On June 18 this year, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, held a meeting, traditionally organized as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), with the heads of the world’s leading news agencies.

This dialogue lasted nearly two hours and was organized for the ninth time with the support of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS)”. Among the heads of renowned media organizations such as Reuters, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, EFE, Xinhua, Associated Press, Anadolu, and Agence France-Presse, the Director General of the Uzbekistan National News Agency – UzA, Abdusaid Kuchimov, also took part in the event.

As expected, the conversation involving representatives of leading foreign media focused on several major topics, including the Russia – Ukraine conflict, current actions of NATO, the Middle East crisis, particularly the Iran – Israel tensions, and the influence of the United States on global politics.

In particular, the UzA Director General addressed President Putin, drawing attention to inevitable misunderstandings resulting from recent measures taken by the Russian government to improve its migration policy. This issue has remained a subject of active discussion within the international community.

In response to the question, the Russian Leader acknowledged that there are indeed specific issues related to migrants, some of a social nature and others concerning the labor market. However, he emphasized that “joint efforts are being undertaken with the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Miromonovich, to address these matters, and the problems will certainly be resolved”.

During his conversation with President Vladimir Putin, Mr. Kuchimov also proposed specific proposals on this critical issue. In particular, he suggested developing and implementing comprehensive, long-term programs aimed at building a stable and shared future for the youth of both countries.

In turn, the President of Russia fully supported the views expressed by the representative of Uzbekistan and emphasized the need for consistent efforts in this area. He noted, in particular, that creating a dedicated training system for young people who wish to work in the Russian Federation is already being considered. At this point, Vladimir Putin also referred to the recent visit of Saida Mirziyoyeva, Assistant to the President of Uzbekistan, to Moscow.

During that visit, meetings were held with officials from the Russian Government and the Presidential Administration, and, in line with the instructions of the President of Uzbekistan, special attention was given to promoting youth cooperation and actively advancing this area of engagement.

UzA