Russian PM, Uzbek president discuss bilateral cooperation

TASHKENT. June 16 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent on Tuesday to convey Russian President Vladimir Putin's best wishes to the latter and vow that the Russian government will prioritize the implementation of the agreements reached by the two leaders.

Putin and Mirziyoyev met in early June in St. Petersburg, where they participated in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Mishustin mentioned that, during his speech at the SPIEF, the Uzbek president put forward a number of vital initiatives concerning technological industrialization and digital ecosystems, as well as the creation of a "creative tourism corridor from Samarkand to St. Petersburg."

The Russian prime minister said at the meeting with Mirziyoyev that the Russian government would consider these initiatives as a priority. Mishustin assured the Uzbek president that he is in constant contact with Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, with whom he held substantive talks earlier on Tuesday.

Mishustin added that the intergovernmental commission led by First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov on the Russian side is successfully addressing practical matters of bilateral cooperation.

In the conversation with the Uzbek president, Mishustin evaluated bilateral economic ties as "developing on an upward trend," and called the growth in trade between Russia and Uzbekistan record-breaking.

The Russian prime minister mentioned that at a meeting in St. Petersburg on June 4 Putin and Mirziyoyev launched a major joint project - the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan's Jizzakh region - and said that the nuclear power plant is being built in a unique configuration: two large and two small power units on one site.

The Russian prime minister also confirmed to the Uzbek president Moscow's interest in developing humanitarian ties and contacts in education, noting that Russia and Uzbekistan have interesting joint projects in science, culture, and creative technologies.

Mishustin said he is willing to discuss all current matters of bilateral cooperation with the Uzbek leader.