Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 21 December 2023, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation Oleg Malginov. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.

During this meeting, deep concern was expressed in connection with the statement of Zakhar Prilepin, co-chairman of the A Just Russia - For Truth party, about the possible annexation of the territory of Uzbekistan to Russia, which he made at a conference at the Rossiya Segodnya press center.

The Russian representative was informed that this statement causes deep concern in Uzbekistan. It is emphasized that such rash statements by party leaders, especially in the international arena, do not correspond to the spirit of the established strategic partnership and alliance between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation.

Such statements, widely disseminated in the Russian media, may have a provocative nature and be negative for long-term historical friendly relations between the Uzbek and Russian peoples.

In response to this, Oleg Malginov emphasized that Zakhar Prilepin’s statements do not represent the official position of the Russian leadership in relation to Uzbekistan.

The ambassador assured that questions about the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Uzbekistan have never been raised in Russia.

Oleg Malginov also said that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to provide comments on this incident in the near future.