Uzbekistan and Korea: major agreements signed
A meeting titled “The future of Korea – Central Asia cooperation for growth and innovation” was held in Seoul ahead of the first Central Asia – Republic of Korea summit.
The event was attended by the Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources of the Republic of Korea Kim Jung-kwan, and heads of relevant agencies from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
At the meeting, the Uzbek side proposed eliminating technical barriers, introducing mutual recognition of certificates and test results, developing an Industrial Cooperation Program with specific high-tech projects, creating a unified digital platform for industrial initiatives, and establishing a permanent expert group at the deputy ministerial level. The Uzbek side received support for all proposed initiatives.
The participants also discussed deepening cooperation in industrial infrastructure and critical minerals, integrating artificial intelligence into manufacturing, and workforce training. Promising areas identified included automated quality control, predictive equipment maintenance, energy efficiency, and production data analysis. Plans also outlined aligning the technological needs of Central Asian enterprises with the expertise of Korean companies and expanding professional internship programs for engineers and technologists.
Following the meeting, the sides signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in industry and supply chains and adopted the Joint Statement of the First Meeting of the Republic of Korea – Central Asia Consultative Mechanism of Ministers of Industry.
Laziz Kudratov held talks with the Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources of the Republic of Korea Kim Jung-kwan. Agreements were signed on establishing the Uzbekistan – Korea platform for the exploration and development of strategically important mineral resources, as well as on enhancing export potential and trade cooperation.
Guzal Sattorova, UzA
