Russia, Uzbekistan praise ‘fruitful’ interparliamentary contacts

Russia and Uzbekistan on Monday praised "fruitful" interparliamentary contacts, as the Uzbek president hosted talks with the head of Russia's upper house of parliament in Tashkent.

"Issues of further deepening Uzbek-Russian relations of comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance were discussed. Fruitful interparliamentary contacts were highly appreciated," said a statement by the Uzbek presidency following talks between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Russia's Federation Council speaker Valentina Matviyenko.

Matviyenko expressed gratitude to Mirziyoyev and conveyed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin's greetings and best wishes.

Continuing interaction between Russia and Uzbekistan to ensure parliamentary control over the implementation of mutual agreements at the highest level was emphasized, the statement said, adding: "Particular attention is paid to ensuring the dynamics of trade and economic cooperation, support for industrial cooperation projects and humanitarian exchange programs."

Matviyenko arrived in the Uzbek capital on Saturday, leading Russia's delegation that is taking part in the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an international organization of national parliaments headquartered in Geneva.

Since arriving in the Uzbek capital, Matviyenko has also held talks with parliamentary representatives from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Mirziyoyev later met Sahiba Gafarova, the speaker of Azerbaijan's National Assembly, who is also attending the IPU event.