NEW DELHI, April 21. /"Dunyo" IA/. Dr. Pravesh Kumar Gupta, an Associate Fellow at Vivekananda International Foundation (India) commented for "Dunyo" IA on the results of the State visit of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Tajikistan on April 18-19:

– Central Asia has witnessed a positive wave of regional cooperation in recent years. The credit goes to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who aspired and worked tirelessly to promote the policy of friendly relations with all of its neighbours. In this direction, the results of the Uzbek President’s recent state visit to Tajikistan further strengthened the centuries-old friendship between the two countries and took it to a new stage.

During the high-level talks, the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, signed the Treaty on Allied Relations. This was one of the practical results of the regional policy pursued by the leader of Uzbekistan. Allied relations provide a bright future for the traditional friendship and fraternal ties that live in the hearts of the Uzbek and Tajik peoples and have endured various trials over the centuries.

Over the years, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have strengthened multifaceted cooperation, which will be further strengthened by the new treaty signed between them. Some 30 new important documents were signed in Dushanbe last Thursday. Among them, agreements between the different regions of the two countries need special mention. Strengthening interregional ties and giving them a new practical framework is one of the internationally recognized initiatives of the head of Uzbekistan.

In recent years, bilateral trade volume has increased by 40 times, and the number of joint ventures has also increased by 15 times. Both countries are seeking to increase the volume of mutual trade to 2 billion dollars. With increased cooperation, all other sectors will also receive the required boost. People-to-people interactions, tourism, enhanced business opportunities, and cooperation with regional and multilateral organizations are some of the areas that will be further strengthened due to these high-level visits.

These initiatives reflect the current state of developing cooperation between the two brotherly nations. I am sure that the results of the state visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Dushanbe will serve to deepen cooperation between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the political, trade and economic, transport and communication, cultural and humanitarian spheres and interregional relations.