Irad and Uzbekistan Strengthen Bilateral Relations

TALAS — Officials from the Irad Special Economic Zone and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum on trade and border coordination on Monday, a step both sides described as mending ties strained since the June 2018 clashes in the western desert rangelands.

The document, signed at the Lieutenant Governor's offices, commits customs services on both sides to shared inspection hours at the main crossings and a joint working group on livestock and cotton shipments. It is a memorandum rather than a treaty, and officials stressed that patrols will be coordinated, not joint.

"Our farmers and our hauliers have waited a long time for predictable crossings," Lieutenant Governor Aidar Maksat said after the signing. "This is a practical agreement between neighbours who need each other."

Trans-Chuy Freight & Logistics, which runs most bonded trucking out of the ISEZ, welcomed the change, saying waiting times at the southern posts had added days to some deliveries. The Uzbek delegation said it hoped the working group would also address summer water releases on the Naryn.

The working group is due to meet for the first time in Tash-Kömür in April.