UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent a message to President of Uzbekistan to express his gratitude for hospitality during his trip to Uzbekistan.

“It was a great honour to meet with you, and I thank you, your Government and the people of the Republic of Uzbekistan for the excellent hospitality and warm welcome during my recent visit.

In our meeting, I was impressed by the clear vision you laid out for the Republic of Uzbekistan, based on your “Action Strategy 2017-2021This document has much in common with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the wider 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and can form the basis for even greater cooperation between your country and the United Nations.

I encourage the efforts of your Government to revitalize relations with neighbouring countries. The United Nations stands ready to support your Government in advancing our mutual goals, including implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, enhancing regional cooperation, and promoting preventive diplomacy.

I thank you and your Government for your renewed support to and cooperation with the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia,” the UN head underlined.

“I would like to extend special thanks for your facilitation of my visit to Nukus and Muynak, which were among the major highlights of my trip to Central Asia. It was powerful and greatly moving to personally witness the extreme shrinking of the Aral Sea, and to meet with local residents impacted by the effects of the tragedy. I offer my assurances that the United Nations will continue to support your efforts in addressing the impacts.

I am grateful for the logistical support your Government so generously provided during my visit, which was appreciated and significantly facilitated my trip.

I greatly enjoyed visiting beautiful Samarkand, one of the jewels of the Silk Road, once again. The open, multi-cultural history of this city at the crossroads of civilizations still has much to teach the world even today,” he said.

I am grateful that the Republic of Uzbekistan is a reliable partner of the United Nations, and I look forward to continuing our cooperation further for the benefit of the people of the Republic of Uzbekistan and beyond,” the message said.