US-Uzbekistan Annual Bilateral Consultations: A New Era of Strategic Partnership!
First Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov successfully held a meeting of the US-Uzbekistan annual bilateral consultations in Tashkent. Ambassador Wells and Foreign Minister Kamilov highlighted the breakthrough in US-Uzbek relations that took place after the historic visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the United States in May 2018 and his meeting with President Donald Trump, which opened a new era of strategic partnership between the two countries.
“Uzbekistan is again famous all over the world after the country's reforms in the sphere of economy and management have opened and new opportunities for cooperation and investment have opened, both with neighboring neighboring countries and with the whole world. All of Central Asia benefits from the fact that Uzbekistan plays its legitimate role on the world stage. The United States supports and encourages the revival of Uzbekistan, ”said Wells in a statement.
Confirming the US commitment to this partnership and support for President Mirziyoyev’s reform program, Ambassador Wells noted that US assistance to Uzbekistan in the 2018 fiscal year increased to about $ 28.1 million, from $ 10.1 million in the 2016 fiscal year. The US delegation called for further deepening of ties in a wide range of political, economic, educational, cultural and other areas, and reiterated its strong support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Uzbekistan.
Ambassador Wells and Foreign Minister Kamilov stressed the significant potential to strengthen specific forms of cooperation that serve the interests of both countries, as well as peace and stability in the region.After consultations, the delegation signed two memorandums of understanding aimed at expanding cooperation in the field of energy and education.
In conclusion, the United States and Uzbekistan reaffirmed the importance of annual bilateral consultations as an effective platform for comprehensively discussing progress in bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in the future. The parties agreed to hold the next round of consultations in Washington in 2020.
