Shusha hosts the 6th Business Forum on “Investment and Trade Promotion as a Catalyst for Sustainable Development in the ECO Region” as part of the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

The Uzbekistan delegation, led by the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, Davron Vakhabov, is also participating in this prestigious international forum. Senior leaders of related organizations from Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan are also participating in the event.

Ensuring the sustainable economic development of its member states and strengthening integration in trade and investment are the main objectives of the ECO. The organization, established in 1985 at the initiative of Iran, Pakistan, and Türkiye, after 1992 included seven additional countries from Central Asia and the Caucasus, including Uzbekistan. Today, the ECO has established large-scale cooperation in key areas such as trade, transport, energy, tourism, agriculture, ecology, healthcare, and education.

Speaking at the event, Davron Vakhabov provided detailed information about Uzbekistan’s foreign trade relations, their impact on regional economic integration processes, and the reforms being implemented in Uzbekistan, with a focus on strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation and exploring opportunities for cooperation with member states.

In particular, he emphasized that Uzbekistan is interested in cooperating with Azerbaijan in the agro-industrial sector.

In 2024, the total volume of foreign trade turnover with the ECO countries exceeded $11 billion. Of these, $5.56 billion accounted for exports, and $5.48 billion accounted for imports.

The event included B2B and B2G meetings, new business ideas, and cooperation projects. The conference will serve as a platform for Uzbekistan’s entrepreneurs to enter new markets and expand the scale of trade and economic relations with ECO member countries.

Muharrama Pirmatova, UzA