Uzbekistan, US Sign Trade MOU as Bilateral Commerce Tops $1B

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan and the United States have signed a formal cooperation memorandum as two-way trade crossed the $1 billion threshold — signaling a relationship moving well beyond diplomatic courtesy.

Uzbekistan's Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce David Fogel in Tashkent on June 8, formalizing the broadening partnership with a Memorandum of Understanding between the Uzbek ministry and the U.S. Commercial Service.

The MOU is structured around actionable economic outcomes: supporting regional business delegations, advancing interregional cooperation, expanding commercial contacts, and promoting new investment projects — a framework that moves the relationship from intent to mechanism.

Bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded $1 billion in 2025, a figure both sides cited as confirmation that the United States remains one of Uzbekistan's key strategic partners.

The talks covered a wide spectrum of priority sectors — energy, extractive industries, transport, agriculture, and financial services — alongside emerging areas including artificial intelligence, telecommunications, and innovation ecosystems. The breadth of the agenda reflects Uzbekistan's ongoing effort to diversify its economy and attract high-value foreign capital as part of its broader reform trajectory under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Both sides confirmed their commitment to deepening the strategic partnership and advancing new joint initiatives, according to the Uzbek ministry's readout of the meeting.

The signing marks a practical step forward in what Tashkent has positioned as a pivotal external economic relationship — one increasingly defined by technology and investment rather than traditional commodity trade.