According to the political scientist Farhod Tolipov, important achievements reached during the visit of the head of state have been the easing of the process related to the entry and exit of citizens of the two countries, the development of interregional cooperation, trade relations, the resolution of border issues, the progress of the “China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan” railway project.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid an official state visit to the Kyrgyz Republic on January 26-27.
Uzbek politician Farhod Tolipov praised the visit of the head of state and listed several important achievements, Azon TV reported referring to his words.
“The state visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan was of historical significance. A declaration on strategic partnership was adopted, but it should be considered as a declaration on the expansion of strategic partnership. Because such an agreement was signed long ago, during the visit of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov to Uzbekistan. Since then, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are considered strategic partners,” Tolipov said.
According to the politician, easing the mutual entry and exit of citizens of the two countries is an unprecedented achievement.
“Unprecedented achievements were made during the visit. Many documents and agreements were signed. But in my opinion, the most important thing is the easing of passport control during the mutual entry and exit of citizens of the two countries. Such a decision has not yet been made among the Central Asian countries. For example, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have signed an alliance agreement, which means that it is a relationship that goes beyond strategic partnership. But there is still no such ease regarding the entry and exit of citizens between the two countries. While visiting Kyrgyzstan, the registration will be electronic, that is, no stamp will be printed on the passport. Citizens can even pass with an ID card. This is a great achievement,” Tolipov said.
According to him, the adoption of documents on not only inter-city cooperation, but inter-regional cooperation is also noteworthy.
“In particular, there will be cooperation between Namangan and Jalalabad regions, Fergana and Botkent regions, Andijan and Osh regions. An inter-provincial council of governors will be formed and will meet regularly,” the politician added.
Moreover, in trade-economic relations, the goals suitable for strategic partners have been achieved.
“Another great achievement is related to mutual trade relations. The mutual exchange of goods reached $1.3 billion, which is also a great achievement on the scale of Central Asia. The value of the package of agreements and documents signed within the framework of investment and economic cooperation reached $1.6 billion. In fact, it has been a relationship suitable for strategic partners,” Tolipov noted.
The politician also highlighted the resolution of border issues as an important achievement.
“Another important achievement is the resolution of border issues between the two countries. We hope that these problems will now be removed from the agenda. This should also be an example for other Central Asian countries,” he said.
It was noted that the progress of the “China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan” railway construction project was also beneficial.
“Finally, the so-called “mega project” was given impetus to the construction of the “China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan” railway. This project has been going on since 1998. There is no doubt that this project will be implemented. It is part of a larger project, not just between the three countries. That is, it will be an artery connecting China with Western Europe,” Tolipov concluded.
