FACTBOX: Russia-Uzbekistan Relations

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2018) Russian President Vladimir Putin has paid a visit to Uzbekistan, during which he met with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev and took part in a number of events.

Diplomatic relations between Russia and Uzbekistan were established on March 20, 1992. They are marked by regular meetings at the senior and high levels, with the leaders of the states having repeatedly exchanged state, official and working visits.

The Uzbek president paid a visit to Russia in April, 2017. During the high-level talks, the sides discussed the development of bilateral relations and exchanged views on current international and regional problems. A package of intergovernmental, inter-ministerial and corporate documents was also signed.

In May 2017, the leaders of Russia and Uzbekistan held a brief meeting on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Initiative forum in Beijing, China.

The Russian president met with his Uzbek counterpart in Sochi prior to the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on October 11, 2017.

Mirziyoyev attended an informal meeting of the heads of the CIS member states at the Russian presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, located in the Moscow Region, on December 26, 2017.

A regular meeting between the Russian and Uzbek leaders was held on June 9, 2018 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Chinese city of Qingdao.

On June 14, Mirziyoyev took part in the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in Moscow.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev paid an official visit to Uzbekistan in November 2017. Medvedev held talks with Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and also met with the president.

The bilateral dialogue between the two nations is being actively maintained by respective foreign ministries.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov constantly pays visits to the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, most recently on March 26-27, 2018. During his stay, Lavrov was received by Mirziyoyev.

Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov paid a working visit to Moscow this February.

The legal basis for bilateral relations includes about 200 interstate, intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements. Inter-parliamentary contacts are also flourishing. Ministries and agencies of the two countries interact on a regular basis.

Fundamental documents include the Treaty on the Fundamental Principles of Interstate Relations, Friendship and Cooperation from May 30, 1992, the Treaty on Strategic Partnership, signed on 16 June, 2004 and the Treaty on Allied Relations, signed on November 14, 2005.

The main document regulating trade and economic relations between Russia and Uzbekistan is the Agreement on Trade Relations from November 13, 1992.

Uzbekistan is one of the leading trade and economic partners for Russia in the CIS area. By the end of 2017, Russia's share in Uzbekistan's overall foreign trade amounted to 18.1 percent, while the bilateral trade increased by almost 34 percent compared to the previous year and amounted to $3.6 billion.

In 2017, Russia's exports to Uzbekistan stood at $2.6 billion, while imports amounted to over $1 billion. According to the Uzbek side, the bilateral turnover increased by 20 percent in 2017, compared to 2016, and reached $5 billion.

In January-August 2018, trade between Russia and Uzbekistan reached $2.7 billion, with Russian exports amounting to $2.1 billion and imports totaling $705.4 million.

Russian exports to Uzbekistan mainly include metals and metal products; wood, paper products; machinery, equipment and transport vehicles; mineral products; chemical industry products; food and agricultural products.

The import includes textiles and footwear; food and agricultural products; chemical industry products; machinery, equipment and transport vehicles; metal products as well as precious metals.

Russia is Uzbekistan's largest investment partner. The volume of investments coming from Russia to Uzbekistan is close to $9 billion.

The Central Asian nation has more than 960 enterprises with the participation of Russian capital and, according to experts from the Uzbek Chamber of Commerce and Industry, by the end of 2018 their number will grow to more than 1,000.

At the same time, there are more than 560 enterprises operating in Russia with the participation of capital from Uzbekistan.

The main fields of investments are fuel and energy. Russian energy companies, such as Gazprom and LUKoil, are actively involved in the geological exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in Uzbekistan.

Moscow and Tashkent agreed to build Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant (NPP) based on a Russian design. The relevant agreement was signed in September, 2018. Earlier in the day, Putin and Mirziyoyev launched the construction of the plant and participated in a ceremony via video link from Tashkent.

The two countries also cooperate in the field of agriculture. Thanks to the green corridor system, a specific order for phytosanitary control for suppliers have created generally favorable conditions.

The coordinating role in the development of bilateral economic relations is assigned to Russia-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation. The most recent meeting of the commission was held in Moscow on September 7.

Military and defense industry cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan is also gradually developing.

Russian-Uzbek joint venture, UzRosAvia, established on the basis of intergovernmental agreements from March 2007, operates in Tashkent. The joint venture was created to carry out repairs and service maintenance of the Russia's Mi family of combat helicopters.

The Treaty on the Development of Defense Industry Cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan entered into force in May 2017. It envisages mutual supply of military products, maintenance and repair of weapons and military equipment, research and development.

Moreover, the interregional exchanges between the two states have become widespread and very intensive, while the exchange of delegations between the regions of the two countries has greatly increased.

Labor migration issues are rather significant for the Russian-Uzbek relations as, according to experts, about 3 million people (almost one-third of Uzbekistan's working-age population) left the country to work abroad, mainly in Russia.

According to statistics from the Russian Interior Ministry, citizens of Uzbekistan amount to about 10 percent (about 1 million people) of all migrants in Russia, and about half of all issued work permits � 765,800 � are issued for them.

Migrants from Uzbekistan ranked first in terms of money transfers from Russia in 2017, sending $3.902 billion to their homeland, according to the Russian Central Bank,

The two states also cooperate in the cultural, humanitarian, scientific and technical fields. They, in particular, actively cooperate in the field of education, information, promotion of the Russian language in Uzbekistan. There are branches of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas in Tashkent. The Russian Center of Science and Culture also operates in Uzbekistan.