BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 16. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held talks with Albanian President Bajram Begaj during a meeting in Tashkent.
This was announced by the press service of the President of Uzbekistan in a press-release published on June 16.
“President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President Bajram Begaj of Albania held talks at the Kuksaroy residence with the participation of official delegations,” the report says.
Mirziyoyev noted that the first-ever summit in the history of Uzbek-Albanian cooperation marks a milestone in bilateral relations and elevates ties to a new level, the report says.
According to the press service, the sides discussed prospects for expanding practical cooperation in trade, investment and priority sectors of the economy.
Particular attention was given to the development of cooperation in agro-industry, green energy, geology, IT, digitalization and tourism, as well as strengthening intergovernmental dialogue, the press-release says.
According to the report, the parties also agreed to explore the use of the Albanian port of Durrës as a logistics hub to facilitate Uzbek exports to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region.
The sides also discussed the establishment of an Intergovernmental Commission and agreed to hold its first meeting in Tashkent this year, the press service concluded.
For reference, Uzbekistan and Albania established diplomatic relations in 1993, but cooperation between the countries has historically remained limited, mainly consisting of contacts within multilateral platforms. In recent years, bilateral dialogue has become more active, particularly through high-level meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and international investment forums.
