The Kremlin is confident that his talks with Uzbek leader Islam Karimov would confirm strategic partnership between Tashkent and Moscow and help considerably strengthen bilateral trade.

It will be Medvedev’s first visit to Uzbekistan. However, he is well acquainted with his Uzbek colleague Islam Karimov who repeatedly visited Russia. His bilateral talks with Medvedev were held on the sidelines of many international forums.

Karimov last visited Moscow in September 2008, during the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The two leaders met, and the Russian president was official invited to make a visit to Uzbekistan.

A Kremlin official told Itar-Tass that Medvedev would begin his trip with a visit to Samarkand, which is Karimov’s native town.

"An informal meeting between the two leaders will take place there," the Kremlin official said

On 23 January, Russia and Uzbekistan will hold talks in expanded format, with the participation of the delegations of the two countries. The delegations include ministers, parliamentarians and representatives of large national companies, according to the source.

"The summit in Uzbekistan is expected to promote the actively developing contacts and the trusting dialogue at top level, based on the principles of strategic partnership and allies’ relations.

"The parties will pay considerable attention during negotiations to the prospects for stepping up bilateral trade and economic interaction, in the first place in the fuel and energy sector, aircraft-making, transport and mining.

"Trade turnover between the two countries made up US$3.087,7 billion in January through November 2008, up 5.6% from the same period in 2007.

"Russia’s exports to Uzbekistan reached US$1.850 billion (up 18.8%), while imports made up US$1.237 billion.

"Russian companies Gazprom, LUKoil, Stroitransgaz, Zarubezhneftegaz, TEKHNOPROMEXPORT, Zarubezhneft, the Volga-Dnepr group and the Western Urals machine-building concern actively operate in Uzbekistan.

"Among the key themes of the discussion are the problems of ensuring security and stability in Central Asia, expanding bilateral interaction in neutralizing the most dangerous challenges of the present time - international terrorism and organized crime, and coordinating efforts in fighting the drug threat.

"Military-technical cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan plays an important role in ensuring stability in the Central Asian region. It is based on the treaty on developing military cooperation and subsequent documents on expanding it. In 2001, the countries concluded an agreement on joint use of the Air Force and Air Defense with the view of ensuring security of air space.

"As for other pressing issues of the international agenda, special attention will be paid to the problem of the world financial crisis, and Russian-Uzbek cooperation within the framework of international efforts to contribute to the Afghan settlement and economic revival of that country.

"The presidents will consider issues related to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the light of preparations for the SCO summit in Yekaterinburg, scheduled for the summer of 2009.

"It is planned to substantively discuss interaction within the scope of the CIS, the CSTO and international organizations," the Kremlin official said.

Medvedev and Karimov will touch upon the development of humanitarian and cultural cooperation.

"They are planning to consider the expansion of Russian language cultural and educational space, the support and preservation of the Russian language and national-cultural originality of our compatriots in Uzbekistan," he said.

The Slav Culture Center has operated for four years in the Fergana valley, and four Russian Drama Theatres operate in Tashkent.

More than 6,000 Uzbek students study in Russian colleges. The Moscow State University, the Gubkin Oil and Gas State University, and the Plekhanov Economic Academy have branches in the republic.