Uzbek president affirms developing partnership with Russia

TASHKENT. April 25 (Interfax) - The strategic partnership with Russia has been developing dynamically despite the challenging external environment, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

"I am pleased to say that Uzbek-Russian relations [within a] comprehensive strategic partnership have been dynamically developing in recent years," Mirziyoyev said in his greetings to participants in the Innoprom. Central Asia exhibition in Tashkent.

Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev read out the message at a plenary meeting on Tuesday.

The two countries have maintained sustainable growth in bilateral trade and broader cooperation between enterprises in spite of the challenging external environment, Mirziyoyev said. "The number of joint ventures has been growing, the portfolio of investment projects totals tens of billions of dollars, and close partnerships that have great potential have been built by the regions of our countries," he said.

Tashkent is hosting the first Innoprom exhibition outside of Russia since 2021, with over 300 companies from Russia, Uzbekistan and other CIS countries taking part.

The forum was held in the Innoprom. Central Asia format in April 2022.