Shavkat Mirziyoyev: Kyrgyzstan is our important strategic partner, closest neighbor and time-tested friend

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov held a meeting in a narrow format at the Ala-Archa State Residence in Bishkek.

The Head of our state, expressing gratitude for the invitation and warm welcome, noted that the Uzbek-Kyrgyz cooperation has been developing most fruitfully over the past two years.

"Kyrgyzstan is our important strategic partner, closest neighbor and time-tested friend," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

It was stressed that the parties have managed to bring bilateral relations to a completely new level in the last two years. The completion of the delimitation of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border is called a historical event.

During the talks, issues of development of bilateral political, trade and economic, investment, transport and communication, water and energy and interregional cooperation were discussed.

The head of Uzbekistan noted with satisfaction that the volume of bilateral trade has increased sevenfold in recent years. Last year alone, the trade turnover increased by 30 percent to $1.3 billion.

The governments of the two countries were instructed to work out issues of further increasing trade volumes and expanding the range of mutual supplies.

The issues of implementation of new joint investment projects in industry, textile, energy, mining and agricultural spheres were considered.

To this end, the potential of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz Development Fund will be more actively used.

The two leaders also discussed cooperation within regional structures and on international platforms, issues of security and stability in Central Asia, effective counteraction to modern challenges and threats.

The mutual desire to continue mutually beneficial cooperation within the framework of multilateral structures was confirmed.