Mirziyoyev holds talks with the President of Italy

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and the President of the Republic of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, held bilateral talks at the Koksaroy residence, as reported by the President's press service.

At the beginning of the meeting, the head of Uzbekistan warmly welcomed the high-ranking guest. Sergio Mattarella also expressed gratitude to Mirziyoyev for the invitation and the hospitality shown to the Italian delegation.

The President of Italy emphasized his support for the reforms implemented in the New Uzbekistan and highly appreciated the country's efforts to ensure stability and strengthen integration in Central Asia.

Following this, discussions focused on further expanding bilateral strategic partnerships and multilateral relations in priority directions. Special attention was paid to the implementation of agreements reached during the official visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Italy in June of this year.

The heads of state agreed to continue active dialogues between parliaments and foreign political agencies and to hold the first meeting of strategic dialogue at the level of heads of foreign political agencies next year.

Additionally, to further develop trade relations, a proposal was put forward to develop a comprehensive trade promotion program. Successful cooperation with leading Italian companies in metallurgy, energy, electrical engineering, agriculture, and other sectors was noted.

It was stated that Uzbekistan is interested in attracting advanced and high-tech Italian companies to participate in the projects of modernizing the national economy. Notably, the opening of the "Konfindustriya Uzbekistan" union of industrialists, designed to deepen industrial cooperation, was welcomed.

Agreements were made to prepare proposals on new directions and projects of localization within the framework of the intergovernmental group. Italy expressed readiness to support Uzbekistan's early entry into the World Trade Organization and the adoption of the extended partnership agreement with the European Union.

During the conversation, the importance of promoting direct relations between the regions of the two countries was noted. In this regard, it was proposed to establish a forum of the regions of Uzbekistan and Italy, with its first meeting scheduled for next year in Samarkand.

Prospects for the development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation were discussed in detail. The activity of the Turin Polytechnic University branch in Tashkent was highlighted as a successful partnership example.

Based on this leading higher education institution, an Italian center for the transfer of advanced technologies will be established.

It was noted with satisfaction that the interest in learning the Italian language is growing in Uzbekistan. A unanimous opinion was expressed about the importance of training Italian language teachers in Uzbek schools and gradually introducing it into the curriculum.

Plans to hold joint art exhibitions in Italy were also discussed. To allow the two peoples to become acquainted with each other's rich and unique cultural and historical heritage, it was proposed to hold days of culture, cinema, and tourism in both Uzbekistan and Italy.

The archaeological research carried out by the Samarkand Institute of Archaeology and the joint group of the Universities of Bologna and Naples was highly appreciated. The heads of state emphasized the need to expand academic exchanges and hold a joint Education Forum.

At the end of the meeting, views were exchanged on current international and regional issues, common threats to security, and the continuation of cooperation in combating threats.