Uzbekistan will open an embassy in Georgia as the two countries seek to deepen political and economic ties, the Uzbek presidency said on Friday.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze held talks in Tbilisi, a statement said, describing the first-ever state visit by a top-ranking Uzbek leader to Georgia in more than two decades as a milestone in bilateral relations.
The leaders discussed expanding cooperation in trade, investment, transport, tourism and cultural exchanges, and agreed to strengthen intergovernmental and business ties.
Bilateral trade reached $270 million last year and exceeded $100 million in the first half of this year. The two sides also adopted a roadmap to increase annual trade to $1 billion by boosting exports and reducing trade barriers.
Mirziyoyiv and Kobakhidze also discussed expanding transport links, including greater use of the Black Sea ports of Poti and Batumi, and exploring links between the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway under construction.
They agreed to expand cooperation in manufacturing, agriculture, energy, pharmaceuticals, information technology and tourism, including the creation of a joint investment fund.
After the meeting, the two leaders signed a declaration establishing a strategic partnership and oversaw the exchange of agreements and memoranda covering customs cooperation, digitalization, education, agriculture, healthcare, tourism, labor migration, environmental protection, nuclear safety, and other areas of cooperation.
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