President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will visit Tajikistan on March 9-10. According to Aziya-Plyus, during Shavkat Mirziyoyev's first visit to Dushanbe he will be awarded the title of the honorary doctor of the National University of Tajikistan. The President will meet with the University professors and students.

Prior to this, this title has been awarded to former President of Afghanistan Burhanuddin Rabbani, as well as current presidents of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and Ilham Aliyev.

Ahead of the Uzbek President's visit to Tajikistan a regular meeting of the Uzbek-Tajik Intergovernmental Commission, co-chaired by the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov and Prime Minister of Tajikistan Kohir Rasulzoda, was held in Ferghana on 24 February.

The meeting was held in a constructive manner, with many issues discussed and the working groups of governmental delegations of the two countries on delienation of the Uzbek-Tajik border having prepared a number of accords, and a joint statement signed following the meeting.

The most anticipated outcome from the Shavkat Mirziyoev visit is the abolition of visa regime between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Tashkent and Dushanbe have come to an agreement. The visa regime will be canceled.

Last week, the Uzbek government approved a decision to resume the operation of nine border checkpoints with Tajikistan. One is on the railroad, and 8 on the highway.

In the last eight years, only two checkpoints had been operating between the two states - Tursunzoda-Sariosiyo and Fotihobod-Oybek. However, there are 16 checkpoints along the border.

Relations between these two countries, which gained independence in 1991, deteriorated after the 1992 civil war in Tajikistan. In 1992 the flights between the two countries were cancelled, and in 2001 a mutual visa regime was introduced. The supply of natural gas and electricity to Tajikistan was also halted.

The trade turnover between the two countries dropped by 142 times by 2015, with the sharp growth in the next year - US$ 50 million in four months.

In 2016, the bilateral ties began to warm and the sides started taking steps to resume flights, and for the first time in 20 years, culture days, exhibitions business forums were held, and the xountries started making compromises on sensitive issues.

The new president of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoev, has set the goal of establishing friendly ties with neighboring countries as the main priority of Uzbekistan's foreign policy.