A memorandum of cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) and the government of Uzbekistan is to be signed in the near future, Aide to the Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Iya Malkina told a press briefing on 17 March, BelTA has learned.

“The memorandum of cooperation and the joint action plan for 2021-2023 will offer a great number of legal instruments to intensify our cooperation. Now the work on the documents is on the homestretch. The documents will be signed soon,” Iya Malkina said.

Uzbekistan was granted an observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union at the end of 2020. “The observer status does not imply that the country will automatically join the EEU's regulatory framework, as well as the EAEU projects and programs,” she said. “At the same time, this is a good opportunity to study the operation of the union, its regulations and norms and decide whether the country wants to deepen integration with the union,” Iya Malkina added.

On 15 March, the EEC welcomed a delegation of Uzbekistan led by Deputy Prime Minister for Investments and Foreign Economic Affairs - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov. “One of the outcomes of the meeting of Chairman of the EEC Board Mikhail Myasnikovich with the Uzbekistan delegation was an agreement that the EEC will work out mechanisms to build a better understanding among Uzbekistan officials and businesses of the EAEU technical and customs regulations, foreign trade policy, promising projects and the work of various departments of the EEC. The EAEU member states are already actively cooperating with Uzbekistan. For example, there are bilateral programs in the manufacturing industry, and there is also an interest in industrial cooperation with the union as a whole,” Iya Malkina said.

Iya Malkina added that Tashkent will host a meeting of the EAEU Council of Ministers for Industrial Policy on 5 April on the sidelines of the Innoprom international industrial expo. Taking part in the meeting will be Member of the EEC Board – Minister in charge of Industry and Agriculture Artak Kamalyan. The participants of the meeting will discuss cooperation prospects in pharmaceutics, aviation industry, as well as mechanisms to finance cooperation projects in the manufacturing industry.