BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 15. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan may move from expanding mutual trade to establishing joint production chains focused on third-country markets, Miroshid Aslanov, head of Uzbekistan’s Center for Progressive Reforms (CPR), said, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
He made the announcement at the presentation of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Business Barometer initiative in Baku.
According to him, the combination of Uzbekistan’s industrial potential and Azerbaijan’s transit capabilities creates the conditions for organizing joint production and subsequently entering larger international markets. “We can bring our joint production to premium markets in the near future,” Aslanov said.
Moreover, he noted that for the further development of industry, the two countries need to deepen their specialization and form joint value-added chains.
Miroshid Aslanov stated that one possible model could involve companies in each country specializing in the production of specific components, which would then be used in the manufacture of final products for the regional market.
Aslanov proposed considering such cooperation in a broader context, including the countries of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and Central Asia.
He noted that it is difficult for individual countries to compete with China in the production of a full range of goods, whereas regional specialization could increase production efficiency.
At the same time, he said, developing such supply chains requires significantly improving access to detailed information about the countries’ production capabilities.
He emphasized the need to examine not only finished goods but also components, raw materials, and individual production processes. According to him, a more in-depth analysis of such data will make it possible to determine which types of products countries can produce jointly and which markets could be targeted for joint exports.
