On Sunday May 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, on a state visit to hold talks with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev to discuss issues related to further expansion of cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan.
Gazeta.uz reports that Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev greeted him at the Tashkent airport.
Putin laid a wreath at a monument to Uzbekistan's independence in Tashkent and held what the Kremlin said were informal talks with Mirziyoyev. The formal meeting of the presidents is to taking place today.
Putin and Mirziyoyev are reportedly expected to discuss the state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan and exchange views on topical problems of the region.
They will take part in the first meeting of the Council of the Regions of Russia and Uzbekistan.
RBC says the presidents will discuss issues of construction of low-capacity nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan.
The Kremlin says the visit is expected to pave the way to the signing of a solid package of bilateral documents.
The visit to Uzbekistan is Putin's third foreign trip since being inaugurated for a fifth term in May. He first went to China, where he expressed appreciation for China's proposals for talks to end the conflict in Ukraine, and later to Belarus where Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons.
Recall, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in late February invited his Russian counterpart to pay visit to Uzbekistan.
On May 21, Russian leader held phone talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. They reportedly discussed preparations for the upcoming visit of Putin and a number of issues related to bilateral cooperation between their countries, including further expansion trade and economic cooperation.
Uzbek president’s press service says the heads of state paid special attention to the implementation of projects aimed at promoting cooperation between leading enterprises and cultural and humanitarian exchange programs through interregional contacts.
Uzbek leader visited Moscow on May 8-9 to attend Victory Day events.
