Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 18 October, Khokim of Tashkent Jakhongir Artikkhodjaev met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Uzbekistan Agostino Pinna and Ambassador Romeo Orlandi to promote Rome’s candidacy for EXPO 2030.

At the meeting, which was held in a friendly and constructive atmosphere, Jakhongir Artikkhodjaev thanked the guests for their visit. Noting the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Italy, he emphasized the strengthening of mutually beneficial relations between our countries, in particular, the growing interest in Tashkent, where 19 joint ventures are currently operating in cooperation with Italian businessmen.

In turn, Agostino Pinna highly appreciated the prospects for developing mutually beneficial relations with Tashkent, noting an increase in the annual mutual trade turnover, an increase in the number of Italian businessmen in the capital, and introduced Romeo Orlandi to J. Artikhodjaeva, who arrived in Uzbekistan as part of promoting the idea of holding the World EXPO-2030 in Rome.

Romeo Orlandi said that he visited Tashkent for the first time in 2000, and during his current visit he witnessed cardinal changes in the city and, as an economist, highly appreciates them. He also said that Italy claims to host the EXPO-2030 World Exhibition in Rome along with the cities of Busan (Korea), Odessa (Ukraine), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and invited the hokim of Tashkent to visit the capital of Italy.

Jakhongir Artikkhodjaev expressed special gratitude for the proposal and confirmed his readiness to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with Rome.