Mishustin and Aripov hold a discussion on energy

The Prime Ministers of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mikhail Mishustin and Abdulla Aripov, will discuss the activation of mutual cooperation in industry, energy, and other fields today, September 18. This was reported by TASS with reference to the press service of the Russian Cabinet of Ministers.

According to this, special attention will be paid to areas of mutual interest for both countries at the meeting of the joint commission at the level of heads of government of Russia and Uzbekistan.

"It is planned to consider wide-scale issues of trade-economic, investment, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan. Also, special attention will be paid to the activation of mutual cooperation in the fields of industry, energy, transport, agriculture, science, and education, as well as in other areas of mutual interest," the report says.

Also, in the opinion of the Russian side, Russia-Uzbekistan relations are rapidly developing in terms of trade, economy, and investment in the conditions of turmoil in the world economy.

"Representatives of the Russian government call energy the 'most important area of bilateral cooperation' with Uzbekistan. Expanding cooperation in the gas sector between Russia and Uzbekistan not only meets the interests of both countries but also ensures the energy security of Central Asia," said the press service of the Russian Cabinet of Ministers.

In addition, the Russian government's office said that Russia is Uzbekistan's "main trading partner" and recalled that by the end of 2022, mutual trade increased by almost threefold compared to 2021 and reached 8.7 billion dollars.

It was added that this year, the volume of trade increased by more than 14 percent and reached 5.2 billion dollars.

In addition, the Russian government's office called Uzbekistan a "strategic partner" and "ally."

"Uzbekistan is a reliable strategic partner and ally of Russia in Central Asia. Russia-Uzbekistan relations are based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and consideration of each other's interests and have a traditionally friendly character. Recently, Russia-Uzbekistan relations are rising to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership," the Russian government says.

Moscow stated that Uzbekistan, which received observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union at the end of 2020, is actively cooperating with this association. Also, the Russian Federation and Uzbekistan cooperate in the CIS, including in the fight against terrorism and extremism, crime, and the illegal circulation of narcotics. At the same time, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Russian Federation considers the cooperation between Moscow and Tashkent and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be effective.

"The government of the Russian Federation is paying special attention to strengthening relations in the fields of humanitarianism and education. In terms of the number of students in Russia, Uzbekistan takes the leading place among near and far foreign countries. Today, more than 63 thousand citizens of Uzbekistan are studying in all kinds of higher education programs. The Russian language is the language of inter-ethnic communication for more than 130 ethnic groups living in Uzbekistan. About 150 Russian teachers work in Uzbekistan. More than 1,000 local teachers have completed professional development courses. Currently, 14 branches of Russian higher education institutions are operating in Uzbekistan, including Moscow State University, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, and Moscow State Institute of International Relations," the official report said.

For your information, today's meeting of the joint commission established at the initiative of the presidents of the two countries is the fourth since 2019.
We would like to remind you that in December 2022, Aripov and Mishustin signed more than 10 documents, from migration to customs.