Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will discuss with the Uzbekistani leadership on Tuesday issues of bilateral cooperation and interaction in the international arena. The minister’s official visit to Tashkent is held in the context of preparations for a Russian-Uzbekistani summit in Moscow in early 2010.

“During the stay in the capital of Uzbekistan Sergei Lavrov will be received by President Islam Karimov, will hold talks with Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov at which the parties will discuss the most important issues of Russian-Uzbekistani cooperation and interaction in the international arena,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko noted. The sides “will exchange views on cooperation during Uzbekistan’s presidency in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Russia’s presidency in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 2010, on the situation in Afghanistan, they will also discuss issues linked with ensuring regional security and stability, interaction of the two countries within the framework of the United Nations, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), CIS and Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).”

After the talks it is planned to sign the Cooperation Programme between the Foreign Ministries of Russia and Uzbekistan for 2010.

It is planned to give major attention to issues of the development of economic interaction. Uzbekistan is Russia’s fourth CIS trade partner after Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. In January-October 2009 the mutual trade volume reached over 2 billion US dollars.