.2 million the previous year.

From a long-term perspective, the establishment of joint agro-industrial enterprises in Uzbekistan for fruit and vegetable processing, dairy production, storage technologies, and logistics represents a considerable strategic priority. Belarusian expertise in land reclamation and water management could also be effectively applied, particularly in the context of Uzbekistan’s large-scale programs to develop new irrigated agricultural land.

Another important indicator of bilateral cooperation is the volume of freight transportation. In 2025, cargo shipments exceeded 796.6 thousand tons, representing a 6 percent increase compared with the previous year. At the same time, both countries continue to actively diversify transport routes, including through Central Asia and Afghanistan, thereby enhancing the reliability and resilience of supply chains.

Interregional cooperation is also developing dynamically. Direct partnership links between the regions and cities of Uzbekistan and Belarus complement the central-level political dialogue and serve as an important source of practical initiatives. It is at the regional level that concrete production chains, educational partnerships and cultural exchanges are being established.

The sustainability of this dimension of cooperation is evidenced by the growing intensity of contacts between the regions of the two countries. Since 2017, more than 40 visits by representatives of the regions of Uzbekistan and Belarus have taken place, reflecting the high level of engagement. Regional Forums have played a particularly important role in institutionalizing bilateral relations, becoming a regular and effective platform for launching new joint initiatives. A notable example was the conclusion in 2025 of cooperation agreements between the cities of Navoi and Orsha, and between Termez and Polotsk, giving these partnerships a practical, long-term orientation.

Overall, the accumulated potential for cooperation between Uzbekistan and Belarus indicates that the bilateral partnership has entered a qualitatively new stage of development. Its progress is now determined not only by the positive dynamics of individual indicators, but also by the establishment of sustainable mechanisms of cooperation that ensure the long-term implementation of the strategic course pursued by both countries.

The political, institutional and economic foundations established enable the two sides to pursue ambitious objectives to deepen industrial cooperation, attract investment, strengthen transport connectivity, and implement joint projects in high-technology and innovation-driven sectors. Taken together, these factors demonstrate that Uzbekistan and Belarus possess a substantial reserve of resilience and maintain significant potential for further progress in the interests of both nations.

Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan