Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Following the high-level talks, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev made statements to the media.

The President of Uzbekistan expressed gratitude to the Leader of Azerbaijan for the traditionally warm hospitality.

“It is symbolic that I am making my first visit after the elections to Azerbaijan. This testifies to the highest level of bilateral cooperation, a mutual desire for rapprochement, and the presence of wide opportunities for interaction”, the President of Uzbekistan noted.

Uzbekistan expressed unwavering support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. In this regard, the Leader of Uzbekistan emphasized the importance of establishing peace and stability in Karabakh and praised the scope and pace of the restoration work being carried out here.

The results of the talks held today, during which the whole range of issues of multifaceted cooperation was discussed, were noted with great satisfaction.

“It should be noted that there are no problematic issues between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. We emphasized the relevance of the search for new opportunities and mechanisms for the effective use of great potential in the interests of the fraternal peoples”, the President of Uzbekistan noted.

It was emphasized that the signed Agreement on establishing the Supreme Interstate Council of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan opens a new stage in bilateral relations.

During the high-level meetings, key directions for developing a multifaceted partnership were defined.

The heads of state attached great importance to increasing trade, developing industrial cooperation, and logistics infrastructure. These include major projects in the automotive industry, metallurgy, energy, agriculture, electrical engineering, the textile industry, tourism, and many others.

An agreement was also reached on implementing projects for developing new supply chains and infrastructure construction and an increase in the volume of cargo transportation.

As another driver of trade and economic cooperation, the possibilities of the two countries’ regions will be used to the maximum. Hokims and heads of administrations will meet regularly to promote new humanitarian collaboration and exchange projects.

During the talks, special attention was paid to cultural ties.

Recently, Uzbek Culture Days were held in Azerbaijan with great success. Within the framework of these events, the presentation of the novel by the classic of Uzbek literature Abdulla Qodiriy’s “Bygone Days”, translated into Azerbaijani, took place in Baku.

Joint Culture and Cinema Days, the creative and scientific intelligentsia meetings will be held regularly. This year, the First Uzbekistan – Azerbaijan Youth Forum will be organized in Uzbekistan.

The leaders also agreed to continue a fruitful dialogue on the platforms of international organizations such as the United Nations, the Organization of Turkic States, the CIS, the OSCE, the Non-Aligned Movement and other multilateral institutions.

“Today’s talks again showed our resolute attitude to strengthening the strategic partnership. Our efforts are aimed at achieving concrete results”, the President of Uzbekistan said in conclusion.