President Mirziyoyev to attend informal meeting in Almaty

The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, will visit Almaty, Kazakhstan, tomorrow, March 29, for an informal high-level meeting at the invitation of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. This was reported by the Presidential Press Service.

It was stated that during the meeting, delegations from both countries would discuss strengthening Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan relations in good neighborliness, strategic partnership, and alliance. They will also address pressing international and regional issues of mutual importance.

Additionally, the focus will be on expanding practical cooperation in trade, industrial collaboration, transport and logistics, energy, agriculture, and water management. Active interregional connections and cultural-humanitarian exchanges will also be emphasized.

On March 3, 2023, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan held an unexpected informal meeting in Shymkent, rather than in Astana or Tashkent. Mirziyoyev’s brief visit to Shymkent occurred shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kazakhstan on February 28 and Uzbekistan on March 1, 2023. It remains unclear whether Mirziyoyev and Tokayev discussed U.S. relations during their meeting. However, during his visit, Blinken warned both countries about potential aggression from Russia.

The next meeting between Mirziyoyev and Tokayev took place on April 5, 2024, in Khorezm. Interestingly, this meeting also followed visits by U.S. officials to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Specifically, U.S. Senator Steve Daines visited Kazakhstan on March 26 this year, followed by a visit to Uzbekistan with Congressman Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. They met with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, Defense Minister Bahodir Kurbanov, and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The connection between the Khorezm meeting and the U.S. officials’ visits remains unclear.

This time, the informal meeting between the presidents follows the visit of the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, to both countries. Kallas met with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan yesterday, March 27, and with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan today, March 28.