Uzbek leader visits Latvia to strengthen ties

Latvia and Uzbekistan have created stronger ties after the latter country's president visited the Baltic State on Oct. 17.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov held talks with President Andris Berzins over key economic and transport issues and later praised Latvia's efforts to introduce the euro on Jan 1, reports LETA

"Our economies do not compete, but complement each other, and we are also interested in cooperation and partnership. This means that there are no obstacles to continued growth," said Karimov.

At a press conference, Berzins said Latvian-Uzbek trade had increased 45 percent, and that the total number of Latvian-Uzbek joint ventures had increased to 343.

The leaders have agreed to increase to trade more goods and create further joint investment projects, aimed at the creation of modern high technology companies.

Both countries will also make more efficient use of international transport corridors and creation of more favorable conditions for foreign trade shipments and expansion into regional markets, said the leaders.

"Latvia is prepared for more active development of projects in those areas where the experience we have accumulated would be demanded. We can mention the Latvian Border Guard, State Revenue Service's Customs Board, and Riga Technical University's Customs Institute involvement in Central Asia as successful examples," said Berzins.

In the first half of 2015, when Latvia will hold the European Union Council presidency, consolidating EU-Central Asia relations will be high on Latvia's agenda, added Berzins.

He added: "We agreed with President Karimov that it is important to further enhance the relations between the EU and Uzbekistan by introducing the EU-Central Asia Strategy."