Bulgaria, Uzbekistan sign joint declaration to expand mutually beneficial cooperation

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Bulgaria and Uzbekistan on Tuesday signed a joint declaration to expand mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

The joint declaration was signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev during a ceremony following talks in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, said a statement by the Central Asian nation’s presidency.

The statement said that the two countries also held an exchange of bilateral documents in the presence of the two presidents, including a cooperation program between their foreign ministries for 2026-2027.

During their meeting prior to the ceremony, Mirziyoyev and Radev discussed current issues concerning the further development of practical cooperation between Uzbekistan and Bulgaria, according to an earlier statement following the talks.

“The intensification of interaction at the level of parliaments, economic and foreign policy departments was noted with deep satisfaction,” the statement said.

It further said the trade turnover indicators between both countries are growing, and that new areas and cooperation projects are being developed.

“In order to further strengthen multifaceted cooperation, the importance of establishing systemic contacts between foreign policy departments was noted,” it said, also noting that particular attention was paid to issues of increasing trade turnover.

A decision was made to open trading houses in both countries’ capitals to stimulate the growth of mutual trade, the statement went on to say, adding that the two sides also agreed to consider the possibility of launching direct flights between each other in the context of developing effective transport corridors.

Radev arrived in Uzbekistan earlier Tuesday as part of a three-day visit to Central Asia, in the context of which he also held talks in neighboring Kazakhstan just a day prior.