Turkish, Uzbek presidents meet for official talks

By Ilkay Guder

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AA) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev in capital Tashkent for official talks on Monday.

The talks lasted for two hours. No further details about the meeting was provided.

Erdogan, who is in the country on a three-day official visit, later attended a lunch organized by Mirziyoyev in his honor.

He is also due to address the Uzbek parliament and attend the Turkey-Uzbekistan Business Forum along with Mirziyoyev.

On Tuesday, the Turkish president will visit the historic city of Bukhara, where he plans to establish two Islamic institutes.

The president is accompanied by a large delegation, including his wife Emine Erdogan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Culture and Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmus, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci, intelligence chief Hakan Fidan, Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul, Science, Industry, and Technology Minister Faruk Ozlu, Labor and Social Security Minister Julide Sarieroglu, Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and Ali Erbas, Directorate of Religious Affairs.