Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The leaders of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan held a briefing for media representatives.

At the beginning, the President of Uzbekistan, on behalf of our multinational people and himself personally, congratulated the President and the fraternal people of Kazakhstan on Independence Day, which took place on December 16.

It is noted that the fraternal Uzbek and Kazakh peoples are inextricably linked by strong ties of centuries-old friendship.

- We are brought together by common history, cultural and spiritual values, traditions and customs. For Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan is the closest, most reliable and time-tested partner.

In the current difficult time, we, without exaggeration, can characterize our relations as a model of interstate cooperation, the leader of our state said.

The President of Uzbekistan noted that the talks once again confirmed the readiness of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to comprehensively develop and enrich bilateral relations, fill them with a qualitatively new practical content.

The most important outcome of the visit was the signing of the Treaty of Allied Relations, which fully meets the fundamental interests of the two fraternal peoples.

In addition, an Interstate Council is being created at the level of heads of state.

- With this step, we confirmed our readiness to actively support each other, firmly stand shoulder to shoulder in the face of the challenges of our time, - Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized.

Another important document adopted was the Treaty on the demarcation of the Uzbek-Kazakh state border, which completely completed the legal registration of the borders between the two fraternal countries.

- This is a truly historic event. There is no doubt that our border has always been and will remain the border of true friendship and good neighborliness, the President of Uzbekistan noted.

It was noted that thanks to an active political dialogue, great success has been achieved in all areas, and large-scale cooperation is developing at a rapid pace.

This is confirmed by the fact that in recent years the volume of mutual trade has doubled, approaching the mark of five billion dollars.

“We have set ourselves the task of multiplying these figures in the near future by replacing expensive imports from third countries with the products of our manufacturers,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized.

In this regard, an agreement was reached on the formation of a Working Group headed by deputy prime ministers and the creation of a joint foreign trade company to organize systemic supplies of replacement products.

Special attention is paid to the issues of deepening industrial cooperation in industries that traditionally complement each other.

The heads of state gave a new impetus to the development of partnership in this direction, launching a number of large-scale projects such as the construction of a thermal power plant in the Samarkand region, the production of complex and phosphate mineral fertilizers, the creation of a logistics center in the Tashkent region, the construction of residential and commercial infrastructure in Tashkent, the production of cars in Kostanay and home appliances in Karaganda.

“We will also start building the International Center for Industrial Cooperation, which will serve as an important platform for the preparation and practical implementation of new mutually beneficial projects,” the President of Uzbekistan noted.

During the talks, priority attention was paid to cooperation in the energy sector. It was noted that new projects will be implemented in the field of construction and modernization of energy facilities, geological exploration, deep processing of natural gas.

The heads of state also exchanged views on issues of further expansion of cooperation in the field of ensuring food security. For these purposes, agreements have been reached on growing various agricultural products in the territories of the two countries and their supply to each other’s markets.

An important place on the agenda was occupied by issues of transport and logistics. Specific measures have been identified to significantly increase the transport and transit potential, to intensify projects for the construction of new railways and highways.

The heads of state also reaffirmed their readiness to continue cooperation in the field of sharing transboundary water resources in the spirit of mutual respect and trust, as well as to strengthen cooperation to mitigate the negative consequences of the Aral Sea tragedy.

Considering the growing role of parliaments, cooperation between legislative authorities will be intensified. Next year, the first meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Council will be held in Tashkent.

The President of Uzbekistan emphasized that during the talks, much attention was paid to deepening partnership in the cultural and humanitarian sphere.

This year, the countries widely celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The exhibition “Pearl of the Aral Sea” was successfully held in Almaty in October, “Days of Culture of Uzbekistan” in November in Astana, and the Youth Congress in December.

These days Uzbekistan is hosting events dedicated to the outstanding son of the Kazakh people Abai Kunanbaev.

“The immortal legacy of the great Abai is of great importance for the peoples of our region today, especially the upbringing of the younger generation in the spirit of national and universal values,” said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

An agreement was reached next year to hold Days of Culture, joint film festivals, creative evenings of famous artists. This will serve to bring the two fraternal peoples even closer, confirming their common historical roots.

The head of our state stressed that Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan would join forces to ensure stability and prosperity in the region, which today is turning into the center of global changes.

“Strengthening multifaceted and long-term cooperation in Central Asia is a guarantee of overall sustainable development,” the Leader of Uzbekistan stressed.

Separately, the importance of holding regular Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia was emphasized.

During the past talks, the importance of continuing the practice of mutual support of each other’s initiatives within the framework of authoritative international and regional organizations was indicated.

Taking into account the existence of common interests, the parties agreed to expand cooperation within the framework of the UN, the CIS, the SCO, the UTC, the ECO, the CICA, as well as the Central Asia Plus formats.

- We are particularly pleased that during today’s state visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan to our country, bilateral relations have been raised to a qualitatively new level - strategic partnership and alliance.

We will make every effort and opportunity to further strengthen and develop our relations in every possible way,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev said in conclusion.