Tashkent hosted the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Partnership Dialogue between Uzbekistan and the United States of America.
The delegations of the parties were led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov and the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu.
The parties exchanged views on topical issues of the bilateral and regional agenda in the fields of politics and diplomacy, economy and development, security, the human dimension, cultural and humanitarian ties, as well as contacts through international organizations and financial institutions.
Donald Lu emphasized readiness of the US government to actively assist the ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan to liberalize the economy, protect human rights and freedoms, and develop democratic institutions and civil society.
The parties spoke in favor of stepping up cooperation within the framework of the C5 + 1 format and bringing this format to a new level in order to achieve significant results.
The delegations noted the need to continue joint efforts to counter the threats of terrorism and extremism, advance the peace process in Afghanistan, post-conflict reconstruction of the country and provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
The parties reviewed proposals for institutionalizing the Uzbek-American strategic partnership in specific areas, as well as launching a negotiation process to conclude agreements on mutual protection of investments and avoidance of double taxation.
