The Secretary of State headed a delegation which included Air Vice Marshal Graham Howard from the Ministry of Defence and Director Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Mr Laurie Bristow, from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The Secretary of State met President Islom Karimov at the Oqsaroy Presidential Residence, the UK Embassy in Tashkent said.

Discussions focused on Afghanistan. He also met with a range of Uzbek government representatives including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Abdulaziz Komilov, Head of the National Security Council, Mr Bahodir Tashmatov, Minister of Defence, Lieutenant General Kabul Berdiev and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Sadyk Safaev.