(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, August 5. Bilateral trade between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan has reached $600 million since the start of the year, Trend reports.

This announcement was made during a meeting between President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan.

At the outset of the conversation, President Mirziyoyev warmly congratulated Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on the successful organization of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, underscoring the vital importance of the issues discussed at the conference for the region's sustainable development.

The leaders engaged in discussions on key topics related to the further strengthening of Uzbek-Turkmen relations, with a focus on deepening good neighborly ties and strategic partnership, in line with agreements reached during their previous meeting in Samarkand in April.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the positive momentum in their multifaceted cooperation, which is built on principles of friendship, mutual trust, and shared interests. Cooperation is expanding in various sectors, including energy, transportation, agriculture, water management, and other economic fields.

A joint cross-border trade zone, "Shavat-Dashoguz," is under development, and both countries continue to foster active interregional contacts and humanitarian exchanges.

Plans for upcoming high-level meetings include sessions of intergovernmental commissions, the establishment of a Business Council, a Regional Forum, and several cultural events.

The leaders also exchanged views on the agenda for the UN Conference and the upcoming 7th Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State, which is set to take place in Tashkent this autumn.

Meanwhile, President Mirziyoyev, at the invitation of Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, is currently in Turkmenistan to participate in the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.

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