MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. The rates of mutual trade between Uzbekistan and Russia have been rising by an average of 20% each year over the past five years, Prime Minister of the republic Abdulla Aripov said at a meeting of the Russian-Uzbek commission at the level of heads of governments.

"The Russian Federation has been and remains our key foreign economic partner, with the rates of mutual trade rising by an average of 20% each year over the last five years. We are confident that we will be able to meet the task set by heads of states of bringing trade turnover to $10 this year," he said, adding that for doing this it is necessary to continue joint efforts to create favorable conditions and remove trade barriers.

The volume of Russian investments in the Uzbek economy has been growing as well, PM added, noting that the number of enterprises with the participation of Russian capital in Uzbekistan tripled in the past three years, with their number having approached 3,000.