TASHKENT, July 9. /Dunyo IA/.   In anticipation of the official state visit of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan to Minsk launched on July 8^th, Aleksandr Ogorodnikov, Ambassador of Belarus to Uzbekistan, granted an exclusive interview to the Dunyo IA correspondent.

– Mr. Ambassador, in recent years, cooperation between Uzbekistan and Belarus has demonstrated a steady positive dynamic. Which achievements in bilateral relations do you consider the most significant to date?

– I will begin with history. The Republic of Belarus was one of the very first nations to establish diplomatic relations with Uzbekistan back in 1993. Today, we witness the high level that our cooperation has attained. It is profoundly symbolic that the first official foreign visit of the elected President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, was paid precisely to Uzbekistan.

Bilateral relations have acquired a particularly dynamic momentum since 2018–2019. The figures speak for themselves: over the past ten years, mutual trade turnover has increased more than thirteenfold. Few nations can demonstrate such robust growth rates, and this upward trend firmly persists. Following the results of the first half of 2026, the high tempo of trade expansion is fully maintained, while the services sector also continues to develop progressively.

We are speaking on the eve of the visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Belarus. Let me recall that in 2024, President Alexander Lukashenko paid a state visit to Uzbekistan. The first half of 2026 has also been highly intensive: it featured the official visit of the Prime Minister of Belarus, his participation in the Tashkent International Investment Forum, a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, and active engagements between vice-premiers across key sectors. I would particularly highlight the jubilee “Innoprom” exhibition in Tashkent.

Furthermore, inter-parliamentary diplomacy is advancing progressively, sustained by structured interactions between the upper and lower houses of the National Assembly of Belarus and the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan.

Against the backdrop of this unprecedented level of interaction, progressive initiatives are steadily emerging. On the immediate threshold of the summit, the third Belarusian-Uzbek Interregional Forum was convened. This institutional framework has fully validated its structural efficacy, and regional administrations have conclusively witnessed its substantive economic significance.

Furthermore, cooperation has long transcended the framework of traditional business forums. Today, healthcare, tourism, education, sports, and many other sectors are developing successfully. In essence, there are no areas today in which Belarus and Uzbekistan do not share a mutual interest in the further advancement of mutually beneficial cooperation.

– An active political dialogue is maintained between the leaders of Uzbekistan and Belarus. Which key issues currently feature on the agenda of the Uzbek-Belarusian negotiations at the highest and senior levels?

– You have quite rightly noted that the engine behind such successful development of Belarusian-Uzbek relations is the trust-based relationship between the leaders of our states. They are bound not only by constructive interaction as heads of state but also by genuine personal respect. It is they who, by their own example, demonstrate how vital it is to consistently advance cooperation across all dimensions.

In terms of immediate prospects, I would like to offer a brief briefing. In point of fact, our bilateral relations have already institutionalized a strategic character. During the preceding fiscal year, the mandate issued by the Heads of State of Belarus and Uzbekistan to elevate mutual trade turnover to the threshold of 1 billion US dollars was substantially actualized. Our indicators fell just short of this baseline, and I am firmly confident that this historic milestone will be fully secured within the current calendar year. Subsequent to this achievement, a new and profoundly more ambitious target will unquestionably be institutionalized.

Foundation for its implementation will be a new 'roadmap' for cooperation covering the period of 2026–2030. The previous “roadmap” for 2024–2025 was successfully executed thanks to the collaborative efforts of both nations. The new document encompasses virtually all dimensions of interaction from economics and industrial cooperation to the humanitarian sphere and is designed for a longer-term horizon.

We anticipate that the pivotal outcome of the upcoming high-level contacts will be the signing of an agreement on strategic partnership. In essence, this document will legally formalize what has already been established in practice. Today, both prime ministers and vice-premiers of our countries already refer to Belarusian-Uzbek relations as a strategic partnership. Now, this status will receive official legal codification.

– In your opinion, which dimensions of Uzbek-Belarusian cooperation will become defining over the next five to ten years, and how do you envision the further evolution of relations between our states?

– Moving beyond the traditional areas of cooperation, I would highlight three promising spheres that will acquire increasing significance in the coming years.

The first is logistics. Recent global events have demonstrated how rapidly conventional transport routes can change. Despite being landlocked countries, both Belarus and Uzbekistan occupy a vital place along international transport corridors. Therefore, the development of logistical infrastructure and the creation of modern hubs and distribution centers will become one of the key pillars of our cooperation.

The second is energy. Uzbekistan is actively developing its nuclear energy sector, whereas Belarus already possesses practical experience in the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant. We are fully prepared to share this expertise. Furthermore, cooperation will also advance within traditional energy sectors, as a reliable energy supply forms the bedrock for industrial growth and the economy as a whole.

The third dimension is information technology. Today, IT stands as one of the primary drivers of the global economy. Belarus possesses a robust school of software engineering alongside a highly successful track record in developing its High-Tech Park. Concurrently, favourable conditions are being systematically established in Uzbekistan to foster the growth of the digital industry. Pooling the potential of our specialists will enable the creation of highly competitive joint products, in high demand both within our domestic markets and internationally.

In my view, it is precisely transport logistics, energy, and information technology that will emerge as the most prospective pillars of Belarusian-Uzbek cooperation in the coming years.