Uzbek, Turkmen presidents discuss bilateral, regional issues in Ashgabat

By Burc Eruygur

ANKARA (AA) - The president of Uzbekistan on Friday met with his Turkmen counterpart in an "expanded" meeting during a visit to the neighboring country's capital Ashgabat, according to an official report.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who arrived in Ashgabat late on Thursday, initially held talks in a narrow format with Serdar Berdimuhamedov, later expanding the meeting to involve more top officials.

"At the end of the talks, a ceremony of signing and exchanging documents was held. The presidents signed a 'Declaration on Deepening Strategic Partnership,'" Mirziyoyev's press service said on Telegram.

During their talks, the two leaders focused on the latest bilateral and regional developments.

"The sides will focus on deepening the strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, increasing the volume of mutual trade, enhancing cooperation in industry, energy and chemical industries, agriculture, transport and logistics, and continuing an active cultural-humanitarian exchange," the Uzbek Presidency said in a statement earlier on Thursday.

It also said the visit would include the opening of "Tashkent Park," sharing the name of Uzbekistan's capital, in Ashgabat, as well as the launch of a project for the construction of a "border trade center," the statement added.

Mirziyoyev and Berdimuhamedov had last met in the Kazakh capital Astana on the sidelines of a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit and the first Central Asia-Russia summit, both on Oct. 14.