Lukashenko Invites Uzbek Citizens to Work in Belarus with Families

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has extended a direct invitation to citizens of Uzbekistan to relocate to Belarus for work, emphasizing a critical shortage of labor within the country. During an official visit by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Minsk, Lukashenko expressed a preference for Uzbek workers, stating, "come before the Pakistanis."

Lukashenko assured potential migrant workers that they would receive conditions on par with Belarusian citizens. He specifically mentioned housing, noting that while it is provided in the agricultural sector, there might be a slight waiting period in urban areas. Additionally, he promised access to free education and healthcare services for Uzbek workers and their families.

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In Uzbekistan, there is not enough water. And it would be desirable to have more land. Well, we have this in Belarus. Sometimes there are not enough workers.

The invitation also touches upon resource availability, with Lukashenko suggesting that Belarus's ample water and land resources could benefit Uzbekistan, where these are reportedly scarce. He highlighted the need for more hands to work the land, linking the labor demand to potential resource complementarities between the two nations.

This outreach follows high-level negotiations that resulted in the signing of a Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership between Belarus and Uzbekistan. An intergovernmental agreement was also signed to manage the organized recruitment and employment of Uzbek citizens for temporary work in Belarus. Both countries have set an ambitious target to increase their bilateral trade turnover to $2 billion by the year 2030, with labor migration seen as a component of this broader economic cooperation.

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We love Uzbeks, so come with your families.