Putin, Mirziyoyev ink declaration on strategic partnership

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
15 Sep 21:21

Russia and Uzbekistan move to cement ties despite US pressures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin before a meeting with the Kyrgyz President (Sputnik)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, inked a declaration on Moscow-Tashkent comprehensive strategic partnership.

The declaration was inked in Samarkand on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, taking place on September 15-16.

The document addresses various aspects of Russian-Uzbek bilateral cooperation, such as military, energy, agriculture, finance, as well as security.

Regarding economic collaboration, the countries agreed to increase bilateral oil trade, payments in national currencies, and mutual agricultural product exports.

In terms of military cooperation, the two sides agreed to boost their ties by improving the existing framework of cooperation.

Russia and Uzbekistan are also determined to strengthen their bilateral and multilateral cooperation in combating terrorism, drug smuggling, and other threats, as per the declaration.

It is worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin met with a number of foreign leaders on the first day of the SCO summit, including China's President Xi Jinping, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, among others.

On September 16, summit participants will sign a final document, the Samarkand Declaration, outlining their positions on major regional and global issues.