(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 1. Uzbekistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bakhtiyor Saidov, held a meeting with Tajikistan's Foreign Minister, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, to discuss the further expansion of bilateral cooperation, the Uzbek FM wrote on his X page, Trend reports.

“We discussed the steady progress in Uzbekistan–Tajikistan relations and reaffirmed our shared commitment to further deepening the ties of friendship, trust, and good neighborliness between our brotherly nations,” Saidov stated.

He underscored the imperative for both parties to maintain a laser focus on enhancing regional synergies, optimizing connectivity frameworks, and advancing sustainable development paradigms throughout Central Asia.

To note, relations between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have evolved from a phase of tension, characterized as a "Central Asian Cold War," into a strategic partnership, highlighted by a substantial increase in trade, cultural exchange, and collaboration on regional security matters, formalized by a Treaty on Allied Relations signed in 2023, effective in 2025. This rapprochement encompasses reinstated transit connections, joint initiatives to combat challenges such as extremism and drug trafficking, and aspirational objectives to elevate bilateral trade to $1 billion.

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