Elvira Kadyrova in Minsk, Belarus
In recent years, the Republic of Belarus has shown significant progress in developing economic partnerships with Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—strengthening its position in key regional markets. This is a mutual effort, as diversifying economic ties is a cornerstone of the national development strategies of all six countries.
The signing of mutual agreements, the activation of exchange platforms, and the launch of new joint venture projects are opening new horizons for long-term cooperation in sectors such as the agro-industrial complex, mechanical engineering, and high technologies.
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Kazakhstan and Belarus are steadily advancing their economic partnership, built on industrial cooperation and trade diversification.
In 2024, bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and Belarus reached $1.1 billion. Kazakhstan ranks among the top ten partners for Belarusian exports and is the second-largest among CIS countries.
The Belarusian market shows consistent interest in Kazakh products, particularly flour products, which account for 10.2% of exports.
Positive trends are also observed in logistics: from January to September 2024, the volume of road transport increased by 19%, reaching 450,600 tons.
In November 2024, the governments of both countries signed a Roadmap for the Development of Trade and Economic Cooperation for 2025–2029, aimed at expanding joint projects and strengthening business ties.
Special attention is given to industrial cooperation. Currently, Kazakhstan and Belarus are implementing 14 joint projects worth $277.5 million. Eleven production facilities have already been launched in Kazakhstan, with investments exceeding $200 million, assembling tractors, grain and forage harvesters, and trailed agricultural equipment. Three more projects are in progress.
Kazakh companies also have export potential to Belarus in railway products, including rail fastenings, fitting platforms, wheels, and components.
A step toward market integration was made through exchange cooperation. On 5 March 2025, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed in Astana between the “Caspiy” Commodity Exchange and the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange. The document lays the foundation for modernizing trading mechanisms, implementing joint projects, and introducing innovative solutions to enhance trade transparency and efficiency.
Murat Kadisov, President of the “Caspiy” Commodity Exchange, noted that the memorandum opens broad prospects for sharing best practices and accessing global markets. His Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Osmolovsky, emphasized that it will foster long-term cooperation and create favorable conditions for market participants to access global markets more effectively.
Currently, over 1,000 enterprises with Belarusian participation operate in Kazakhstan, including assembly plants for brands like MTZ, MAZ, Gomselmash, and others. The Belarusian distribution network in Kazakhstan includes about 40 enterprises and over 170 dealers. In turn, more than 54 enterprises with Kazakhstani capital operate in Belarus.
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Relations between Kyrgyzstan and Belarus continue to develop in a spirit of constructive dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation.
The signing of a Plan of Measures for Cooperation Development for 2025–2027, covering key areas of interaction, reaffirmed the resilience of bilateral ties and opened new opportunities for economic growth.
The document was signed online by Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Bakyt Torobaev, and Belarus’s Deputy Prime Minister, Anatoly Sivak. The co-chairs of the joint commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical, and cultural cooperation noted that the new roadmap will unlock untapped potential in trade, industry, agriculture, and transport-logistics infrastructure.
Implementing the roadmap’s objectives is expected to boost mutual trade to $500 million.
Despite positive dynamics, the trade structure remains traditional: Kyrgyzstan exports agricultural products and textiles, while Belarus supplies machinery, electronics, and pharmaceuticals.
Special focus is placed on industrial cooperation, which could shift the trade balance and provide Kyrgyz enterprises with access to Belarusian technologies and equipment.
Meanwhile, consumer trends are shaping trade patterns, particularly in the furniture sector. According to the online marketplace Wildberries, in Q1 2025, Kyrgyzstan led among countries purchasing Belarusian furniture, with sales growing by 117% compared to the previous year. Popular items include bedroom sets, mattresses, orthopedic pillows, office, and garden furniture. This trend offers opportunities for Belarusian furniture manufacturers to establish direct supplies, open specialized trading houses, and potentially create joint production facilities.
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Belarus strengthens its status as a key economic partner of Tajikistan. In 2024, bilateral trade reached a historic high of $172.5 million, an 83.9% increase from 2023.
The agro-industrial complex is a key driver of trade growth. According to Belarus’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food, exports to Tajikistan in 2024 surged by 161.8%, with total agricultural trade increasing by 50.7%. These figures make Tajikistan one of the most dynamically growing destinations for Belarusian agricultural exports. Tajikistan’s imports are dominated by dried fruits, cotton yarn, fabrics, and fibers.
