Uzbekistan and Serbia plan to launch negotiations on a free trade agreement, according to the outcome of the first meeting of the Uzbek-Serbian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, held September 7 in Belgrade.
The session was co-chaired by Uzbekistan's Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov and Serbia's Minister of International Economic Relations Nenad Popović.
Uzbekistan's trade ministry noted that current levels of bilateral trade fall well short of the two countries' potential. The establishment of a working group is meant to be the first step toward drafting a free trade agreement and creating more favorable conditions for the exchange of goods and services.
The two sides also aim to expand cooperation beyond trade into joint manufacturing. Ten companies with Serbian capital currently operate in Uzbekistan. Among the areas identified as having growth potential are localizing production of components and pharmaceuticals, textile manufacturing, and developing seed production, horticulture and dairy processing.
Technological cooperation was also on the agenda, including in critical minerals, digital geology, artificial intelligence, 5G networks and export-oriented IT projects.
On transport, the two sides discussed introducing electronic exchange of freight permits and advance customs data, a move meant to cut down on paperwork. They also discussed possible Uzbek involvement in modernizing Serbia's rail infrastructure, including the construction of a roughly 200-kilometer rail line. Further details on the project and its potential investment size were not disclosed.
To foster business ties between the two countries, an Uzbek-Serbian business council has been established. The two sides plan to hold joint business events and use international exhibition platforms to showcase products and investment projects — including Expo 2027, set to take place in Belgrade.
Both sides also backed deeper partnerships between Tashkent and Belgrade, Samarkand and Novi Sad, and between Uzbekistan's Samarkand region and Serbia's autonomous province of Vojvodina.
The second meeting of the intergovernmental commission is planned for 2027 in Uzbekistan.
The trade ministry also said that Uzbekistan's president is set to make the first visit by an Uzbek leader to Serbia, a trip it described as opening a new chapter in relations between the two countries.
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