July 24 saw a flurry of high-level phone calls between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his counterparts from Iran, Georgia, Russia, Central Asia and beyond. Aside from birthday wishes, leaders commended his reform agenda and the commitment to harnessing bilateral ties.
The President’s press service said Central Asian leaders were among the first to call Mirziyoyev on July 24. Kazakhstan’s Qassym-Jomart Tokayev reiterated during a phone call that «Uzbekistan demonstrated impressive social and economic achievements,» noting Mirziyoyev’s «huge personal commitment» to fostering relationships with Astana.
Later that day, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Mirziyoyev and sent a personal message.
He wrote, «It is difficult to overstate your longstanding personal contribution to strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance between Russia and Uzbekistan.» Putin said he valued «our warm and friendly relations» and looked forward to both countries working together on «pressing issues on the bilateral, regional, and international agendas.»
Other leaders also called
Azerbaijan’s Ilkham Aliyev, Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko, and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also called to wish the Uzbek President a happy birthday and talk about their countries’ relationships with Uzbekistan.
During his call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Mirziyoyev expressed «serious concern over the continuing tensions in the Middle East,» according to the President’s press service. Even with ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran, Iran and Uzbekistan plan to keep developing their trade and cultural ties.
President Mirziyoyev was born on July 24, 1957, in the Jizzakh region. He worked as a civil servant in the 1990s and became Prime Minister in 2003. He was reappointed in 2005, 2010, and 2015, and was elected President after the death of Uzbekistan’s first post-Soviet leader, Islam Karimov, in December 2016.
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