Karimov spoke as Uzbeks began to cast their ballots in the Central Asian country’s presidential election, in which he is seeking a new term in office against three other candidates.

Karimov, who cast his ballot at a polling station in the capital Tashkent, told reporters there that Uzbekistan always maintains that any countries, big or small, rich or poor, should develop relations on the basis of mutual respect and benefit.

Every nation has its own tradition and its own pride and Uzbekistan wishes to develop ties with other countries on an equal footing, Karimov said.

Any attempt to impose its ideas on Uzbekistan by exerting pressure is "unacceptable," the Uzbek leader said.

The 69-year-old Karimov, if re-elected, will lead the country for another seven years.

Karimov was elected president of Uzbekistan in 1991, when Uzbekistan declared independence from the former Soviet Union. He won re-election in 2000.

Several hours into the voting, the country’s Central Election Commission declared the election valid with a turnout of 59.8 percent. A 33-percent turnout is required for the vote to be valid under Uzbekistan’s election law, Xinhua reported.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Europe’s top election monitoring body, has sent a group of observers to monitor the voting.