Meeting at the Oqsaroy

   President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov met with Russian Federation’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov at the Oqsaroy on December 18.
  During the conversation, the two sides discussed the current state and prospects of multilayered Uzbek-Russian cooperation as well as pressing issues of regional and international politics that concern the interests of the two countries.
  Greeting the guest, the head of our state stressed the steadfast character of the bilateral relations, their consistent advancement in practically all spheres of interaction.
  Today, an essential significance is attached to the implementation of fundamental understandings agreed on during the June 2012 highest-level meeting in Tashkent and the subsequently signed Declaration on the Enhancement of Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation.
  A priority aspect of further development of the Uzbek-Russian dialogue has been the expansion of mutually advantageous ties in trade-economic and investment sectors.
  The regular session of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation held a few days ago has reinforced the shared interest in further diversification of bilateral trade and investment relations.
  During today’s meeting at the Oqsaroy, a particular emphasis has been placed on issues in regional security and stability and those concerning joint measures in addressing contemporary common threats and challenges.
  Sergey Lavrov, in his turn, expressed gratitude for a warm welcome and the opportunity to deliberate scrupulously on the prospects of interaction in bilateral as well as multilateral formats. He also confirmed the Russian leadership’s willingness to build longer-term and constructive relations with Uzbekistan.

UzA,18 December 2012