Baltic news agency BNS
February 19
ithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas and
Uzbek President Islam Karimov have agreed at a meeting in Tashkent to
search for ways to improve the economic cooperation between the countries
and discussed the Lithuanian and Uzbek efforts in fighting international
terrorism.
The prime minister and the president also stated at the meeting today that both Lithuania and Uzbekistan are concerned with maintaining good relations with Russia, the press service of the Lithuanian government said.
Brazauskas and Karimov underscored that the countries are facing certain economic challenges due the recent sharp growth of the Russian railway tariffs.
Last year Lithuanian exports to Uzbekistan fell off almost 60 per cent as compared to the year 2000. Lithuanian exports to Uzbekistan last year comprised 0.41 per cent of total Lithuanian export. Volume of trade between the two countries last year didn't quite reach 38m euros.
Brazauskas and Karimov also discussed the international situation and the actions of the anti-terrorist coalition.
In late 2001 Uzbekistan allowed deployment in its territory of around 1,000 troops of the US Special Forces, which were preparing for the anti-terrorist attack in Afghanistan.
Lithuania granted long-term permission for the US military aircraft to use its air space and is intending to send a group of military doctors to the mission in Afghanistan.
Karimov expressed support to Lithuania's NATO and European Union (EU) membership aims at the meeting, the government press release said. The Uzbek president also inquired about the prospects for the neighbouring Russian region of Kaliningrad following Lithuania's and Poland's accession to the organizations.
Representatives of the Lithuanian and Uzbek governments signed in Tashkent today a protocol supplementing the Lithuanian-Uzbek governmental agreement on trade and economic cooperation of 1995, according to which an inter-governmental economic and trade commission will be formed.
The Brazauskas-led Lithuanian delegation is scheduled to return to Lithuania tomorrow evening.