Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan to support each other in international arena
ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will continue to support each other in the international arena, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev declared after the top-level negotiations with his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov in the Akorda presidential residence.
"We had a detailed and open exchange of opinions on the situation in the region and things that happen around us. We discussed relevant issues of regional character. It is gratifying to emphasize that we share common stance on many aspects," President Nazarbayev said. The Kazakh President praised successful development of commercial and economic cooperation between the two countries. Volume of mutual trade between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan increased more than fourfold and exceeded $2 billion since 2005. There are 118 companies with Uzbek participation in Kazakhstan and 170 companies with Kazakh capital in Uzbekistan. Sales turnover has totaled $1,5 billion over the past nine months. According to Nursultan Nazarbayev, expansion of cooperation between the nations allowed to boost sales turnover amid global crisis and falling oil prices. The Head of State also expressed confidence that Islam Karimov's visit will propel Kazakh-Uzbek relations to the next level.