Trade between Belarus, Uzbekistan nears $1 bln

MINSK. July 8 (Interfax) - Trade between Belarus and Uzbekistan has reached $1 billion, Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev said at the III Forum of the Regions of Belarus and Uzbekistan in Minsk.

"Mutual trade increased 25% and already neared the $1 billion mark last year," Khodjaev is quoted as saying in his speech by the press service of the Belarusian government.

He said that there were hundreds of joint enterprises operating successfully in Belarus and Uzbekistan.

"There are hundreds of joint enterprises operating successfully, implementing projects in industry, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, electronics, textiles and other fields," Khodjaev said.

He said that the forum between the two countries, taking place in the Belarusian capital, was one of the most effective platforms for economic cooperation, giving rise to new projects and the establishment of direct ties between regions, and agreements reached turn into real investments in joint production enterprises.

Khodjaev also said that Belarus has been and remains one of Uzbekistan's key strategic partners.

"Thanks to the trusting relationship between the countries' leaders, the partnership is developing dynamically and taking on an increasingly practical nature," he said.