Uzbekistan, US to enter into talks on investment protection agreement 

The delegations of the parties were led by the FM of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov and the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu.

An exchange of views took place on topical issues of the bilateral and regional agenda in the spheres of politics and diplomacy, economy and development, security, human dimension, cultural-humanitarian ties, as well as contacts through international organizations and financial institutions.

The readiness of the US 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 in order to achieve significant results.

The delegations noted the need to continue 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 Afghan people.

Proposals were considered for institutionalizing the Uzbek-American strategic partnership in specific areas, as well as launching a negotiation process to conclude agreements on mutual protection of investments and avoidance of double taxation.