Parliamentary delegation headed by Kochanova takes part in Uzbek-Belarusian forum in Khiva

The Belarusian delegation headed by the Chairman of the Council of the Republic Natalia Kochanova arrived in Khiva to participate in the fourth Uzbek-Belarusian forum. Three previous events were held in the format of women’s business forums, but this year it was decided to give the forum a broader status and make it inter-parliamentary. At the same time, not only parliamentarians arrived in the ancient Uzbek city, but also representatives of ministries, departments, business, health care institutions, rectors of universities and members of the Youth Parliament. On the sidelines of the forum, it is planned to adopt the Khiva Declaration, as well as sign a package of agreements and commercial contracts.

The central event of the first day of the forum was the meeting of the parliamentary delegations of Belarus and Uzbekistan under the leadership of the Chairman of the Council of the Republic Natalia Kochanova and the Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis Tanzila Narbayeva. During the discussion of topical issues on the agenda, Natalia Kochanova noted that the overall focus on results is a powerful engine for the implementation of strategic agreements between the heads of state – Alexander Lukashenko and Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

- The heads of our states orient us towards cooperation in absolutely all directions. Of course, the impetus for our cooperation was given by the historic visit of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Belarus in July of this year. During this visit, the Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership between the countries and the Roadmap for the Development of Cooperation for 2026-2030 were signed. For our part, we parliamentarians must do everything to ensure that these documents are implemented effectively.

- First of all, we support each other on international platforms and within the framework of international organizations – in the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth countries, the parliamentary dimension of the Non-Aligned Movement and others. Friendship groups have been established in the parliaments of our countries. Our inter-parliamentary forum is a unique platform that gives results.

During the third Belarusian-Uzbek women’s business forum in Vitebsk, 30 commercial contracts worth 261 million Belarusian rubles and 18 documents on bilateral cooperation were signed. Organizers expect that this year the amount of signed contracts will significantly exceed last year’s figures.

In turn, Tanzila Narbayeva drew attention to the fact that a new direction for cooperation has opened between the countries - interregional. She praised the forum held in Vitebsk and expressed hope that Belarusian partners will be able to establish strong ties with the business of Khiva.

During the meeting, the parliamentarians considered the implementation of key economic targets, including increasing mutual trade, developing industrial cooperation, expanding ties between the regions and coordinating positions on international platforms. The parties confirmed their readiness to provide comprehensive control over the practical implementation of all agreements reached at the highest level.

Today, four profile sections were also held on the sidelines of the forum. Experts and parliamentarians discussed joint investments and industrial cooperation, food security and biotechnology, as well as cooperation between the two countries in the humanitarian, social and tourism spheres. At the same time, the heads of local self-government bodies of the two countries also held a meeting. The forum participants also got acquainted with the activities of the Khiva-Gilamlari carpet factory and visited the exhibition of national products of Uzbekistan and Belarus under the brands Made in Uzbekistan and Made in Belarus.

52 enterprises and organizations of Belarus were represented at the exhibition. The food and food industries were demonstrated by the largest domestic manufacturers from among the concerns and holdings, including the Belarusian state food industry concern Belgospishcheprom, as well as well-known companies and associations. Products of light industry companies from the flagship of the industry were presented to the companies of the Bellegprom concern. Among the participants of the exposition, products of the flagship of the petrochemical industry - the Belneftekhim concern - were also presented. The industrial and energy cluster of Belarus was presented by leading enterprises of the industry, including: Minsk Automobile Plant, Minsk Tractor Plant, Gomselmash, Bobruiskagromash, INTEGRAL, Vityaz, Horizon and others.

Educational services, scientific developments, integrated solutions in the field of agro-industrial sector, food safety, biological systems and technologies, as well as tools used in the field of housing and communal services, were demonstrated by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus with the participation of leading domestic institutions - Belarusian State University, Belarusian State Technological University, Belarusian National Technical University.

For the guests of the exhibition, thematic tasting locations and a culinary platform with master classes were organized, as well as exclusive recipe approaches from the eminent Belarusian chef Anton Kalenik. As part of the exhibition, the chef prepared dishes from products presented at the stands of Belarusian enterprises.

Tomorrow, the third meeting of the inter-parliamentary commission on cooperation between the Senate of the Oliy Majlis and the Council of the Republic, as well as a large-scale plenary session will be held in Khiva, during which issues of development of parliamentary dialogue, new tasks and prospects for cooperation will be discussed.