In Uzbekistan, 2,141 positions in the executive branch will be cut by November 1, 2025, due to the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies. The corresponding decree was signed by the country’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and the document was published in the National Legislation Database.
According to the decree, the largest number of cuts will occur in the State Tax Committee (498 positions), the Ministry of Water Resources (224), the Ministry of Agriculture (200), the Ministry of Justice (197), the Ministry of Ecology (176), and the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction (163).
In addition, the number of deputy heads in state committees, agencies, and inspectorates will be reduced: in some structures, the number of deputies will decrease from 11 to 7, from 12 to 6, and from 13 to 7, respectively.
The Ministry of Employment and the Federation of Trade Unions have been instructed to assist dismissed employees in finding employment and retraining.
The reform is part of a program to digitally transform public administration. In early 2025, President Mirziyoyev signed a law reforming the civil service system, which provides for the introduction of performance evaluations for civil servants and higher requirements for digital skills.
Earlier, Uzbekistan announced the creation of an Artificial Intelligence Development Alliance, which will coordinate the introduction of AI technologies in various industries and allocate funding for infrastructure development. About $100 million is planned to be allocated for these purposes.
The mass reduction of civil servants reflects the authorities’ policy of optimizing the bureaucratic apparatus and improving management efficiency through digitalization. At the same time, experts note that the success of the reform will depend on the quality of the technologies implemented and the state’s ability to provide social protection and retraining for the workers who are being laid off.
The President of Uzbekistan has signed a decree on measures for the digital transformation of public administration and the real sector of the Uzbek economy.
According to the decree, in 2025-2026, it is planned to launch 41 priority projects in the field of Digital Government and increase the share of electronic public services to 70%. To start providing more than 30 types of public services in mahallas and build 66 thousand kilometers of fiber-optic communication lines, commission 2284 base stations and implement more than 100 information systems. Convert more than 100 types of services for households and businesses into electronic format, including proactive and composite services.
Starting from November 1, 2025, mobile operators, banks and payment organizations will be able to provide paid public services through the Single Portal of Interactive Public Services.
Starting December 2025, non-governmental non-profit organizations will also be allowed to engage in interagency electronic interaction.
Starting January 1, 2026, social assistance processes, family and resident data management, and work in mahallas will be transferred to the Digital Mahalla platform.
By the end of 2026, the Cadastre Agency will complete the transfer of all real estate data to the UZKAD system and create a Unified Address Register linked to WGS-84.
By December 1, 2026, the Ministry of Digital Technologies will develop a single digital platform, OASIS, which will provide
The operator will be the Digital Government Project Management Center, funded by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and other sources not prohibited by law.
Starting November 1, startups under the Central Bank’s Digital Startups and Regulatory Sandbox programs will be able to use the Digital Data Platform for free for up to one year.
Foreign specialists who are residents of IT parks will be able to remotely open accounts and virtual cards in Uzbekistan by obtaining a PIN through diplomatic missions.
From January 1, 2026, residents of IT parks will be allowed to
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York, Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga.
The parties discussed topical issues of bilateral cooperation, including trade, investment, education and cultural exchange, as well as key aspects of cooperation in multilateral formats within international organizations.
“The meeting confirmed the mutual commitment of Uzbekistan and Ukraine to deepen dialogue, strengthen partnership and develop new opportunities for the benefit of our peoples,” Bakhtiyor Saidov said.
Andriy Sybiga wrote on his page on the social network X that the parties agreed to resume political dialogue and expand bilateral and multilateral cooperation in various fields.
“Ukraine seeks to develop relations with Uzbekistan and strengthen ties with Central Asian countries,” the statement reads.
In Kabul, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have established a joint venture for freight transportation—Sogdiana Trans LLC.
Sogdiana Trans LLC was founded by O‘zbekiston temir yo‘llari JSC and specializes in freight transportation, management, and technical maintenance of the Khairaton–Mazar-i-Sharif–Noibabad railway line.
At the opening ceremony of the joint venture, Hamid Khan, head of Khan Daqiq Trading, said that the company has the capacity to transport 150,000 tons of products per year by road along the Kabul–Mazar-i-Sharif –
Kabul, as well as from Mazar-i-Sharif by rail to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Baltic countries, and others, and to import products from there.
During the event, the head of the logistics and marketing department of Sogdiana Trans LLC expressed his gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the management of O‘zbekiston temir yo‘llari JSC for the opportunities created for entrepreneurs in the Year of Environmental Protection and Green Economy.
AFGHANISTAN, CARGO, joint venture, TRANSPORTATION, UZBEKISTAN
Most Ukrainians express a neutral attitude toward Uzbekistan. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with Experts Club in August 2025.
According to the results, 65.2% of respondents said they had a neutral attitude towards the country. 23.8% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude (4.3% — completely positive, 19.5% — mostly positive). A negative attitude was expressed by 11.0% of respondents (3.4% — completely negative, 7.6% — mostly negative), while another 3.0% admitted that they were almost unfamiliar with this country.
“Ukrainians do not yet have a clearly formed opinion about Uzbekistan. This is due to the country’s low level of information presence in the Ukrainian media space. The neutral position of the majority leaves room for the development of both political and economic relations,” explained Active Group Director Oleksandr Pozniy.
Experts Club co-founder Maksym Urakyn emphasized the economic aspect:
“In 2025, trade turnover between Ukraine and Uzbekistan reached $165 million. Ukraine exported goods worth $95.4 million, while imports amounted to $69.6 million, resulting in a positive balance of $25.8 million. This indicates the potential for expanding cooperation, particularly in the agro-industrial sector and mechanical engineering,” he said.
The survey was part of a large-scale study by Active Group and Experts Club on Ukrainians’ attitudes toward different countries around the world.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, international relations, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, TRADE, UKRAINE, URAKIN, UZBEKISTAN
A meeting of the joint Uzbek-Moldovan Commission on Road Transport was held in Kyzylanav.
The delegations of the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure of Moldova discussed the development of international road freight transportation and the creation of additional conditions for national carriers.
Following the meeting, a protocol was signed amending existing agreements. The document stipulates that starting from the beginning of 2026, bilateral and transit cargo transportation between the two countries will be carried out under a non-permitted system.
The agreement will create new opportunities for national carriers, simplify the transportation of goods to Europe and strengthen Uzbekistan’s export chains.
