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, BelTA has learned.
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.
“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.”
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.
In 2025, the trade between Belarus and Uzbekistan amounted to nearly $855 million, which was up by 34.8% over 2024. Belarus has a trade surplus of over $517 million. The upward trend in trade continues this year as well. The trade in services is also growing. In 2025, it increased by 56.1% year-on-year reaching $207.9 million. There are 229 organizations registered in Uzbekistan with Belarusian residents as their founders.