Karelia and the Andizhan region of Uzbekistan have agreed to develop cooperation
In 2025, the volume of the exports from Karelia to Uzbekistan increased by 77%.
On the sidelines of the “Karelforum-2025”, Oleg Yermolaev, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of the Government of the Republic of Karelia, met with the delegation from the Andizhan Region of the Republic of Uzbekistan led by Ilkhom Karkhamanovich. The negotiations initiated by the Karelian party confirmed their mutual interest in deepening the trade and economic ties.
Welcoming the guests, Oleg Ermolaev thanked them for visiting Karelia and participating in the key industry event, the fourth stone processing forum. He noted that the “Karelforum”, the only one of its kind in European Russia, is an ideal platform for establishing new business contacts.
Over the last year, the Karelian companies have concluded a number of significant contracts. The AO “Kondopozhskii TSBK” captured 40% of the Uzbek newsprint market; the company “RK-Grand” supplies pulp for road construction, where testing is currently underway; and the “Inzhenernii Tsentr Pozharnoi Bezopasnosti “EFER” ensures fire safety at the Uzbek airports. Karelian mechanical engineering is also successfully operating in Uzbekistan, the pumps from the company OOO “PGMK” are used at the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Plant.
The statistics speak for themselves: from January to June 2025, the Karelian export volume to Uzbekistan increased by 77%. In addition to the success in paper and timber exports, tourism is also growing. Since the beginning of the year, 13 organized groups from Uzbekistan have visited Karelia.
The meeting confirmed that the partnership between Karelia and the Andizhan region is moving to a qualitatively new, systemic level, based on specific projects and long-term planning.
