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President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev: Mr President,

Once again, I am delighted to welcome you to Uzbekistan. We have been preparing for this visit very carefully and for a long time. I believe it will be truly historic.

I am sincerely grateful to you for choosing Uzbekistan as one your first destinations. This demonstrates great respect for Uzbekistan and its multiethnic people. Thank you very much for this gesture.

Today, we have a wide-ranging agenda. We will address all the issues that are on the table. Furthermore, I am pleased to announce that we have signed a roadmap consisting of 63 items, which is being effectively implemented with significant progress.

In terms of trade, we have already achieved a total of 10 billion already. This year, we have experienced a growth of 30 percent, which is quite impressive. We are working with our colleagues to reach a target of 20 billion in the near future. The success is tangible.

I am grateful to you for supporting my initiative to hold a forum of the regions today. I am pleased to have 28 regional leaders in attendance. When we don’t stand in the way of our regions but rather help them, we can achieve remarkable outcomes. Therefore, I am confident that today's discussions will yield positive results.

We held two major conferences before your visit: one for engineering universities and another for medical workers. Also, days of Russian culture and art are underway in Uzbekistan, with a fantastic concert by Mr Spivakov held just recently.

Today, we have a packed agenda ahead of us. We will have the opportunity to talk about international, regional and bilateral matters.

Once again, welcome to Uzbekistan.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to bring such a representative delegation to Uzbekistan.

This is one of my first visits after the presidential election [in Russia], and after the completion of corresponding procedures, including those related to the formation of a new Government.

The fact that a substantial delegation has come to Uzbekistan is no coincidence. It emphasises the special nature of our strategic partnership and allied relations.

The growth rate of our economic ties is truly impressive. According to your data, the growth was around 30 percent last year. Our statistics show a slightly lower figure, but on the whole, Russia accounts for 15.5 percent of your trade, and this is a significant result. I am confident it will continue to grow, given the current pace: according to our strict statistics, the performance for the first quarter of this year is over 20 percent, which is quite good.

Thanks to your efforts and those of the Government of Uzbekistan, our trade and economic ties are being diversified and have a good outlook for the future, particularly in industrial cooperation and high technologies. This is of utmost importance. Traditional aspects of cooperation are also being maintained at a high level and are developing rapidly.

You mentioned the forum of the regions, and I believe it is a very important initiative. The key in this regard, as you just mentioned, is not to make things difficult but to create favourable conditions. We will strive to do that, and Russia is committed to this goal. I know that you have the same intention, and I am confident that this will give an impetus to the development of our trade, economic and humanitarian ties. There is no doubt about that.

Thank you for your invitation.

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