ТАSHKENT, September 14. /Dunyo IA/. Today, Seoul hosted the first meeting of the industry ministers of Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea under the theme “Future Cooperation between Korea and Central Asia for growth and innovation”, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Meeting was attended by Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources of the Republic of Korea; as well as heads of relevant government agencies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

According to the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan (MIIT), meeting took place ahead of the first “Central Asia - Republic of Korea” Summit. The new ministerial format is intended to complement the political dialogue with a practical agenda in industry, trade and technology, while strengthening ties between enterprises across the region and Korean businesses.

Transition toward deeper industrial cooperation builds on the scale of economic ties already achieved. In 2025, Uzbekistan’s trade turnover with the countries of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea exceeded $10 billion, increasing by nearly 10 percent. In January-July of this year, the figure reached $6.5 billion, representing growth of 25 percent. More than 3,000 enterprises with capital from Korea and countries of the region currently operate in Uzbekistan. These figures provide a solid basis for shifting the focus from mutual supplies toward establishing production facilities, expanding localization and developing regional value chains.

As the next steps, Uzbek side proposed removing technical barriers and ensuring the mutual recognition of certificates and test results, developing an Industrial Cooperation Program comprising specific high-tech projects, creating a unified digital platform for industrial initiatives, and establishing a permanent expert group at the level of deputy ministers. All initiatives put forward by the Uzbek side received the full support of the Korean side.

Technological dimension of the discussions focused on deepening cooperation in trade, investment, industrial infrastructure and critical minerals, introducing artificial intelligence into manufacturing, and developing human capital. Automated quality control, predictive equipment maintenance, energy efficiency and industrial data analytics were identified among the promising areas of cooperation. Plans were also outlined to match the technological needs of Central Asian enterprises with the expertise of Korean companies and to expand professional internship programs for engineers and technologists.

Following the meeting, a Joint Memorandum on Cooperation in industry and supply chains was signed, and the Joint Statement of the first meeting of the “Republic of Korea - Central Asia” Consultative Mechanism of Industry Ministers was adopted.

As part of the programme, Laziz Kudratov also held talks with Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources of the Republic of Korea. Agreements were signed on establishing an Uzbekistan-Korea platform for the exploration and development of strategically important mineral resources, as well as on enhancing export potential and trade cooperation.