OREANDA-NEWS. January 16, 2007. The year 2007 was a significant period in the Uzbek-Polish trade and economic relations, which laid grounds for and determined the main directions and priorities for further development and expansion of bilateral cooperation between Uzbekistan and Poland, reported the Official website http://www.investuzbekistan.uz.

This was told to journalists at a press briefing held this year by the Trade and Investments Promotion Department of the Embassy of Poland in Tashkent.

The signing of the Agreement on economic cooperation between the governments of Uzbekistan and Poland last year was the most important event in the bilateral relations. The document promotes strengthening of the legal fundament of interstate relation in economic sphere that were established after Poland's accession to the European Union. It also generalizes the experience accumulated in the recent years and opens new opportunities in the deepening mutually beneficial economic cooperation between the two countries.

"Uzbekistan is a very important economic partner of Poland, taking the fourth place among the trade partners in the CIS after Russia, Ukraine and Belarus," said Jerzy Stankiewicz, Charge d'affaires of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Uzbekistan. "Both Poland and Uzbekistan are rather interested in the establishment and development of mutual collaboration. Uzbekistan has strong leading position as a partner of Poland in the Central Asian region."

Agreements have been achieved to renew activity of the Polish-Uzbek Intergovernmental Economic Cooperation Commission in 2008. It should be noted that this structure is a vital consultative tool of the two countries' governmental in deed of support and development of trade and economic ties.

Positive dynamics of the past years, connected with the growth of bilateral commodity turnover, remained the same in 2007. According to Polish statistics, the commodity turnover between Uzbekistan and Poland made up USD 609 million in January-October 2007, which is 11% more year-on-year. The growth of imports from Uzbekistan made up 13,7%. Taking into account the overall dynamics, the commodity turnover between Uzbekistan and Poland may exceed USD 710 million.

As to the nomenclature of Polish exports, the volumes of sugar supply decreased to USD 8,5 million, which is almost 16,5% of the total exports volume. At the same time, the volumes of supply of meat, meat products and other foodstuff increased. This group of commodities constitutes nearly 25% of the total exports volume.

Some 22% of exports fall to machines, equipment, electrical engineering products, 11,6% - products of railway transport industry. The volumes of supply of furniture and other wood items increased by 37% in 2007, while the supplies of construction materials (ceramic plates, dry building mixtures, sanitary and porcelain items) grew 1,2 times.

The briefing organizers also noted positive dynamics of structural changes in the imports of goods from Uzbekistan to Poland, stipulated by quality growth of the high value-added products.

Thus, the volume of imports of chemical industry products grew 5,5 times. 19% of the imports fell to mineral fertilizers and 6,1% are polymeric materials. The decrease of cotton fibre supplies was followed by the increase (approx. 3,5 times) of the imports of cotton threads and fabrics from Uzbekistan. The supplies to Poland of vegetables, fruit and grapes from Uzbekistan – being in high demand of Polish consumers – are growing as well.