Mirziyoyev departs for Almaty

The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, departed for Almaty, Kazakhstan, today, March 29, on a working visit 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 informal meeting between the two leaders, discussions would focus on the Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan strategic partnership and alliance relations, as well as pressing international and regional issues.

In 2023, on March 3, 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 the 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 the Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, to both countries. Kallas met with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan on March 27 and with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan yesterday, March 28.