Jeddah, 18 August 2022 (TDI): The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, is currently on a state visit to Saudi Arabia from 17-18 August.
#Jeddah | HRH Crown Prince and the President of the Republic of #Uzbekistan witnessed the exchange ceremony of a number of bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries. 🇸🇦🇺🇿 pic.twitter.com/z1ZiGMl2K8
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) August 17, 2022
Uzbekistan’s President first landed in Medina, then headed to Jeddah to meet with Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, at Al-Salam Palace.
During the meeting between Uzbekistan’s President and Saudi Crown Prince, both countries agreed to cooperate in the sectors of energy and employment.
The agreement signing ceremony was held following the official talks between President Mirziyoyev and the Saudi Crown Prince on Wednesday.
The energy and employment cooperation agreements and MoUs were signed in the presence of both leaders. Other than employment and energy agreements, both countries also signed an agreement for cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters.
High-ranking government officials from both countries were also present at the meeting. MoUs and agreements were signed in the presence of both the Uzbekistan President and the Saudi Crown Prince.
Several MoUs covering different fields were also signed by government ministers and senior officials from both countries. These included cooperation in Islamic affairs and cooperation and exchange of news between the news agency of two countries.
Other MoUs signed included cooperation in agriculture, health field, sports, scientific and technical cooperation, human rights, and education and science.
Saudi Arabia-Uzbekistan Relations
Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan don’t share a border and are located far from each other. However, still both countries share a common history, religion, spiritual values, and culture.
Saudi Arabia was one of the first to recognize the independence of Uzbekistan. In February 1992, both countries established diplomatic relations with each other at the level of Foreign Affairs.
In May 2017, the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, visited Saudi Arabia and this visit was seen as a milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries. During this visit development of bilateral relations was outlined.
Both countries actively support each other in international forums and organizations. In particular, Saudi Arabia supported the adoption of a resolution on a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia. In 2020, Saudi Arabia also voted for the election of Uzbekistan to the UN Human Rights Council.
