I welcoming remarks

Speech by Komiljon Rashidov, Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan
We are neighbors and, as it is said "neighbors are not
chosen, they are given by God". By tradition, the Uzbek family
starts the day with the wishes of a good morning and a happy day
to a neighbor. We welcome all the distinguished guests and say:
"Welcome to Uzbekistan"!
After gaining independence, our countries have become
full-fledged members of the United Nations, and over the past
time, the relations between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are built
as relations of equal subjects of international law with consequent
rights and obligations of the parties.
Diplomatic relations between the two states were
established on February 16, 1993. In connection with this, next
year, a number of events are planned on the occasion of the 25th
anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between
Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The main document regulating relations between the two
states is the Agreement on eternal friendship between the
Republic of Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic signed in
Tashkent on December 24, 1996. It is noteworthy that in the year
of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement on
December 24, 2016, President A. Atambayev paid a working visit
to Uzbekistan which opened a new page in the Uzbek-Kyrgyz
relations.
At present, 139 documents were signed between the
Republic of Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic which are the
legal basis for bilateral cooperation in various directions, and
work on concluding new treaties and agreements continues.
We, in Uzbekistan, highly value our relations with friendly
Kyrgyzstan and are very pleased that recently, thanks to the
political will of the respected Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev and
Almazbek Atambayev, Uzbek-Kyrgyz relations are developing

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and strengthening throughout the whole range of bilateral
cooperation.
The meeting in Samarkand and the recent talks in Astana
on the margins of the SCO summit determined the main
directions of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz relations in the near future.
As a continuation of the visit of the delegations of
Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to Andijan and Osh in October of this
year, tours of the Babur Drama Theater in Osh and the Mukimi
Drama Theater in Tashkent, as well as the exhibition of paintings
"Pomegranate Necklace" were conducted.
At the present time, the procedures for coordinating the
draft document on cross-border cooperation between Uzbekistan
and the Kyrgyz Republic which is designed for the near future,
are coming to an end. We hope that the adoption of this document
will be systemic in carrying out various activities in the field of
trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation in the
border areas of our countries.
From August 2016 to the present, an active and
constructive negotiation process is underway to delimit and
demarcate the Uzbek-Kyrgyz state border.
At the end of July this year, the next 14th meeting of the
working groups of the parties was taken place in Bishkek, the
heads of governmental delegations informed the Prime Minister
and the Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan about the progress
of the negotiation process to determine the progress of the state
border line between the Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan. The
government of Kyrgyzstan expressed its positive opinion on the
activation of joint meetings and acceleration of bilateral work on
the delimitation and demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek state
border.
We hope that the Uzbek-Kyrgyz talks on resolving these
issues on the basis of mutual interests, reasonable compromise
and equivalent exchange of land plots will give their results in the
legal registration of the state border.

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This year, consultations were conducted between the
foreign ministries of the two countries in the cities of Tashkent,
Tamchi and Bishkek, constant contacts between the prime
ministers and foreign ministers, as well as consultations between
the ministries of the interior and the aviation authorities of the
two countries.
Representatives of the business community and tourism
industry of our countries take an active part in various industry
international fairs, exhibitions and forums, and such work keeps
on.
On July 28, 2017 an intergovernmental agreement was
signed on the construction of a comprehensive school in Osh at
no charge. The Kyrgyz side creates the appropriate conditions for
Uzbek builders to erect a school.
Trade and economic cooperation between the Republic of
Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic is carried out on the basis of
the Free Trade Agreement. The Kyrgyz side signed and ratified
the Protocol on the application of the Free Trade Area Treaty of
October 18, 2011 between its Parties and the Republic of
Uzbekistan (the document was adopted on May 31, 2013 during a
meeting of the Council of Heads of Governments of the
Commonwealth of Independent States in Minsk).
Since 1996 the Joint Intergovernmental Commission for
Bilateral Cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and
the Kyrgyz Republic established in accordance with the Protocol
of December 25, 1996, has been operating. We are preparing to
conduct its next 8th meeting in Cholpon-Ata on August 15-17,
the Uzbek delegation will be headed by the Prime Minister of the
Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov.
The bilateral trade amounted to 167.5 million US dollars
in 2016, including exports at $121.5 million, imports – $46.0
million. In January-April 2017, commodity turnover amounted to
$72.7 million, including exports at $38.6 million, imports – $34.1
million.

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Today, there are 49 enterprises with Kyrgyz capital in the
Republic of Uzbekistan. In its turn, 46 enterprises with the