(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 3. Uzbekistan is gearing up to roll up its sleeves and dive into intergovernmental talks with a handful of countries in Africa and Asia, aiming to cut the red tape by eliminating import duties on goods coming from these nations, Trend reports via the Uzbek National Database of Legislation.

The initiative is outlined in a decree signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on measures to develop the construction materials industry.

The countries included in the planned negotiations are Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Mongolia.

According to the document, the Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade, together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Customs Committee, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been instructed to develop and implement, within two months:

. a program of measures through 2027 aimed at lifting unilateral import duties applied to these countries, and

. establishing a mechanism for bilateral mutual recognition of certificates of origin.

Meanwhile, the document also states that Uzbekistan aims to create the necessary conditions to boost the export potential of construction industry enterprises and increase the sector's export volume to $1.5 billion.

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