Heading a high-ranking delegation, Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi who left Tehran on Wednesday morning arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan to attend the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Upon his arrival in Samarkand, Raeisi was welcomed by Uzbekistan Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov.
His visit to Samarkand is taking place at the official invitation of his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
He is set to speak at the SCO summit, which will be held on Thursday and Friday in Samarkand, as well as discuss with the leaders of the participating countries.
Shortly after arrival, Raeisi was officially welcomed by his Uzbek counterpart in Samarkand.
After the welcoming ceremony, the two presidents of Iran and Uzbekistan held a meeting.
Congratulating the anniversary of Uzbekistan's Independence Day, Raeisi said in the meeting that Iran-Uzbekistan relations have undoubtedly made good progress in these years, especially during Mirziyoyev's presidency.
He underlined that Tehran's relations with Tashkent are not only neighborly and regional ties, but it is also civilizational, deep and cultural.
Referring to the good relationship between the countries, he added that there is no obstacle to the development of relations between the two countries.
"Despite the sanctions imposed on Iran, great progress has been made in these years. Our nation turned threats into opportunities, and today many capacities [for progress] have been created in Iran," Raeisi said.
He further said that there is a readiness to increase mutual ties in different fields, including trade, transit, and transportation exchanges which can increase the level of cooperation between Tehran and Tashkent.
Referring to the talks between the Iranian oil minister and Uzbekistan's energy officials and the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries, he expressed hope that good steps will be taken to develop relations in the field of energy.
The signing of documents is a good manifestation of the will of the two countries to develop relations in various fields, Raeisi noted.
Pointing to the two countries' will to the expansion of relations, he said that the level of trade relations between Tehran and Tashkent can be increased three times more than the current $500 million.
He also announced the readiness of Iran to export technical and engineering services and develop cooperation between Iran and Uzbekistan.
Mirziyoyev, for his part, described Raeisi's visit to his country as a historic trip, saying that these trips will be a solid foundation for the development of relations between Iran and Uzbekistan.
Pointing to the great history of Iran, he noted that economic exchanges between the two countries have increased due to the common historical ties.
Last year, trade between the two countries increased by 73 percent compared to the previous year, he added, saying that since the beginning of the current year, the trade relations between Iran and Uzbekistan have increased by 15% compared to the last year’s corresponding period.
Meanwhile, in the joint meeting of the high-ranking delegations of Iran and Uzbekistan, 17 cooperation documents were signed in the presence of the officials and presidents of the two countries.
The cooperation documents are signed in the fields of transit development, cultural exchanges, customs, trade and economic exchanges, and health between the ministers of Iran and Uzbekistan.
The presidents of Iran and Uzbekistan also signed a joint statement on cooperation between the two countries.
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