SEOUL, November 12. /IA "Dunyo"/. Professor of CIS and Russian Studies at Suwon University Yang Junghoon commented for "Dunyo" Information Agency on the results of the official visit of Italian President Sergio Mattarella to Uzbekistan on November 9-11:

- I consider the return official visit of Italian President Sergio Mattarella to Uzbekistan as an important step in the practical implementation of the agreements reached in June of this year in Rome and the definition of new horizons for interaction in current areas of cooperation.

Italy, as a key European state and a member of the G7, has confirmed its unconditional support for reforms in Uzbekistan, and bilateral relations have been taken to a new level.

In the current conditions of global competition for investments and new technologies, the interest of Italian companies to participate in the modernization of the economy of Uzbekistan deserves special attention. The center for the transfer of advanced Italian technologies, based on the branch of the Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent, speaks for itself. Here I will note the important role and influence of Rome, which can be used in the path of Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO and negotiations on expanded cooperation with the European Union.

As a representative of the university, I cannot help but note the agreements in the field of education, research and academic exchange.

I believe that the agreements reached will serve to further increase trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Italy through the establishment of close partnership in the implementation of mutually beneficial projects in such areas as metallurgy, energy, electrical engineering, agriculture, tourism and higher education.

At the same time, in the context of the consistent course of the leadership of Uzbekistan towards the modernization and development of the country, it seems very important to establish direct connections between the regions and the establishment of the Forum of Regions of the two countries. In this regard, the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to hold his first meeting in Samarkand next year will be of enormous importance in further strengthening economic relations.