While in Tashkent, Assistant Secretary Boucher met with President Islam Karimov and several senior Uzbek Government officials including Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Norov and Secretary of the National Security Council Murod Ataev. The Assistant Secretary also met human rights activists, toured Tashkent National Islamic University, visited the Hazrati Imam Complex and the Usmon Koran, walked around Chorsu Bazaar, and held a brief press conference (Transcript).

While in Samarkand, Assistant Secretary Boucher met with the Hokim of Samarkand Province Uktam Barnoev, toured Samarkand’s major historic sites, and paid a visit to the Mausoleum of Imam al-Bukhari.

Throughout his visit, Assistant Secretary Boucher discussed a broad range of issues including border security cooperation, counter-narcotics, human rights, education, regional economic cooperation, and reconstruction in Afghanistan.