On June 18, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev engaged in productive talks during his official visit to Iran, where he met with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Supreme Spiritual Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei.
Meeting with President Raisi
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi discussed the prospects of cooperation between the two countries and pressing issues of the regional agenda.
Special attention was paid to the use of the shortest transport and logistics corridors linking Central Asia with Iran.
The participants considered the implementation of joint investment projects in energy, chemical industry, pharmaceuticals and medical technologies, food industry, textiles, industrial building materials, mechanical engineering, instrument-making and electrical engineering.
The sides underlined the importance of pooling efforts to combat global challenges and threats such as international terrorism, drug trafficking, cyber-terrorism and human trafficking.
The Leaders agreed to continue the dialogue on consolidating peace and stability in Afghanistan and facilitating the socio-economic reconstruction of the neighboring country.
The extended delegation talks touched on the exchange of experience in areas such as innovation, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, cybernetics and technology transfer.
The sides expressed support for the development of inter-regional cooperation, in particular the establishment of direct contacts between the Bukhara region and the province of Hamadan, as well as the cities of Samarkand and Isfahan.
The sides expressed confidence that an increase in regular flights between the capitals of the two countries would encourage the growth of business contacts and mutual tourist flows.
In order to further deepen cultural and humanitarian cooperation, the Leaders decided to set up a joint academic group to study in depth ancient manuscripts held in the archives of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.
The Presidents highly appreciated the outcomes of the meeting in a narrow format and the business forum held the day before with the participation of more than 200 businessmen from Uzbekistan and Iran.
Following the talks, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi signed a Joint declaration on strengthening cooperation between the two countries. In addition, 15 documents at governmental, ministerial and regional levels were adopted during the visit.
These include an intergovernmental Agreement on preferential trade, a cooperation Programme between the Uzbek Agency for Technical Regulation and the Iran National Standards Organization, and an action Plan on cooperation in technology and innovation.
Memoranda of cooperation were adopted on the establishment of joint free economic zones, pharmaceuticals, transport and transit.
In addition, a plan of joint measures in sports, a memorandum of understanding on dispute resolution and arbitration, an optional agreement on cooperation in reinsurance and other documents have been signed.
Meeting with Supreme Spiritual Leader of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei
The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with the Supreme Spiritual Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei as part of his official visit to Iran.
The discussion focused on the development of cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the areas of trade, innovation and high technology, investment, industrial cooperation, transport and communications, tourism and cultural and humanitarian exchanges.
“The cultural and historical similarities of the two peoples over the centuries were highlighted,” the statement said.
In addition, there was an exchange of views on pressing issues of the regional agenda, the report said.
Iran is ready to provide Uzbekistan with a sea outlet via Turkmenistan and Afghanistan for the development of trade and transport. Iran’s Supreme Spiritual Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei said this at a meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tehran on 18 June
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed the “unparalleled historical, cultural, and scientific ties between Iran and Uzbekistan,” stating that these common grounds should be utilized to cement bilateral relations in various fields, IRNA news agency reported.
Iran’s spiritual leader welcomed the revitalization of relations between the two countries after a long break. “We hope that this visit and the discussions held in Tehran will mark the beginning of a better future in relations between the two nations,” he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that mutual cooperation could “extend beyond trade and transportation”: “We can have further collaboration through various initiatives in the fields of science, technology, and other sectors.”
Iran’s Supreme Spiritual Leader emphasized that although the expansion of Iran-Uzbekistan relations have “some opponents”, decisions should be made based on the interests of both countries, without paying attention to such objections.
President Mirziyoyev described his meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei as “historic,” and said, “We were also disappointed by the break in bilateral relations and the reduction in cooperation between the two countries.”
The Uzbek leader expressed hope that with the discussions held in Tehran, the sides can take significant steps and elevate cooperation in trade, transportation, science and technology, and tourism to its deserving level.
According to IRNA, Shavkat Mirziyoyev also “praised the resilience of the Iranian people in the face of US sanctions.”
“The achievements of the Iranian people, especially in the field of science and technology … demonstrate that a nation under the wise guidance of its leader and with unity can achieve great goals despite all pressures,” he said.
Visit of the Exhibition
As part of his official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev also visited a specialized exhibition of innovations and technologies, which was launched in Tehran.
The head of the state was accompanied by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials.
The exhibition showcased products of Iran’s major research and production companies in the field of high technologies and innovations, mechanical engineering, instrument-making, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, modern construction materials and textile industry.
Following a visit to the exhibition, Uzbek officials were instructed to explore the possibility of establishing joint production facilities to manufacture high value-added products and implement pilot projects to introduce Iranian technologies and innovative solutions in Uzbekistan.
Ahead of Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit, a business forum was held in Tehran, attended by over 50 entrepreneurs from Uzbekistan.
On June 18, the Iranian House of Innovation and Technology (IHITT) was opened in Tashkent. The IHITT, which will also serve as Iran’s vice-president for science and technology in Uzbekistan, will organize a permanent exhibition of innovative technologies, products, and services of Iranian companies. A total of $4 million has been invested in its establishment.
During a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in April 2021, Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed Uzbekistan’s interest in Iranian seaports and the development of the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Oman transport corridor.
