Iran-Uzbekistan relations

Being closely living peoples, Uzbeks and Persians , as well as other peoples of the two countries, have a long history of relations, originating in the history of the Ancient World . History, culture, traditions and customs, the cuisine of the two peoples are closely intertwined. The modern territories of the two countries at different times were part of the Persian and Central Asian empires. In particular, the territory of present-day Uzbekistan was part of the Achaemenid , Seleucid , Sassanid and Safavid empires. And the territory of present Iran was part of the Khorezm , Gaznevid and Timurid states and empires. From time immemorial, the territories of these countries belonged to different states and empires, and were united.

Currently, more than 50,000 Central Asian Iranians live in Uzbekistan - descendants of Persian and Iranian immigrants who settled in what is now Uzbekistan in the 17th - 19th centuries . The main part of the Central Asian Iranians live in Samarkand and its environs, as well as in Bukhara and its environs. In Iran, there is a small community of Uzbeks who settled on the territory of modern Iran from the 19th century until the mid -20s of the 20th century .

After Uzbekistan gained independence due to the collapse of the USSR , in November 1992, the elected President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, made his first visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Then a number of bilateral documents were signed to start, develop and strengthen relations ^[2] .

Between the two countries established cooperation in the field of transport and communications , petrochemicals , energy , banking , pharmaceuticals , customs , etc. Also established bilateral cooperation to combat terrorism , extremism and drug trafficking . Currently, more than 50 various bilateral documents have been signed which are aimed at developing and strengthening relations ^[3] .

On June 10-11, 2000, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan visited Iran for the second time on the occasion of the holding of the next summit of the Organization for Economic Cooperation in Iran. On April 26-28, 2002, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Khatami paid an official visit to Uzbekistan, who met with the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and also looked at the historical buildings and sights of Tashkent , Bukhara and Samarkand ^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [ 8]} . On June 17-18, 2003, Islam Karimov paid a second official visit to Iran ^{[9] [10] [11]} . Based on the results of these visits and meetings, a number of bilateral documents were signed that were aimed at developing and strengthening ties ^[12] .

According to the results of 2004, the trade turnover between the two countries reached up to 370 million US dollars. In subsequent years, this figure increased several times. At present, Iran is among the ten leading partners of Uzbekistan in economic partnership. And Uzbekistan is one of Iran’s most important economic partners. In addition to economic ties, the two countries combine cultural, historical and social ties. In Uzbekistan, more than 50 companies and enterprises have been established with Iranian capital. Of these, more than 40 are joint. On March 17, 1993, an agreement was reached and a memorandum on the establishment of relations for air transport was signed. Since August 1994, the aircraft of the Iranian national airline Iran Air began to operate regular flights once a week on the route Tehran - Tashkent - Tehran , which operates to this day. In addition to air transport, cooperation is also carried out on land transport. The forces, including Uzbek builders, in 1996 completed the construction of the railway on the route Tedzhen - Sarakhs - Bandar Abbas , through which Uzbekistan can send goods to Iran and the Gulf countries. And Iran, in turn, can send goods to the countries of Central Asia and China , in transit through Turkmenistan ^[13] .

Currently, bilateral relations are maintained through the embassies of the two countries, and the Uzbekistan-Iran Friendship Society, created jointly on September 8, 1999 . Uzbekistan exports to Iran cotton , non-ferrous metals , metallurgical products , oil and oil products , automobiles and vehicles , electronics and chemical products , etc. Iran, in turn, exports to Uzbekistan agricultural products , vegetable and animal fats , food , textile and shoe products, chemical industry products , coffee , tea , pharmaceutical products, etc. ^[14] .

In September 2017, in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Science and Technology. During the negotiations, it was noted that between the two countries there is a strengthening of friendly relations, a further expansion of cooperation ^[15]