Uzbek and Turkmen presidents discuss ways to further promote cooperation
TASHKENT. June 23 (Interfax) - Uzbek President Islam Karimov has met with his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, who earlier arrived in Uzbekistan to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a guest.
During the meeting with Berdimuhamedow, Karimov said that the Turkmen leader's participation in the session of the SCO Council of Heads of State as an honorary guest was another display of the two countries' partnership based on their mutual trust and good neighborly relations, the Uzbek presidential press service told Interfax on Thursday.
"This indicates that our states' authority has grown and the positions of our states have become stronger in the region and within the international community," the Uzbek president was quoted as saying by his press service.
Berdimuhamedow, for his part, thanked Karimov for the invitation to the SCO summit and said that Turkmenistan was interested in further developing diverse cooperation with Uzbekistan.
The meeting also addressed ways to further promote contacts in trade, the economy, cultural and humanitarian affairs. The sides exchanged opinions on regional and international issues of interest.
Uzbek-Turkmen trade stood at $320 million in 2015. Uzbekistan's exports to the Turkmen market include vehicles, agricultural hardware, mineral fertilizers, food products and other commodities. Turkmenistan, for its part, exports oil and petroleum products to Uzbekistan.