Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- During his visit to Spain, Deputy PM of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Chairman of the State Committee for Tourism Development Aziz Abdukhakimov had a face-to-face meeting with King Philip VI of Spain in Madrid. 

An official reception in honor of the heads of foreign delegations was organized by King Philip VI of Spain at the Palacio Real de Madrid. 

The opening part of the event highlighted the role of the tourism industry in the Spanish economy, its contribution to employment, and the importance of tourism and international cooperation in the development of the post-pandemic economy. After the official events, a face-to-face meeting was held between the King of Spain and the head of the Uzbek delegation. 

On behalf of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the Uzbek people, the Deputy Prime Minister AzizAbdukhakimov sent greetings and best wishes to the King of Spain and his family, as well as the Spanish people. King Philip VI, in turn, warmly recalled his meeting with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in June 2017 in Astana within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. 

At the same time, the King of Spain noted that today the friendly relations between Spain and Uzbekistan have a long history, dating back to six centuries ago when the Ambassador of the King of Spain Rui Gonzalez de Clavijo visited Samarkand and met with Amir Temur. 

"The King highly appreciated the purchase of Talgo trains by Uzbekistan, that connect major tourist cities of the country, and praised the intentions of Uzbekistan government further bringing in two new trains in the coming years" - said A. Abdukhakimov. 

The King of Spain has expressed a desire to pay an official visit to Uzbekistan after the pandemic situation subsides.