Uzbekistan And Russia Press Forward On Trade, Transit And Industry At Termez Summit

Uzbek officials used a two-day forum in Termez to advance practical ties with Moscow, focusing on transport corridors to Afghanistan and South Asia, industrial partnerships and energy cooperation rather than a single headline deal. The gathering, held March 30–31 and organized by Tashkent’s Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies together with Russia’s Valdai Discussion Club, drew senior diplomats, regional governors, business figures and analysts who sketched a roadmap of projects that link local infrastructure to broader Eurasian routes.

The conference came as Central Asian capitals reassess their relationship with Moscow amid shifting geopolitical pressures. Termez, on Uzbekistan’s southern frontier next to Afghanistan, has been pushed by Tashkent into service as a trade and logistics gateway; that geographic role shaped the program, which prioritized rail and road links, customs facilitation and interregional industrial cooperation. A Tashkent-based trade analyst said the emphasis on concrete projects signaled an intent to turn strategic rhetoric into cross-border freight and investment flows.

On the trade front, Uzbek statistics cited at the meeting put two-way commerce with Russia at about 13 billion dollars for 2025, making Moscow the nation’s second-largest partner after China. Officials also said Russian private and state investment in Uzbekistan has approached roughly five billion dollars since 2017, and described a shift from simple import-export relationships toward longer manufacturing chains and joint ventures in technology and heavy industry.

Regional partnerships were a recurrent theme. Delegates outlined more than 200 subnational initiatives whose combined value tops 4 billion dollars — an average investment of roughly 20 million per project if spread evenly — and flagged cooperation with Russia’s regions on petrochemicals, engineering, IT and higher education. Uzbekistan has begun hosting branches of Russian universities and experimenting with industrial-park models to anchor manufacturing and skills training locally, moves a Tashkent academic adviser said could deepen links beyond central-government agreements.

Energy cooperation also moved forward. Uzbek and Russian nuclear agencies signed new implementation documents and started initial concrete work on a modest-capacity reactor in the Jizzakh area, steps officials described as progressing the program from planning toward construction. Observers note that even small units carry long timelines and that close supervision by both sides will be needed to keep schedules and finance on track.

Transit corridors were front and center of discussions: participants reviewed options to upgrade northern transit axes while building a southern corridor through Afghanistan to Indian Ocean ports, aiming to make Termez a hub for goods headed to and from South Asia. Uzbek authorities highlighted the Termez International Trade Center as part of that effort to simplify border trade. Given regional disruptions — including conflict pressures that have strained some southern routes — the meeting underlined how Uzbekistan is trying to hedge its transport options while maintaining a multi-vector foreign policy that balances ties with Moscow, Beijing and other partners.