OREANDA-NEWS. October 14, 2014. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko suggested advancing Belarus-Uzbekistan relations to a brand-new level as he met with Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov.

According to the Belarusian head of state, the potential for enhancing Belarus-Uzbekistan relations is very big. “We can literally double our trade in 1-2 years,” Alexander Lukashenko is convinced.

“This momentum in the trade with Uzbekistan would raise the need to advance relations in other areas, although we have no obstacles there. Our positions on the international agenda are very similar. There are no impediments for humanitarian cooperation. Finally, for good or for bad, we were living in one country; there are many ways we can choose to advance our humanitarian and cultural cooperation to a brand-new level,” the Belarusian leader stated.

Islam Karimov, for his part, stressed that the meeting is very timely as over a number of years there have been many speculations in the mass media about certain contradictions in Belarus-Uzbekistan relations.

The President of Uzbekistan remarked that at present Belarus becomes more open for the global community, enhances its international contacts. In particular, he mentioned the recent visit of the Belarusian delegation to the United States of America. “All this proves that life is evolving, and pragmatism requires living in the name of the society, people who entrusted their fates to you,” Islam Karimov said.

In his words, it does credit to Belarus that in the current situation the country reassumed the chairmanship in the Commonwealth of Independent States.