Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov discussed with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic Luigi di Mayo, who is on a working visit to Uzbekistan, issues of further intensification and expansion of political, trade, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries, as well as the current state of implementation of joint initiatives within the framework of bilateral and multilateral interaction.

In particular, they discussed the issues of holding the second meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs "Italy - Central Asia" in the "1 + 5" format in Tashkent by the end of this year, as well as upcoming bilateral events.

Special attention was paid to the sphere of investment cooperation and industrial cooperation. In this vein, the active participation of Italian companies in the implementation of large projects in Uzbekistan, involving the introduction of advanced Italian industrial production technologies in the mining industry, metallurgical, electrical, petrochemical industries, as well as in the production of building materials, was noted. 

A high assessment was also given to the successful cooperation of specialists and manufacturers of Uzbekistan and Italy in the areas of intensive gardening and the cultivation of medicinal plants, in particular saffron.

The need was noted for establishing bilateral interagency cooperation in order to develop effective measures to intensify mutual trade. They also voiced their readiness to organize joint events to strengthen direct ties between manufacturers and entrepreneurs of the two countries in order to find new promising areas for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Touching upon the sphere of cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the two states, the parties stressed the high significance of the agreements reached between the State Committee for Geology and Mineral Resources, the University of Geological Sciences of Uzbekistan and the University of Pisa, Italy on the opening of a branch of this university in Tashkent, recognizing that this will give a significant impetus to the development of higher education in the country.

Following the meeting, the parties expressed their commitment to further expanding business contacts, strengthening trade and economic cooperation, as well as enhancing bilateral cooperation to restore economic activity in the two states and develop new forms and schemes of regional and interregional cooperation in the post-like period.