On 15-16 September, Samarkand will host a regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

14 leaders of the member countries of the organization, observers and guests are expected to arrive in Uzbekistan.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi will pay an official visit to Uzbekistan on 14-16 September.

The leaders of the two countries will consider issues of further developing and strengthening multilateral relations, pay special attention to enhancing practical cooperation in trade, cooperation, innovation, transport, energy, and tourism. It is planned to sign several joint documents.

Iran is a close economic partner of Uzbekistan. In recent years, thanks to the actions of the heads of state, trade and economic ties between the two countries have been developing. In 2021, the trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Iran increased by 73 percent compared to 2020 and amounted to $431 million. However, this does not correspond to the existing opportunities. It is planned to increase the volume of the annual trade turnover between the two countries to two billion euros.

In 2020, the trade turnover between Samarkand region and the regions of Iran amounted to $19.3 million, last year this figure reached $41.9 million. In January-August this year, the trade turnover exceeded $33.4 million. Samarkand exported fruits, vegetables, textiles and other products worth $10.3 million to Iran. In terms of imports, a significant share is made up of plastic and plastic products, metal, building materials and technological equipment.

G. Khasanov, UzA