Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 17 June, the International Institute of Central Asia, together with the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan and the Center for Strategic Research under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, held an online international conference on the topic: “Mutual understanding, friendship and openness are the basis for further progress of Uzbek- Tajik cooperation”.

The Uzbek side was represented by the leadership and leading employees of the International Institute of Central Asia, the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Center for Economic Research and Reforms under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Transport, Culture, Water and agriculture.

The Tajik side was represented by the leadership and leading experts of the National Academy of Sciences, the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Institute for the Study of Asian and European Problems, the Institute of History, Ethnography and Archeology, the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Law, the Russian-Tajik (Slavic) University.

The conference discussed the fruitful results of the official visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Republic of Tajikistan, held on 10-11 June 2021, which opened a new page in the history of Uzbek-Tajik relations.

Anvar Nasirov - Director of the International Institute of Central Asia, Gayrat Fazilov - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Khurshed Ziyoi - Director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Abdujabbor Rakhmonzoda - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Republic of Uzbekistan made a welcoming speech.

All participants unanimously noted the key role of the two Leaders - Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Emomali Rahmon in maximizing interaction between fraternal countries and peoples, identifying new points of growth and implementing a strategy for their further development.

Thanks to strong political will and a far-sighted wise policy, as well as the joint efforts of the heads of state, relations of friendship, good-neighborliness and multifaceted cooperation have been brought to a high level of strategic partnership.

The speakers emphasized that the negotiations and meetings of the presidents of the two countries, as well as the signed solid package of documents, gave not only an additional impetus to further mutually beneficial cooperation, but also outlined breakthrough initiatives and directions designed to further strengthen the Uzbek-Tajik partnership for the long term.

It was noted in the speeches that the results of the summit will undoubtedly contribute to the further sustainable development of the entire Central Asian region.

A unanimous opinion was expressed on the need for timely and practical implementation in full of the agreements reached, which will allow reaching the new lines of close cooperation between fraternal countries and peoples designated by the Presidents of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Thus, the importance of a twofold increase in trade turnover already next year was indicated, which will be facilitated by the signed firm trade contracts, investment agreements providing for the implementation of cooperation projects in various sectors of the economy, including the automotive industry, the electrical industry, hydropower, textiles, agriculture and others.

The urgency of strengthening interregional contacts, which are one of the main drivers of the development of Uzbek-Tajik relations, was noted. In confirmation of this, the fact is cited that following the results of the previous visit of the first Forum of Regions and the meeting of the Business Council in the city of Bokhtar, Khatlon region, documents worth over US$1 billion were signed.

The participants of the event paid special attention to the fact that the centuries-old history of joint and friendly residence of our peoples plays an important role in strengthening mutual trust.

That is why the bright events that took place within the framework of the visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan - the "Evening of Friendship" in Dushanbe, the meeting with representatives of the intelligentsia and the public in Khujand, the ceremony of launching the activities of the medical complex in Khatlon region and the secondary school in Samarkand region became real symbols of strengthening friendship and partnership of two fraternal countries and peoples.

In this regard, the initiative of the Leader of Uzbekistan to create a feature film about the friendship between Alisher Navoi and Abdurkhamon Jami, which will contribute to the spiritual and intellectual enrichment of our youth, and will show the entire world community how strong are the bonds of friendship between the two fraternal peoples, was separately noted.

It was noted that mutual support of each other at regional and international platforms plays an important role in ensuring peace, stability and security, as well as jointly countering challenges and threats.

During the conference, the participants exchanged views on further building up mutually beneficial practical cooperation in all the main areas of the Uzbek-Tajik partnership. Specific proposals were voiced on the prospects for interaction in the field of transport, agriculture and water management, energy, education, science, culture and others.

Summing up the results of the conference, the parties stressed the need to hold such events on a regular basis in order to exchange views on important aspects of bilateral cooperation and develop specific new proposals aimed at strengthening friendship, good-neighborliness and strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.