First Deputy Prime Minister of Russian Federation Sergey Ivanov arrived in Uzbekistan on an official visit. Main events of the visit will take place on 4 July, UzA reported.

Sergey Ivanov is expected to hold talks with President Islam Karimov and Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev and discuss the current state and perspectives of relations between Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation in the framework of international organizations.

Itar-Tass reported that Sergei Ivanov plans to sign a package of intergovernmental agreements on migration cooperation during his visit to Uzbekistan. The report said the main goal of Ivanov’s business trip was to attend a meeting of the intergovernmental commission.

The commission was established more than 15 years ago. The sides are going to step up their activity in the near future. A short time ago, Russia’s first vice-premier was designated for the post of the commission co-chairman (chief of the Federal Agency on Industry Boris Alyoshin was Ivanov’s predecessor).

Tashkent, in turn, increased the status of its co-chairman, appointing to the post Prime Minister Mirziyayev, which was announced by President Karimov personally during his meeting with Vladimir Putin on 9 June.

The Uzbek president thanked Putin for the attention that the Russian leader pays to the bilateral contacts. Karimov highly appreciated the fact that Russia’s first deputy prime minister was appointed to the post of the commission co-chairman.

"This fact is important as such," he said, adding, "This kind of attention to us requires our response." The Uzbek leader hailed the current level of bilateral relations. In 2006, bilateral trade went up by 40% to US$3.1 billion.

This year, the indicator grew by another 63%. "However, the countries have certain unclaimed potential," Karimov said. The Uzbek president will receive Ivanov after his talks with Mirziyayev.

The previous 9th session of the intergovernmental commission was in Moscow on 2 March 2007. Back then, the sides signed a joint protocol that determined the primary spheres of cooperation, including fuel and energy sector, atomic energy, aircraft building, science and technology.

The document envisages the implementation of an interstate Earth and space research program, the creation of an international radio-astronomical observatory RT-70 on the Uzbek plateau of Suffa, and the joint use of the telescope at Maidanak Observary in southern Uzbekistan.

Ministries of the two countries were instructed to start drafting a new economic cooperation program for 2008-2012.