Azerbaijani president arrives in Uzbekistan on 2-day official visit

By Esra Tekin and Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday arrived in Uzbekistan on a two-day official visit at the invitation of his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Aliyev arrived in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent, where he and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva were welcomed by Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, according to a statement by the Azerbaijani presidency.

During his visit, Aliyev and Mirziyoyev are expected to chair high-level talks and the first meeting of the Supreme Interstate Council, a statement by the Uzbek presidency said on Wednesday.

“The agenda of the summit includes issues of further deepening and expanding Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations,” the statement said.

It further said that the focus of the summit will be to boost mutual trade, create new cooperative projects, and create business connections.

“It is also envisaged that the presidents will hold a joint meeting with business representatives of the two countries, and take part in a number of business and cultural events,” the statement added.