"I conveyed President Barack Obama’s gratitude to Uzbek President Islam Karimov for providing assistance in transporting non-military cargo through the republic’s territory to Afghanistan and supporting the anti-terror operation," said the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, during a press conference in Tashkent on 14 October.

He expressed satisfaction with results of his visit to Uzbekistan during which President Islam Karimov met him, and there were meetings between him and the chairman of the Senate, Ilgizar Sobirov; and the speaker of the lower house, Dilorom Toshmuhammadova, other officials and representatives of the civil sector.

Robert Blake noted the US administration’s interest in further expanding mutually beneficial cooperation with Uzbekistan.