2025-2027: New era of Uzbek-UAE economic partnership

On January 15, at the Qasr al-Shati residence in Abu Dhabi, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed Al Nahyan held talks in a narrow format with the participation of members of official delegations.

At the beginning of the meeting, the President of Uzbekistan expressed sincere gratitude to the President of the UAE for the invitation and warm welcome. He also congratulated him on successfully organizing the international “Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.”

The leaders highlighted the deep historical roots, common values, traditions, and religion that firmly link the peoples of Uzbekistan and the Emirates. The Uzbek leader emphasized that his visit to the UAE marks a new chapter in the history of bilateral relations, elevating them to the level of strategic partnership. Both sides noted the recent surge in trade turnover, investments, and joint ventures. Direct flights have become more frequent, and the introduction of a visa-free regime has strengthened connectivity. During the visit, officials formed a robust portfolio of new projects with leading Emirati companies, primarily in high-tech industries.

The leaders outlined six key areas for a new model of economic cooperation: artificial intelligence, digitalization, green energy, urban development and infrastructure, tourism, and private business. They agreed to establish separate working groups for each priority area of cooperation.

Both sides supported the proposal to declare 2025-2027 as a New Era of Economic Partnership between Uzbekistan and the UAE. They committed to increasing mutual trade by 10 times by 2030 and expanding the investment portfolio to $50 billion. The leaders expressed a shared interest in strengthening ties between business circles in both countries and encouraging Emirati companies to expand their investment activities in Uzbekistan.

The discussion also focused on expanding cultural and humanitarian exchanges. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed launching a joint program with Mohamed bin Zayed University to train highly qualified personnel and conduct scientific research in artificial intelligence. The leaders also discussed preparations for upcoming summit events, including the second dialogue summit “Central Asia - Gulf Cooperation Council,” scheduled to take place this year in Samarkand. They exchanged views on key aspects of international politics.

Following their talks in Abu Dhabi, the Presidents of Uzbekistan and the UAE signed several important documents. These included a Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership, an Intergovernmental Agreement on Mutual Promotion and Protection of Investments, and an Intergovernmental Agreement on Financial and Technical Cooperation. Other agreements covered cooperation in standardization, metrology, and conformity assessment, as well as collaboration in industry, advanced technologies, justice, agriculture, and food security. Additionally, they signed a Protocol on Cooperation in culture and an Agreement on Cooperation between diplomatic academies.