As it was reported earlier, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov paid a state visit 27-29 May to the Republic of Korea on the invitation of President Park Geun-hye.

The principal official events of the visit took place on May 28. Initially in the contracted format, followed by the talks in an extended setup, the heads of two states held negotiations in an open, confidence-based and constructive atmosphere and discussed the entire complex of issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

The South Korean side expressed great gratitude to Islam Karimov for paying his first state visit to that country after the presidential elections in our nation. That underlines the scale and prospects of enhancement of multilayered cooperation between our two countries as well as the tremendous significance attached by Uzbekistan to the further consolidation of multifaceted relations of strategic partnership.

The two sides stated that the visit became a logical and legitimate extension of the regular contacts at the highest level and demonstrated the shared political will to afford even greater dynamism to the practical interaction across all the directions of cooperation, which meets the interests of our two countries and peoples.

It was noted by the heads of state that the most crucial component valued by the two sides in their mutual relations is the sincere reciprocal trust.

The prolific and constructive negotiations confirmed the proximity of positions and approaches to all the aspects of bilateral cooperation as well as the discussed issues of regional and international politics.

The Republic of Uzbekistan supported the peace-loving, well-thought-out and well-balanced foreign policy of the Republic of Korea directed at preserving the peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region in general.

Uzbekistan welcomes the considered and pragmatic Initiative on Peaceful Unification put forward by the President of the Republic of Korea last year in Germany's Dresden, the scheme designed to normalize the inter-Korean relations and secure a nonnuclear status of the Korean Peninsula.

The two leaders declared that issues concerning the use of water resources of Central Asia are to be resolved by means of consultations in accordance with the universal norms of international law, with an eye to the interests of all the nations of the region.

The leadership of the Republic of Korea extended gratefulness to the Republic of Uzbekistan for support in the evolution of the cooperation forum “Republic of Korea – Central Asia” and the establishment of its permanent secretariat.

The sides conveyed their high appreciation of the bilateral inter-parliamentary relations of cooperation, including through the functioning associations and friendship groups in the legislatures.

A remarkable event was the Joint Declaration on the Enhancement and Expansion of Strategic Partnership signed in 2014 and which identifies prospective spheres of long-term interaction between our two nations.

The key constituent of the bilateral relations is the cooperation in trade and economic, investment and financial sectors.

The South Korean side gave a high appraisal of the achievements made in Uzbekistan, including the macroeconomic stability, the created favorable investment climate, the reforms and structural transformation in education, infrastructure development, modernization of manufacturing industry, promotion of contemporary agricultural sector. The economic growth rates that have been exceeding 8 percent over the last 10 years deserve admiration, especially in light of the intricate situation in the global economy.

The parties to negotiations underscored the sustainable dynamics in the trade turnover, whose indicators have been surpassing 2 billion U.S. dollars in recent years.

Following the talks, the Presidents inked a joint declaration that defines the prospects of cooperation in all spheres of shared interest.

In general, an unprecedented package of documents – 60 agreements and treaties, including 55 in trade-economic, investment and financial-technical cooperation – have been signed within the frameworks of the visit and the Uzbek-Korean business forum that took place on the eve of it.

During the visit, the two sides discussed cultural-humanitarian cooperation and agreed to construct and arrange the activities of the House of South Korea Culture and Arts in the city of Tashkent, which is to become a new symbol of Uzbek-South Korean friendship and the embodiment of the aspiration of our two countries to cement confidence and mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Park Geun-hye extended gratefulness on behalf of all the people of South Korea for the attention and care demonstrated toward the Korean Diaspora in Uzbekistan.

As part of the visit, President Islam Karimov received on May 29 the acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, chiefs of leading corporations of South Korea, including Kogas, Lotte Group, Lotte Chemical, Korean Air, Korea Export-Import Bank, KOICA to discuss economic cooperation issues and implementation of joint projects.

The state visit by President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov to the Republic of Korea has become a historic event in the evolution of relations, which uplifts the bilateral cooperation to a qualitatively new level.

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