Russian, Uzbek foreign ministers discuss bilateral ties, global issues

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed bilateral ties and international issues Thursday with his acting Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov in the city of Samarkand on the sidelines of a conference of countries neighboring Afghanistan.

“An exchange of views took place on key issues of Russian-Uzbek relations, including the further promotion of interstate dialogue as well as on current international issues,” said a statement by Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

The statement said Saidov informed Lavrov on the preparations with regards to the upcoming referendum in the country on the draft law “On the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan” scheduled for April 30, which Lavrov expressed “full support” for.

“The intention for close interaction between the foreign ministries of the two countries was confirmed in the interests of further strengthening the Russian-Uzbek comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance,” the statement said.

Ahead of the meeting, Lavrov also expressed his appreciation for Uzbekistan’s support for Russia’s proposal to hold a ministerial meeting of the Central Asia-Russia format talks in parallel to the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States on Friday.

"I think that this will contribute to the implementation of the tasks set for us by the leaders of our six countries at their first summit in autumn 2022 in Astana. Of course, these tasks cover strengthening security, economic cooperation, addressing environmental issues and much more," Lavrov said.

In a statement on Telegram, Saidov expressed his pleasure to meet Lavrov and said the agenda of their meeting was “very extensive,” covering all the areas.

“Trade ties show record dynamics, with value-added products containing 64% of the turnover. Russia leads the list of investors in Uzbekistan with a portfolio of projects worth $28 billion,” Saidov said.

- Russia, Pakistan agree to further expand cooperation

Lavrov later discussed bilateral ties and cooperation between Moscow and Islamabad in fighting terrorism with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar.

“The parties discussed the state of Russian-Pakistani relations and regional and international issues. We reaffirmed our focus on strengthening constructive cooperation in the fight against terrorism. We discussed the state of affairs in Afghanistan,” a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said.

The statement further said that the Russian delegation “highly appreciated” the interaction between Russia and Pakistan on the international stage, notably in multilateral platforms such as the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

“We agreed to further expand cooperation between our countries,” it said.

Separately, in an earlier statement on Telegram, Saidov announced that he held a meeting with Khar, during which he said strengthening regular dialogue in all spheres of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan is "pivotal" for bilateral relations.

“Regional security and stability and creating new transport corridors connecting Central and South Asia remain a hot topic,” he said.