Uzbek President Islam Karimov received deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov on 29 August, UzA reported.

Welcoming the Turkmen official, President Karimov said his visit was a sign of developing relations between the two neighboring countries.

The sides discussed issues of further strengthening bilateral relations and fuller use of the available potential.

Rashid Meredov, in his turn, said Turkmenistan was interested in multilateral cooperation with Uzbekistan.

Uzbek and Turkmen people have lived in friendship and consent for ages. Leaders of the two states held a number of top-level meetings during the years of independence.

The present-day relations are based on the Agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual support of 1996, and the Agreement on friendship, strengthening mutual trust and development of cooperation signed in 2004.

In 1996, Intergovernmental agreement on main directions of long-term trade and economic cooperation was signed between the two countries.

In June 2007, President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov met President of Turkmenistan Gubranguli Berdimuhamedov at the informal CIS summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan made up US$47 million in 2006, and US$32.6 million in the first half of 2007. The main items of bilateral trade are foods and agricultural produce, organic and inorganic chemical products, construction materials, various equipment and others.

Relations between the two states are also developing in the humanitarian sphere.

On the same day, Rashid Meredov held talks with foreign minister of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov and other representatives of the Uzbek government. The sides considered the current state and perspectives of sociopolitical, economic and cultural relations between the countries.