Russia and Uzbekistan intend to increase bilateral trade to $30 billion by 2030, prioritizing projects in nuclear energy and industrial cooperation.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and his Uzbek counterpart Abdulla Aripov met in Moscow on Monday at the sixth meeting of the Joint Commission at the level of heads of government. During the talks, the sides discussed the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects and new rules for regulating labor migration (the full text of the joint communiqué following the meeting is attached to the Russian version of the article).
According to officials, trade turnover between the countries exceeded $13 billion in 2025. Aripov noted that in the first two months of the current year, trade volume increased by another 30%.
“Our economic and investment cooperation is actively developing even amid geopolitical turbulence,” Mishustin said.
Energy was a key item on the agenda. In Uzbekistan’s Jizzakh region, main construction work has begun on the country’s first nuclear power plant under a Russian design. Both a small modular plant and a large-scale nuclear power plant are planned to be located at the same site. Aripov emphasized that this would make Uzbekistan the first country in the world with such a configuration of nuclear facilities.
“Uzbekistan will become the first country in the world where a small and a large nuclear power plant will be located at the same site simultaneously,” the prime minister said.
The sides also confirmed plans to increase supplies of Russian oil and gas. Russian specialists will continue modernizing Uzbekistan’s gas transportation system and drilling new wells.
In the industrial sector, the focus is on metallurgy and transport. With Russian capital participation, the third copper concentrator at the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine has been launched, and construction of a fourth is being prepared. Uzbekistan is also creating a railway equipment manufacturing cluster that will supply railcars, including for the Tashkent Metro.
The heads of government also addressed labor resources. The sides agreed to expand the practice of organized recruitment of workers. New protocols provide for fingerprinting and photographing citizens of Uzbekistan within the republic before departure to Russia.
In the transport sector, officials noted a record intensity of air traffic — 367 flights per week. The sides also plan to introduce electronic document exchange for cargo transportation along the “Central Asia — Russia” corridor.
The next meeting of the commission is scheduled for 2027 in Uzbekistan.