Following the official welcoming ceremony of the Tajik President Emomali Rahmon at the Kuksaroy residence, the two leaders began talks, the presidential press service reported.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev, greeting Emomali Rahmon, noted that Uzbekistan regards this visit as an important political event in the new history of the Uzbek-Tajik ties.
"The visit is also the evidence of the reciprocal firm intention to further expand mutually beneficial cooperation based on the principles of friendship, good neighborliness and taking into account each other's interests. We want this visit to become truly historic and that our accords indeed serve our people for many years to come," Mirziyoyev said.
Emomali Rahmon expressed gratitude to Uzbekistan for the invitation and sincere reception and noted that this meeting was an opportunity to discuss the current state and prospects for cooperation.
"I remember with warmth your state visit to Tajikistan in March this year, which restored the bilateral ties and gave a powerful impetus to the development of cooperation in various fields. Thanks to your effective foreign policyies Uzbekistan’s reputation in the world is growing ever more. In Uzbekistan, the lives of ordinary people are also transforming. I think that my state visit is very important for our peoples," he said.
The parties discussed the ways to expand bilateral cooperation in the political, trade-economic, transport and communication spheres, tourism, cultural-humanitarian and inter-provincial cooperation.
The heads of state also exchanged views on topical issues of the international and regional agenda.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that in the cooperation with Tajikistan there was still huge untapped potential. According to him, with the current pace, the countries will soon elevate the volume of trade to US$ 500 million. "In fact, our true potential is at least US$ 1 billion," he stressed.
The parties agreed to speed up the implementation of projects for assembly of agricultural machineries, production of building materials, food products, finished textile, electrical products and other goods. Accords have also been reached in the areas of transport-transit, energy, water use and etc.
The delegations discussed the issues of countering terrorism, extremism, transnational crime, enhancing the effectiveness of law enforcement cooperation.
