Uzbekistan – Czech Republic: A Strategic Partnership at a New Stage of Development

Today, 29 April 2026, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babiš arrives in Uzbekistan for an official visit.

The talks in Tashkent reflect the steady momentum of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the Czech Republic in recent years and signal the transition of bilateral dialogue to a more substantive phase of practical partnership. In a broader context, the current engagements represent a natural continuation of the consistent development of relations between the two countries over recent decades.

The framework of the current relationship took shape in the first years of independence. The two countries established diplomatic relations on January 1, 1993, and the Czech Republic moved quickly to open a trade mission in Tashkent – one of the first to do so – which it converted into a full embassy in November 1994. Over the following decades, both sides steadily built out the treaty and legal framework, developed inter-parliamentary ties, and established intergovernmental communication channels, creating the infrastructure for genuine cooperation.

The year 2023 marked a qualitative turning point. Reciprocal visits at the prime ministerial level – Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s visit to Tashkent in April and Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov’s visit to Prague in October – infused the relationship with new content and momentum. The talks produced the Interstate Joint Declaration “On Enhanced Cooperation”, which set the direction for the partnership in the years ahead.

The pace of engagement has not slowed since. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský visited Tashkent in October 2024, and in September 2025, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President Petr Pavel met on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly. Both sides have concentrated on expanding ties in investment, transport, innovation, and agriculture – a focus that reflects the practical, results-oriented character of the bilateral dialogue.

An important institutional development came in February 2025, when both chambers of the Oliy Majlis established Uzbek-Czech inter-parliamentary groups. These structures sustain continuous dialogue at the parliamentary level and create conditions to strengthen the legislative relationship and broaden the treaty and legal framework.

This political activity has created fertile ground for trade and economic engagement, which is showing positive momentum. Bilateral trade reached $189.7 million in 2025. Although this represents a slight decline from 2024, the figure is three times higher than the 2018 level, reflecting the broader long-term upward trend. The Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Industrial and Scientific-Technical Cooperation serves as the structural instrument for sustaining this trajectory; its tenth session took place in Prague in March 2025. Through this mechanism, both sides are steadily expanding their business presence.

More than 40 companies with Czech capital now operate in Uzbekistan, and that number continues to grow. A vivid example of Czech business interest is Škoda Group’s intention to launch a joint venture in Uzbekistan to assemble and maintain railway rolling stock locally, as well as to establish a Škoda Academy to train industry specialists.

Beyond manufacturing and trade, Czech business is also making inroads in healthcare. Contacts with Czech pharmaceutical companies are becoming more frequent, and Czech medicines and modern medical equipment have established a solid presence in the Uzbek market.

Czech business interest is underpinned by active government support: the Czech Republic is actively backing Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO, which is expected this year. Membership in the organization will open new opportunities for foreign investors and create additional conditions for expanding trade.

The humanitarian dimension of the partnership has taken the longest to develop and is, for that reason, the most durable. As far back as 2003, Termez State University and Charles University launched a joint archaeological expedition in Surkhandarya region. Over 20 years of fieldwork, the project has uncovered previously unknown Bronze and Iron Age monuments. The exceptional finds gathered over the years of research formed the basis of the exhibition “From Zarathustra to Genghis Khan”, which opened in Tashkent in April 2023 on the occasion of Prime Minister Fiala’s visit.

The cultural agenda continues to grow. Czech musical ensembles regularly participate in the Sharq Taronalari festival in Samarkand, while the Czech-Uzbek Friendship Society in Prague has for many years served as a living platform for people-to-people diplomacy.

Academic and scientific cooperation is also advancing. The National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek, the Tashkent Medical Academy, and several other universities are running joint programs with Charles University, Comenius University, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, and Mendel University.

Student interest in Czech education continues to grow steadily: over the past five years, the number of students from Uzbekistan studying in the Czech Republic has doubled, approaching 700. The annual Czech government scholarship program, which gives Uzbek citizens access to undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral studies, has contributed significantly to this growth.

Labor mobility between the two countries is also developing. Around 3,000 Uzbek citizens currently work in the Czech Republic in industry, construction, trade, and services, and an annual quota of 150 labor visas reflects both sides’ structured approach to organizing labor mobility.

All of this sustains a steady flow of mutual travel, supported by a direct weekly air service between Tashkent and Karlovy Vary, making the Czech Republic a readily accessible destination.

The breadth and depth of this engagement naturally raise the question of priorities for the bilateral dialogue going forward.

First, opening an Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Prague would accelerate contacts, expand Uzbekistan’s diplomatic presence, and enable more effective support for joint projects.

Second, despite the temporary decline in trade volumes in 2025, the potential for recovery is considerable. The Czech Republic’s high standing in the Prosperity Index, 8th in the EU in 2026, confirms its status as a key technology and investment partner for Uzbekistan.

Third, a particular promise lies in mechanical engineering, machine-tool manufacturing, and industrial automation. According to Harvard University’s Economic Complexity Index, the Czech Republic has held 7th place globally for a decade in its capacity to produce and export technologically sophisticated goods – precisely the kind of partnership Uzbekistan needs for its industrial modernization agenda.

Overall, the Czech Republic is consolidating its role as a strategic anchor in Uzbekistan’s European partnership network. The convergence of Czech industrial capacity and Uzbekistan’s dynamic, fast-growing economy lays the foundation not merely for an exchange of goods, but for deep technological integration and large-scale industrial projects designed to last for decades.

Madinabonu Qayumova, 

Leading Researcher,

Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan