TASHKENT, 13 September (BelTA) – Uzbekistan invites Belarus to start joint cotton processing and oil extraction to Belarus. Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made the statement during the one-on-one talks with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on 13 September, BelTA informs.

“You have very serious processing technologies. We have cotton. Why cannot we join efforts to process and sell it to European countries? We can. There are new jobs in Belarus and Uzbekistan. You have technologies, we have cotton,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

There are good prospects in agricultural cooperation, the Uzbekistan president believes. “Frankly speaking, our agriculture is in a difficult condition because market mechanisms have not been created yet. And if we do not introduce them today, our agriculture will not be profitable and competitive,” he said. “It would be great if we set up a joint cluster. Belarusian colleagues should know that they have raw materials in Uzbekistan. And you have technologies. And we will branch out into third countries.”

The head of state also said that the country has big mineral deposits. However, it is essential to use them properly. He invited the Belarusian side to take part in oil production. “For example, the oil and gas industry. You are developing science, we have oil wells,” he added.

Besides, Mirziyoyev asked the Belarusian side to open two or three branches of universites because Uzbekistan likes the quality of Belarusian education and professional training.

“You said there were enough problems in Uzbekistan, they had been accumulating since Soviet times. But if you like something in Belarus (we have complementary economies, we are not rivals), we will open production facilities in Uzbekistan, share our knowledge with your people. We have experience. We worked this way in distant Venezuela, and will be happy to do it in close Uzbekistan. If you are interested in something, we will do it for you,” Alexander Lukashenko said.