Tajik President Emomali Rahmon congratulated Shavkat Mirziyayev on his victory in the Uzbekistan presidential election in a telegram on December 5, the Tajik president’s official website said.

“Rahmon noted that Shavkat Mirziyayev is known in Tajikistan as supporter of a consistent development of relations of friendship and neighborliness between the two countries,” the website noted.  

Rahmon, in particular, said he was sure that further fruitful cooperation between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan would serve the interests of the peoples of the two countries.  

He also wished Shavkat Mirziyaev sound health, happiness, wellbeing and further success in state activity for the benefit of the Uzbek people.    

The 59-year-old Mirziyayev, who had been the country’s prime minister since 2003, was made acting president six days after Islam Karimov’s death was announced.  He won the presidential election with 88.61 percent of the vote.