Belarus is consistently increasing supplies of food and agricultural raw materials, including sugar, dry milk, chilled beef, canned meat, meat and bone meal, eggs, and cattle.
Belarusian equipment is widely used in Tajikistan’s agriculture. In the Gissar district, the Agrotechservice enterprise assembles tractors from MTZ, trailed equipment from Bobruiskagromash, and agricultural machinery from Gomselmash. These projects support local production, job creation, and increased productivity in Tajikistan’s agricultural sector.
Over 30 Belarusian distribution network entities operate in Tajikistan, reflecting the deep integration of Belarusian business into the country’s market.
Expanding industrial and agricultural cooperation, with a focus on technological partnerships, makes Belarus-Tajikistan collaboration one of the most promising within the Eurasian economic space.
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Belarus and Turkmenistan are working to enhance interaction in trade, industry, agriculture, and education.
Relations between Minsk and Ashgabat are built on a longstanding foundation of good neighborliness and mutual respect. As noted by Natalia Kochanova, Chair of the Council of the Republic of Belarus, during a meeting with Dunyagozel Gulmanova, Chair of Turkmenistan’s Parliament, in spring 2024, “stable political contacts have been established, and parliamentary interaction, including within the CIS IPA and IPU, is actively supported.”
Kochanova emphasized Belarus’s readiness to cooperate “in all areas,” calling Turkmenistan “a friendly country with longstanding traditions of mutual understanding.”
A vivid example of Turkmen-Belarusian partnership is the rapid growth in exchange trade. According to the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE), in 2024, the volume of transactions involving Turkmen companies grew 25-fold, from $80,000 to nearly $2 million. Key items included Belarusian lumber and dry milk.
The parties are exploring opportunities to activate the exchange sector in bilateral trade, expand the range of goods, increase Turkmen company participation, and integrate exchange tools into cross-border trade practices. Currently, 21 Turkmen participants are accredited on BUCE, and Turkmenistan’s Embassy in Minsk is ready to provide informational support to Turkmen businesses regarding export-import opportunities through the Belarusian exchange platform.
Belarus-Turkmenistan cooperation extends beyond economy. Education is a key area, with around 4,000 Turkmen students studying in Belarusian universities and an intergovernmental commission on science and technology in operation.
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Belarus and Uzbekistan are accelerating cooperation, transforming bilateral relations into a stable strategic partnership. Uzbekistan leads among Belarus’s Central Asian partners in trade volume.
Over the past five years, trade turnover has nearly tripled, reaching $714 million in 2024, with plans to increase it to $1 billion.
This growth is accompanied by expanding business presence: 228 enterprises with Belarusian participation operate in Uzbekistan, while over 100 joint companies registered in Belarus.
The parties aim to enrich trade by focusing on industrial cooperation, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals.
Exchange interaction is becoming a standalone channel for expanding trade. In 2024, the volume of transactions by Uzbek participants on BUCE tripled, reaching $15.8 million in January–February 2025, a 50% increase from the same period last year.
As of late February 2025, 188 Uzbek companies, including three exchange brokers, are accredited on BUCE. Key traded items include lumber and dry milk, but discussions are underway to expand the range to include metal products, chemicals, and agricultural goods.
Given the complementary nature of their economies, priorities include deepening industrial cooperation, activating interregional ties, creating a joint foreign trade company, and implementing an electronic certification system.
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As evident, there are numerous opportunities for Central Asian countries and Belarus to explore new areas of partnership and deepen traditional ties. A key factor in successful economic partnerships, particularly in the movement of goods and services, is transport connectivity and logistics. Ready solutions include the emerging multimodal corridor “Belarus–Russia–Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–Indian Ocean ports,” transport links via Belarus–Russia–Turkmenistan’s Caspian ports, and Belarus–Russia–Kazakhstan routes accessing other Central Asian markets.
The agricultural sector—particularly its technical support with machinery and spare parts, agro-science, and education—along with mechanical engineering, light industry, and enterprise localization, can serve as catalysts for partnership between Belarus and the region.
A quote from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a February 2024 meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev resonates: “Belarus is ready to share technologies with Uzbekistan. The technologies you need today and even tomorrow—we have them. There’s no need to wander the world and bow to anyone. We offer this with an open heart, demanding nothing in return. Nor can we demand anything: we are equal countries. We can only cooperate on a basis of goodwill, and you with us.” These words are relevant to Belarus’s relations with all Central Asian countries: non-politicized cooperation based on sincere intentions, mutual respect, and equal partnership. ///nCa, 7 May 2025