As part of his state visit to Italy, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held talks with the Italian President Sergio Mattarella and the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on June 8. The leaders signed a joint declaration on strategic partnership and discussed various aspects of bilateral cooperation.
Talks with Sergio Mattarella
On June 8, at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, Italian President Sergio Mattarella welcomed President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev for talks, the press service of the head of the state reported.
Economic cooperation was the main topic of discussion between the presidents. They praised the business forum that took place the previous day and resulted in agreements and contracts worth over 9 billion euros.
Special attention was paid to the development of humanitarian ties. An agreement was reached to hold an exhibition of cultural and historical heritage of Uzbekistan in Italy.
The presidents also discussed prospects for cooperation in education, archaeology, and environmental challenges.
They sides a fivefold increase in Italian tourists to Uzbekistan since the start of the year and expressed hope that direct flights between Tashkent and Milan, launched in April, will boost tourism further.
The presidents also exchanged views on regional and international issues, above all the situation in Afghanistan. They stressed the need to continue humanitarian aid to the Afghan people and to hold regular consultations of the special envoys.
Talks with Giorgia Meloni
After meeting with the Italian President, Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with Giorgia Meloni, the President of the Council of Ministers, at the Chigi Palace in Rome on June 8.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed that Italy is an important and reliable partner of Uzbekistan in Europe. In recent years, cooperation with Italy has grown in various fields, such as politics, security, economy, energy, culture and humanitarian affairs.
He hoped that the visit would mark the start of a new phase in the development of the multifaceted cooperation between Uzbekistan and Italy.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Giorgia Meloni discussed prospects for deepening relations in priority areas. They agreed that the main goal was to boost trade and economic cooperation.
The parties stressed the importance of encouraging direct contacts between the regions of both countries.
They discussed the great potential for cooperation in culture, education and tourism.
The Italian Prime Minister supported Uzbekistan’s efforts to foster partnership, good neighborliness and trust in Central Asia. She also spoke in favor of developing the “Italy-Central Asia” cooperation format.
They also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and stressed the need to keep providing humanitarian aid to the Afghan people, using the logistics center in Termez.
Signing of the documents
Following the talks, the Uzbek and Italian leaders adopted a joint declaration on the establishment of relations of strategic partnership between the two countries.
In the presence of the two leaders, the exchange of 11 documents aimed at deepening multifaceted cooperation took place. These include agreements on cooperation in legal matters, industrial property and agriculture.
In addition, memorandums of cooperation between the Agency for Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan and the Italian Trade Agency on restoration, the Fund for the Development of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan and the Italian Ministry of Culture on cooperation in the field of culture, partnership programs between foreign ministries for 2023−2024 and cultural exchange for the period up to 2026 were adopted.
Ahead of President Mirziyoyev’s visit, a business forum between the two countries resulted in investment agreements and trade contracts worth over 9 billion euros.
On June 9, the President of Uzbekistan is scheduled to travel to Milan.
