President of the Republic of Uzbekistan received the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation

On November 28 this year at the Oksaroy Residence in Tashkent the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Ivanov.

President has said that the cooperation between Uzbekistan and Russia has been developing in the spirit of the Treaty on allied relations signed in 2005.

The mutual respect and trust of leaders of the two countries, the community and closeness of views on such issues as expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthening of security and stability, as well as on many international problems play an important role in development of the Uzbek-Russian relations.

Over 30 percent of Uzbekistan’s foreign trade accounts for Russia, according to reports. The spectrum of both exports and imports is broad. They make up the machinery and equipment, energy sources, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, cotton fiber, plasmas, wood and wood products, and foodstuff. In 2006 the volume of trade between the two countries exceeded 3 billion US dollars. Last year Russia purchased more than one million tons of agricultural goods in Uzbekistan.

More than 500 joint ventures, established in partnership with Russian investors, are now operating in Uzbekistan, and 284 – joint companies with participation of the Uzbek capital – in Russia. The sides are also gradually developing cooperation in commerce, energy, mining, metallurgy, insurance, finance, food, pharmaceutical, and wood processing industries, the aircraft building, and machinery. The provinces of Uzbekistan are known to have established direct links with Russian regions.

The relations in humanitarian area cover the sphere of culture and arts, health, science and technologies.

At its regular sittings the Uzbek-Russian Intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation considers the new opportunities to expand ties and sets the priority directions of engagement.

In July this year the First Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov visited Uzbekistan for the first time as a co-chairman of the Russian-Uzbek Intergovernmental Commission.

As a part of his current visit to Tashkent the sides held another sitting of the joint commission as well as economic forum “Uzbekistan-Russia: strategic cooperation”.

At them the parties are reported to have discussed the prospects of developing the trade and economic relations, and particularly, the long-term partnership in fuel and energy complex and aviation industry. The sides have paid a special attention to increasing the volume of trade, the number of joint ventures and types of products based on Russia’s and Uzbekistan’s potential.

At the Oksaroy talks Sergey Ivanov thanked President Islam Karimov for the sincere welcome. He has said that Russia highly values the cooperation with Uzbekistan and the partnership relations now developing in all areas.