Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Uzbekistan and Russia strive to increase bilateral trade turnover to US$20 billion, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“If we talk about trade turnover, we have already reached US$10 billion. This year there is an increase of 30 percent, which is an excellent indicator. Now my colleagues and I are working to reach US$20 billion in the near future. We have real success,” Mirziyoyev noted.

Vladimir Putin, in turn, noted the impressive pace of development of economic ties.

“You mentioned that the growth was about 30 percent last year. According to our statistics, the numbers are slightly lower, but still significant. In general, we account for 15.5 percent of your trade turnover, which is a good result,” Putin said.

“I am confident that these figures will grow, given the current pace: in the first quarter of this year, according to our strict statistics, the growth was more than 20 percent. This is a very good result,” added the Russian leader.

“Thanks to your efforts and the efforts of the Government of Uzbekistan, our trade and economic relations are diversifying and have good prospects, especially in the field of industrial cooperation and high technology. It is most important. Traditional areas of interaction are also maintained at a high level and are developing at a good pace,” Putin emphasized.