A three-day exhibition of Uzbek industrial goods is expected to kick off in Dushanbe on March 9.  The exhibition will take place at the “Manege” Sports Complex in Dushanbe.

60 Uzbek companies will participate at the fair that will run through March 11, according to the press center of Tajikistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI).

A conference of representatives of business communities of both countries will take place on the sidelines of the exhibition.  The conference is expected to end with signing of a series of contracts between Tajik and Uzbek companies.    

Recall, an agreement on holding a Tajik exhibition in Tashkent and an Uzbek exhibition in Dushanbe was signed at a session of the Tajik-Uzbek intergovernmental commission for trade and economic cooperation that took place in Dushanbe on January 10. 

An agreement on holding mutual industrial exhibitions was reached between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan at the beginning of the last year.

A delegation of traders from Uzbekistan that came to Dushanbe in April last year to show off their wares in Tajikistan caused a minor sensation.  The fair that was held in Dushanbe from April 17 to 20 was the first of its kind since independence — a fresh signal of a potential thaw between the neighboring nations that have had a generally frosty relationship since the Soviet collapse in 1991.

The goods on display at the Poytakht-90 trading house ranged from the small — everyday products like candy, fabrics, medicine and footwear — to bigger-ticket items like buses, cars, air conditioners and refrigerators.

The fair served as a showcase for around 160 Uzbek companies.  For the first three days of the event, the companies were just displaying the goods, but a frenzy of sales marked the closing day.

Tajikistan held an exhibition of its industrial goods in Tashkent from October 11 to 14.  Some 150 Tajik companies participated in the exhibition that took place at the Uzexpocenter.  They put on display their achievements in mechanical engineering, mining, light and food industries, and aluminum production.  The preference was given to products of the food industry.   

According to data of the State Committee for Statistics, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan last year valued at US$126 million.  This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to Uzbekistan estimated at US$57 million and Tajikistan’s imports from Uzbekistan worth US$69 million. 

Meanwhile, there are high hopes for Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s upcoming state visit to Tajikistan, set for March 9-10.

In a little more than a year in office, Mirziyoyev has made strides to repair the country’s relations with its neighbors, making three visits to Turkmenistan, four to Kazakhstan and one to Kyrgyzstan.

Experts note that like Mirziyoyev’s visit to Kyrgyzstan last September, the upcoming trip to Tajikistan holds historic significance.

Relations between the countries have become warmer after Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power in Uzbekistan in 2016.  Mirziyoyev has said that improving ties with Central Asian nations is a major priority of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev told lawmakers in the Tashkent region on January 6 that important bilateral agreements would be signed during his visit to Tajikistan.  “We will sign many agreements on cooperation in the railway and energy spheres.  We will also be considering many other issues,” he said.