Tashkent and Ankara willing to further expand bilateral cooperation

TASHKENT. May 2 (Interfax) - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz discussed ways to further broaden their countries' cooperation and an agenda for an upcoming meeting of the Turkey-Uzbekistan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council at a meeting on Wednesday.

"The parties discussed key issues concerning the further expansion of the Uzbek-Turkish comprehensive strategic partnership and multifaceted cooperation," the Uzbek presidential press service said in a statement.

Special attention was devoted to the work on the agenda of an upcoming meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, including above all steps to form a new portfolio of cooperation and cultural and humanitarian exchange programs, it said.

Intensive contacts continue at all levels, Mirziyoyev and Yilmaz said.

"Bilateral trade, the number of joint projects and joint ventures and the frequency of direct flights have been growing. Large investment projects in the energy, processing, food, and textile industries and other priority sectors have been implemented with the participation of leading Turkish companies," the press service said.

Turkey's delegation, led by Yilmaz, has arrived in Uzbekistan to attend the 3rd Tashkent International Investment Forum on May 2-3.