Rumen Radev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Photo: Press Service of the President of Uzbekistan
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev have agreed to open trade houses in each other’s capitals in a bid to boost bilateral trade. A Bulgarian trade house will be launched in Tashkent, while Uzbekistan will open a counterpart office in Sofia, according to the press service of Uzbekistan’s head of state.
Economic cooperation was a key focus of the talks held during President Radev’s visit to Uzbekistan. In addition to the planned trade houses, the two leaders discussed the accreditation of laboratories and the establishment of preferential credit lines.
With an eye toward expanding mutual trade, the presidents emphasized increasing the volume of import-export transactions, particularly in textiles, chemicals, food products, pharmaceuticals, metal goods, and industrial equipment.
Priority sectors for joint initiatives include agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, the food industry, geology, artificial intelligence, digital solutions, IT, and tourism.
The leaders also addressed the development of land and air transport corridors. As part of this, they instructed the relevant agencies to explore the possibility of launching direct flights between Uzbekistan and Bulgaria.
Labor mobility was another topic on the agenda. Officials are considering the opening of an Uzbekistan Migration Agency office in Sofia.
The humanitarian dimension of bilateral ties was also discussed. Sister-city relationships between Bukhara and Varna, and Samarkand and Plovdiv, were highlighted. Both presidents supported plans to step up academic and scientific exchanges, including a meeting of university rectors in Andijan later this year. They also agreed to hold a joint Week of Uzbek and Bulgarian Culture and Cinema, scheduled for next year.
To ensure the effective implementation of these initiatives, both sides tasked their officials with approving a roadmap and involving regional leaders and major companies in the work of the Intergovernmental Commission.
At the conclusion of the talks, Mirziyoyev and Radev signed a Joint Declaration on expanding bilateral cooperation. Additional agreements were also exchanged, including a Cooperation Program between the foreign ministries for 2026–2027 and an Agreement on Partnership between the cities of Tashkent and Sofia.
