SAINT PETERSBURG, September 19. /Dunyo IA/.   At the invitation of the Government of the Leningrad Oblast, representatives of the Consulate General of Uzbekistan and the Migration Agency participated in the Baltic Regional Investment Forum “BRIEF’26”, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Forum featured a meeting of the Council for Improving the Investment Climate of the Leningrad Oblast. A dedicated session of the meeting focused on labour migration and addressing the workforce shortage.

Yegor Mishcheryakov, Deputy Chairman of the Economic Development and Investment Committee of the Leningrad Region, reported that the region has over 194,000 job vacancies, with approximately 75 percent in blue-collar occupations. He noted that driven by the growth of industry, construction and logistics, the demand for foreign labour resources is projected to persist over the medium term.

Particular attention was paid to the opportunities for the organized recruitment of personnel from Uzbekistan. Representatives of the regional leadership emphasized their interest in attracting labour migrants from friendly nations, primarily Uzbekistan, particularly to support the construction and agro-industrial complexes.

It was noted that the Uzbek side supports organized labour recruitment, which ensures the legality of employment and safeguards the rights and legitimate interests of citizens.

Discussions highlighted an intensification of bilateral cooperation following the visits to Uzbekistan by delegations from the Leningrad Oblast, led by Governor Alexander Drozdenko in April and Yulia Kosareva, Chairperson of the Committee on Labour and Employment of Population, in May 2026. In this regard, a proposal was made to consider the feasibility of transferring a portion of the foreign labour legalization procedures directly to the territory of Uzbekistan.

The second day of the forum continued with a working meeting in the Kingisepp District with Viktor Tolkachev, Head of the District Administration, alongside senior officials from the local divisions of the Police and the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) of Russia.

Russian side reported that more than 16,000 citizens of Uzbekistan are employed in the district, with a significant portion engaged in the construction of the Ust-Luga port complex infrastructure. According to the local authorities, no complaints have been received from the population regarding citizens of Uzbekistan and no serious issues with their adaptation have been noted.

During the meeting, the Uzbek side expressed concern over the increasing drone attacks on port infrastructure facilities. An agreement was reached on the operational exchange of information and cooperation regarding socio-cultural support for citizens of Uzbekistan.

Furthermore, the parties discussed the possibility of establishing sister-city relations between the Kingisepp District and one of the districts of the Fergana Region, which will serve as an additional avenue for developing interregional cooperation.