The trip will also take Lee to Kazakhstan later in the week for a summit with Kazak President Nursultan Nazarbayev, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Lee’s first trip to the region since he was inaugurated early last year also aims to strengthen Seoul’s ties with the countries under its diplomatic campaign called the "New Asia Initiative," according to Seoul’s presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae.

Under the initiative, Seoul aims to play a central role in representing the interests of Asian nations in the international community. South Korea also plans to sign free trade agreements with all major economies in the region to help spearhead efforts to establish a regional network of economic ties.

Lee will hold talks with his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov Monday to discuss ways to strengthen their bilateral cooperation, Cheong Wa Dae said in an earlier statement.

"President Lee will seek to reinforce our energy and resource diplomacy with the countries, which have rich reserves of oil and various other mineral resources, including uranium," it said.

"He will also seek to strengthen cooperation with Central Asia on global issues, such as climate change and overcoming of the economic crisis."

During his three-day state visit to Tashkent, the South Korean president will also hold a series of meetings with business and political leaders of Uzbekistan, as well as Korean residents there.

He will arrive in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, Tuesday for talks with Nazarbayev before heading home Thursday.