The President of Uzbekistan proposed five areas for joint projects to Serbia

The President of Uzbekistan outlined five areas for joint projects to Serbia

At the Uzbek-Serbian business forum in Belgrade on September 8, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev named five key areas for boosting economic cooperation: mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, pharmaceuticals, light industry, agriculture, and the digital economy.

He emphasized that the agreements reached at the political level must now be put into practice. "Our task is to back political trust with joint production and investment," Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated.

As the first area, the President highlighted mechanical engineering and the electrical engineering industry.

According to him, Uzbekistan's automotive industry produces about 500,000 vehicles annually in cooperation with General Motors, Volkswagen, Kia, and BYD, while electrical products are supplied to more than 70 countries.

Uzbekistan proposed that Serbian companies organize the joint production of automotive and industrial components, equipment, and transformers.

Goša FOM is a major machine-building enterprise founded in 1923, specializing in the design and manufacture of heavy industrial equipment. The company is known as an international supplier of new-generation coke-chemical machines, powerful heavy-class overhead and gantry cranes, hydromechanical equipment for hydroelectric power plants, as well as equipment for the mining industry. Thanks to a closed production cycle — from design and welding of metal structures to the assembly of precision gearboxes — the plant's products are actively exported to major metallurgical and energy facilities worldwide, including the CIS countries.

The second area was the pharmaceutical industry. Mirziyoyev estimated Uzbekistan's pharmaceutical market at nearly $3 billion and noted that the country is interested not only in importing medicines but also in localizing their production.

"We invite you to move from simple trade to technology transfer and the creation of joint ventures," the President said.

Among potential partners, he named the Serbian companies Galenika and AbelaPharm.

The President named light industry as the third area. According to him, Uzbekistan has built a complete production chain — from raw cotton to finished products, and textiles are exported to 75 countries.

Mirziyoyev reported that negotiations are already underway with the Serbian companies Yumco and Luss Textile on localizing production in Uzbekistan.

In the future, joint ventures could target not only the domestic markets of the two countries but also the export of value-added products to third countries.

Another promising area named was agriculture and the food industry.

Mirziyoyev noted Uzbekistan's position in exporting sweet cherries, peaches, plums, and apricots, and expressed interest in Serbian expertise in breeding, seed production, and agricultural technologies.

According to him, Uzbekistan already has an agreement with a specialized institute in Novi Sad.

"We have fertile land, sufficient water — we are ready to create joint agro-clusters," the head of state said.

Mirziyoyev named the digital economy as the fifth area. According to him, Uzbekistan's export of IT services over the past two to three years has exceeded $1 billion.

The President invited Serbian companies to participate in the International ICT Week (ICT Week Uzbekistan 2026), which will be held in Tashkent on September 22–25. Within its framework, a separate business forum for Serbian companies is planned.

Earlier, Uzbekistan and Serbia announced the establishment of strategic partnership relations. The parties also began preparing a free trade agreement and agreed to develop industrial cooperation.

In addition, Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the decision to open a separate diplomatic mission of Uzbekistan in Belgrade, without waiting for the establishment of a full-fledged embassy. The first diplomats are planned to be sent to Serbia as early as next week.

Earlier, plans to launch direct flights between Tashkent and Belgrade were also reported. According to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, regular flights could appear within seven to eight months.

Aleksandar Vučić also declared readiness to cooperate with Uzbekistan in the defense industry, including in the field of long-range ballistic missiles. According to him, Serbia expects to start their production in about a year and is already manufacturing short-range missiles.

In addition, Vučić spoke about a conversation with Shavkat Mirziyoyev on energy issues. According to him, the President of Uzbekistan shared that the country is building one nuclear power plant with Russia and is preparing a second one with China.