Uzbek leader invites Turkish president to his country

Uzbekistan's president asked Turkey's president on Wednesday to pay an official visit to his country, according to the Uzbekistan presidential press office, Anadolu reported.

Uzbekistan's Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the phone, the press office said.

During the phone call, Mirziyoyev mentioned his two-day official visit to Turkey last October.

The two leaders found the visit multi-directional and said it had upgraded Uzbek-Turkish cooperation based on mutual interests, said the office.

Their conversation also covered such issues as carrying out agreements signed during the visit and preparing joint projects in the fields of commerce, technology, banking, finance, transportation, tourism, and other areas.

Both sides agreed to realize the agreements fully and on time, and to hold permanent dialogues between the governments of both countries to accelerate important projects.

Erdogan also praised the Uzbek decision to give 30-day visa exemptions to Turkish citizens and thanked Mirziyoyev.

On Feb. 3, the Uzbek leader approved the decision that allows citizens of seven countries -- Israel, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Turkey -- to have 30-day visa exemptions.

Mirziyoyev said the decision would open up new opportunities in commerce and economics, investment and tourism, as well as pave the way for Turkish citizens to visit Uzbekistan and strengthen friendship between the brotherly societies.

Other current issues were also discussed during the phone call.

Mirziyoyev also called on Turkey to send a delegation to the international conference on establishing peace in Afghanistan set to be held in Uzbek capital of Tashkent in March.

Erdogan voiced full support for the conference, saying that a high-level committee from Turkey would attend.

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