Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan

On 22 August, the 4th Uzbekistan–Azerbaijan Interregional Forum was held in Tashkent. The event was attended by Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mikayil Jabbarov, as well as heads of regions, relevant government agencies, development institutions and business communities of the two countries. The Forum brought together around 420 companies representing a wide range of sectors.

It was noted that, thanks to the political will of the leaders of the two countries and relations based on mutual trust, the Uzbekistan–Azerbaijan strategic partnership continues to be consistently enriched with concrete economic content. The Forum’s organization on the eve of the state visit of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Uzbekistan gave the event particular significance.

Over the past decade, bilateral trade between the two countries has increased 26-fold. By the end of 2025, its volume reached USD 795 million. Today, nearly 260 enterprises with Azerbaijani capital operate in Uzbekistan, while more than 130 enterprises with Uzbek capital are active in Azerbaijan. The portfolio of investment and trade projects has exceeded USD 10 billion.

Interregional cooperation was identified as one of the key drivers of future growth. Ahead of the Forum, heads of Uzbekistan’s regions visited Azerbaijan, where they held negotiations with regional authorities and business representatives and developed new initiatives. The main objective is to connect the production capacities, investment sites and entrepreneurial potential of the regions of the two countries.

Priority areas include industry and deep processing of raw materials, the agro-industrial sector, textiles, tourism and development, trade and logistics. In industry, particular emphasis was placed on creating full value chains — from the extraction and processing of raw materials to the production of finished goods — as well as on localization and the establishment of new production capacities.

Prospects in the agro-industrial sector are linked to horticulture, deep processing of agricultural products, food production and the development of modern cold-storage infrastructure. As a logical continuation of this direction, the parties also plan to expand production cooperation in the textile industry. In this context, Azerbaijan’s transport and logistics capabilities and the potential of the Middle Corridor are expected to facilitate more efficient access for products to European markets.

Tourism and development were also highlighted as promising areas of cooperation. Ongoing hotel, tourism and urban development projects are creating a foundation for new tourism routes, resort infrastructure and the comprehensive development of regions.

The practical part of the Forum continued with B2B and G2B meetings, during which representatives of the regions, government agencies and business communities discussed concrete proposals and further steps for their implementation. Following the event, it was proposed to develop joint action plans for 2026–2027, while the exchange of bilateral documents helped consolidate the agreements reached.