Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks with Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov on Monday, who arrived in Moscow on a working visit.
The foreign ministers met in Samarkand in April to discuss cooperation in political, trade and economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian and other areas.
According to the Russian foreign ministry, this time the ministers also intend to consider the entire range of bilateral cooperation, which is "based on a strategic partnership and alliance."
The parties will also focus on the situation in Central Asia, regional security and Eurasian integration.
On the partnership of the two countries
Russia and Uzbekistan have repeatedly noted that they are close friends, allies and strategic partners. And in the conditions of aggravation of numerous threats and challenges in the world, according to Saidov, a dialogue of trust and mutual understanding between Uzbekistan, other Central Asian countries and Russia is especially important.
The Russian foreign ministry said that during this meeting, the foreign ministers of the two countries will exchange views on the regional situation "considering the coordinated contribution to the development of cooperation, as well as maintaining stability and security in Central Asia and on the approaches to it."
The sides will also discuss common problems for the Eurasian space and integration processes on the continent. As noted by several experts, Uzbekistan, due to its location in the heart of Eurasia, is interested in connections with global economic centers and access to international markets. For Russia, as Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out, strengthening ties in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is a priority. The Russian authorities have repeatedly expressed the hope for Uzbekistan's full-fledged participation in the union, which would open up opportunities to reduce barriers to trade between the two countries. The ministers are likely to address the diplomatic support for such participation during their meeting in Moscow. At the same time, the authorities of Uzbekistan, which is an EEU observer state, noted that they are actively working to create favorable conditions for a mutually beneficial partnership with the union.
Trade and economic ties
Trade relations between Russia and Uzbekistan demonstrate high growth rates of trade turnover, an average of 20 percent a year. The foreign ministers will consider several topical issues of trade and economic cooperation, including a special focus on investment cooperation, the Russian ministry said. In particular, Russia is the top investor in Uzbekistan, and Tashkent has emphasized its interest in expanding the presence of Russian business in the republic in various sectors of the economy.
It is possible that the sides will also discuss cooperation in the energy sector. In April this year, Uzbek Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov said that the gas supplies to Uzbekistan from Russia are planned to be performed through the Central Asia-Center gas pipeline. He also noted that the sides will begin negotiations on supplies after calculating the cost of construction of compressor stations required for reversing gas flows.
The foreign ministers of the two countries may also touch upon the gas union project between Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. As Lavrov noted after his April visit to Samarkand, the countries have actively advanced the discussion of this large-scale project. According to the minister, it will strengthen the energy security and will be beneficial for all parties. Russia proposed to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to create a "triple gas union" to coordinate the commercial interests of the three countries in this area in November last year. In January this year, the Uzbek and Kazakh energy ministries signed a cooperation plan with Gazprom.
Presumably, the negotiations will also include the issue of expanding trade in national currencies between the countries, as the head of the Russian diplomacy has repeatedly pointed out that the trend to abandon the dollar in mutual settlements in world trade is irreversible. The Uzbek sum was traded on the Moscow Stock Exchange in September 2022, when the Russian authorities said the move would stimulate the development of settlements in national currencies for economic entities in both countries.
According to the Russian diplomatic mission, a separate topic of the meeting between Lavrov and Saidov is also cultural and humanitarian interaction.
Afghan issues
The situation in Afghanistan is also traditionally in the zone of interest of the two countries. The ministerial conference of Afghanistan's neighbors was held in Samarkand in April to discuss further steps by the regional partners in facilitating an Afghan political settlement and stabilizing the humanitarian and socio-economic situation in the country. The Russian delegation was headed by Lavrov, and the foreign ministers of Iran, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Pakistan also took part in the conference. The foreign minister said the situation in Afghanistan remains difficult, and called on the international community not to limit itself to humanitarian aid, but also to promote economic and infrastructure projects in the country.
Following the meeting, Lavrov said that improving the situation in Afghanistan in some aspects, including the formation of an inclusive government and addressing human rights issues in the country would be an important step towards the legal recognition of the Taliban power (radical movement Taliban is banned in Russia - TASS). The minister added that there is still a long way to go to form an inclusive government in the country.
The conference on Afghanistan was held in Doha on May 1-2, chaired by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. It was attended by the special representatives of Russia, Great Britain, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, China, Norway, the UAE, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, France, Japan, as well as the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. However, Russian Presidential Special Representative for Afghanistan, Director of the Second Asia Department of the Foreign Ministry Zamir Kabulov told TASS that the meeting failed to yield results because of the West's unconstructive approach. Kabulov also pointed to the difference between the positions of regional players and representatives of the West: Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Central Asian countries and India consider the creation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan as a priority, which will lead to the solution of other very important issues, while the West prioritizes legal issues. These differences, he said, can be overcome, provided "the regional approach is dominant."
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS