Citizens of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan can enter the Shavat-Dashoguz border trade zone without visas, according to the press service of the Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade (MIIT) of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The trade zone was launched remotely yesterday by Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan.

The border trade zone will offer visa-free travel to citizens of both countries and stateless persons legally residing in these countries, significantly simplifying logistics and customs procedures.

The total area of ​​the joint trade center is 6 hectares: 3 hectares for the Uzbek part and 3 hectares for the Turkmen part. If necessary, the territory allocated between the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan and the Dashoguz velayat of Turkmenistan can be expanded by a separate international agreement.

Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan, Laziz Kudratov, and Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan, Nazardurdy Agakhanov, agreed on the legal terms for the joint trade center.

The facility is envisaged as a platform for expanding mutual trade, promoting national products, and developing entrepreneurship on both sides of the border. "The opening of the Uzbek-Turkmen border trade zone will allow entrepreneurs from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to freely trade their goods using shared infrastructure and simplified procedures," the MIIT reported.

The trade zone includes 112 shopping arcades, 28 stores, and 16 retail outlets, organized into two blocks. The successful launch of Shavat-Dashoguz is considered a pilot project. The heads of state have already discussed the possibility of expanding the cross-border trade model. Specifically, the creation of similar hubs in the territories of Alat in the Bukhara region of Uzbekistan and Farab in the Lebap province of Turkmenistan is under discussion.

This confirms Ashgabat and Tashkent's commitment to creating a comprehensive and scalable network of bilateral trade hubs along their entire shared border.

ORIENT