Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in a meeting of the Council of Heads of States of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Chairman of the Executive Committee - CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev also attended the summit.

In accordance with the agenda, the heads of delegations exchanged views on the course of multilateral cooperation within the Commonwealth, considered issues of further expanding cooperation in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres.

In his speech, the head of our state presented a vision of key areas for strengthening partnerships within the CIS.

It was noted that the emerging difficult situation in the world, the growing tension and strategic uncertainty necessitate the need to combine efforts to ensure sustainable development and maximize the effective use of the CIS platform.

The importance of ensuring sustainable economic growth in the Commonwealth countries was emphasized.

It was noted with satisfaction that, despite the challenges, it is possible to ensure positive dynamics in all areas of partnership within the CIS. Thus, the trade turnover of Uzbekistan with the states of the Organization increased by 35 percent last year, and since the beginning of this year it has grown by another third.

Cooperation projects are being successfully implemented in mechanical engineering, energy, chemical, pharmaceutical, textile and other industries. In recent months alone, more than 800 new enterprises have been launched with partners from the CIS countries.

Cultural ties are developing intensively. Festivals, concerts, fairs, sports and other events are held on a regular basis.

At the same time, it was pointed out that it is necessary to take effective measures to remove barriers in mutual trade as soon as possible.

The head of our state noted the importance of creating favorable conditions for unhindered food supplies in the CIS in order to prevent artificial price increases and curb inflation.

Considering the serious challenges for the transport systems of our countries, it is critically important to jointly develop new logistics corridors. We are talking about the projects for the construction of railways Termez - Mazar-i-Sharif - Kabul - Peshawar, as well as China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan, which will contribute to the transformation of the CIS into a key link in transcontinental transport.

One of the most important areas of cooperation in the CIS space is the cultural and humanitarian dimension.

In order to expand innovative interaction and youth cooperation, the President of our country proposed to hold the first Congress of young scientists of the CIS countries next year in Uzbekistan under the motto "Youth for Innovation".

Readiness was expressed to continue to actively promote the implementation and participate in joint projects and programs in the field of education, science, healthcare, sports, culture and art.

The decision to declare the city of St. Petersburg the cultural capital of the CIS in 2023 was supported. Samarkand has been nominated as the cultural capital of the Commonwealth in 2024.

In addition, the head of our state initiated the annual holding of an open Commonwealth Chess Cup.

In conclusion, the leader of Uzbekistan welcomed the extension of the powers of Sergei Lebedev to the post of Chairman of the Executive Committee - Executive Secretary of the CIS for the next period, and also wished the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov success in chairmanship of the Organization in 2023.

During the meeting, the leaders also exchanged views on further strengthening cooperation in the implementation of the agreements reached and the promotion of important cooperation projects within the Organization. The significant role of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly in monitoring the implementation of the decisions of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth was emphasized.

As a result of the summit, a number of important documents were adopted in various areas of multilateral cooperation.