Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan plan to increase bilateral trade to US$10 billion

The volume of bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan approached US$5 billion by the end of 2025. This was stated by Yermek Kosherbayev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, during a meeting with Bakhtiyor Saidov, Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister, in Tashkent. The parties discussed further deepening economic partnership between the two countries, including increasing trade turnover to US$10 billion. This was reported on the website of the Government of Kazakhstan.

"Thanks to the political will of the heads of state in recent years, Kazakh-Uzbek relations have been brought to a qualitatively new level of interaction and demonstrate high dynamics of development at all levels. […] Significant progress has been made in recent years in deepening economic cooperation. Kazakhstan consistently ranks among Uzbekistan’s top three trading partners. In 2025, the bilateral trade increased by 16.2 per cent and approached US$5 billion"

Yermek Kosherbayev Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The ministers noted the high pace of industrial cooperation, which includes 78 investment projects with a total value of US$1.8 billion.

During the meeting, the heads of the foreign ministries discussed a wide range of bilateral cooperation issues, including the development of political, trade and economic, investment, transport and transit, water and energy, as well as cultural and humanitarian ties.

The parties highlighted the potential for cooperation in developing transport corridors that provide access to markets in the Middle East and South Asia.

Particular attention was paid to cooperation in education, including the operation of branches of the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanisation Engineers in Almaty and the Chirchik branch of South Kazakhstan Research University named after Mukhtar Auezov.

The ministers also discussed the implementation of agreements reached at the highest level during the first and second meetings of the Supreme Interstate Council in 2024–2025 and confirmed their readiness to promote the expansion of interparliamentary and intergovernmental ties.

Following the talks, a cooperation programme between the foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for 2026–2027 was signed.