On December 13, Tashkent hosted the first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Dialogue between Uzbekistan and the United States.

According to Uzbekistan MFA, the delegations were led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov and the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu.

The parties exchanged views on the current issues of the bilateral and regional agenda in the politics and diplomacy, economy and development, security, the human dimension, cultural and humanitarian ties, as well as contacts through international organizations and financial institutions.

The unchanging and firm position of the United States in supporting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Uzbekistan was confirmed. The readiness of the U.S. Government was emphasized to actively assist the ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan to liberalize the economy, protect human rights and freedoms, and develop democratic institutions and civil society.

The parties spoke in favor of stepping up interaction within the framework of the C5+1 mechanism and bringing this format to a practical level to achieve significant results.

The delegations noted the need for continuing joint efforts to counter the threats of terrorism and extremism, advance the peace process in Afghanistan, post-conflict reconstruction of the country and provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

Proposals were considered for the institutionalization of Uzbekistan – American strategic partnership in specific areas, as well as the launch of the negotiation process on the conclusion of agreements on the mutual protection of investments and the double taxation avoidance.

UzA