Director of Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerkin Tukumov visited a number of “think tanks”, as part of a working visit to Uzbekistan, on October 10.
Introductory meetings were held in five think tanks of Uzbekistan. Obid Khakimov, Director of Center for Economic Research and Reform under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, acquainted KazISS director with the main areas of activity. Also, the prospects of economic cooperation between the two countries were discussed during the meeting. Yerkin Tukumov noted that economic reforms in Kazakhstan are on the agenda and our country is interested in the dynamics of reforms progress in Uzbekistan.
The next point of the working program was a visit to the office of the Agency for Strategic Reforms under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, where a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation was discussed. During the conversation, Director General of the organization Shukhrat Vafayev shared his vision of prospects for the development of relations with Kazakhstan. The parties noted the importance of institutional interaction between the state bodies of the two countries in promoting economic reforms and agreed that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan need to develop cooperation to address water issues.
Head of KazISS also visited a new think tank – National Agency for Social Protection under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. During the meeting, heads of the Department of Strategic Analysis and Development of Social Protection Policy Khurshid Zafari and the Department of Implementation of Priority Projects and Collection of Information Analysis Azamat Davletiarov said that Uzbekistan pays great attention to social protection of the population due to its importance in unlocking the potential of human capital. In response, Yerkin Tukumov told about the development of an inclusive economy, to which Kazakhstan pays great attention.
Also, Director of KazISS visited the office of the Institute for Macroeconomic and Regional Studies (IMRS) under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The Institute’s management acquainted KazISS’s representatives with the key directions of economic reforms. During the visit, think tank experts presented the main results of the ongoing research in the development of green economy and analysis of prospects of bilateral relations. Yerkin Tukumov noted that the consequences of climate change remain a serious risk for the region, which requires converting political efforts into economic projects with minimal negative impact on the environment. In addition, the companions exchanged views on the “water problem”.
During the visit to Development Strategy Center (DSC), its Executive Director Eldor Tulyakov voiced the main goals and objectives facing the organization. The expert shared his opinion on potential growth drivers of economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Yerkin Tukumov, in turn, added that the implementation of joint industrial projects corresponds to the development goals of the two countries, which can be built on the basis of friendship and good-neighborliness.
