24 July 2026, 14:00

Council of Heads of Regions of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Holds Its First Meeting in Aktau

Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov and Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov took part in the first meeting of the Council of Heads of Regions of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which was held in Aktau.

The new mechanism of interregional interaction was created by the joint decision of the leaders of the two countries, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

In his speech, Olzhas Bektenov noted that Kazakhstan, under the leadership of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has entered a new stage of its development. The implementation of the new Constitution creates a solid institutional foundation for strengthening the national economy, increasing investment attractiveness, and creating the most favorable conditions for business, as well as expanding international cooperation.

“We attach special importance to the comprehensive development of strategic partnership with fraternal Uzbekistan. The creation of the Council of Heads of Regions has become a natural continuation of the intensive dialogue between the heads of our states and has opened up new opportunities for deepening interregional interaction. Strengthening direct ties between the regions plays an important role in the further expansion of trade and investment cooperation. I am confident that the activities of the Council will make a significant contribution to achieving the goal set by the heads of the two states to increase the volume of mutual trade to $10 billion,” Olzhas Bektenov noted.

“It is symbolic that our meeting is taking place in Aktau — the pearl of the Caspian Sea and the most important transport and logistics hub of our region. For Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan is not only a close neighbor, but also a reliable strategic partner and ally. Interregional partnership has become one of the priority areas of our interaction, and that is why our respected Presidents decided to create the Council of Heads of Regions. I am confident that direct contacts at the regional level will become a powerful impetus for the further strengthening of Uzbek-Kazakh relations,” Abdulla Aripov emphasized.

The Mangystau, Aktobe, Kyzylorda, and Turkestan regions of Kazakhstan border the Karakalpakstan, which is part of Uzbekistan, as well as the Jizzakh, Navoi, Syrdarya, and Tashkent regions. The total length of the state border is about 2.3 thousand km.

Olzhas Bektenov noted the importance of the full launch of the International Center for Industrial Cooperation “Central Asia” and filling it with mutually beneficial and competitive projects.

For the further expansion of trade and investment cooperation, the need to develop modern transport and logistics infrastructure was noted. The countries have significant potential due to their location at the intersection of strategically important Eurasian routes. The role of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, linked with the North–South directions and the Trans-Afghan Corridor, was separately emphasized. Based on the results of last year, the volume of cargo transshipment through the sea ports of Aktau and Kuryk amounted to 8 million tons. In the first half of the current year, the volume of container transportation through the ports of the Republic of Kazakhstan increased by 5% and exceeded 50 thousand TEU.

The potential for the development of tourism cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was also noted, including the growing interest of citizens of the two countries in visiting historical and cultural centers.

At the plenary session, reports were also delivered by the akims of the Mangystau and Turkestan regions, Nurdaulet Kilybay and Nuralkhan Kushеров, the deputy akim of the city of Shymkent, Arman Sabitov, as well as the khokims of the Jizzakh, Syrdarya, and Tashkent regions — Ulugbek Mustafoev, Erkinjon Turdimov, and Zoyir Mirzayev. More than 300 entrepreneurs from the two countries also took part in the event.

Following the Council, a number of memorandums were signed between the regions of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, as well as commercial documents totaling more than 80 billion tenge. The new agreements should contribute to strengthening sister-city and border ties, the implementation of joint projects, and the sustainable economic development of Central Asia.