He was joined by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake and National Security Council Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs Michael McFaul.

The delegation met with President Islam Karimov, Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov and civil society leaders on 17 July. They discussed the positive role of Uzbekistan in the recent Kyrgyz refugee crisis and mutual efforts to stabilize the situation in Kyrgyzstan.

The conversation also covered the security, political, economic and human dimensions of US relations with Uzbekistan and the region. Their visit reflects the determination of President Obama and Secretary Clinton to strengthen ties between the United States and Uzbekistan on the basis of common interests and mutual respect,US Embassy in Tashkent said in a statement.

Meeting with President Karimov, Deputy Secretary Steinberg conveyed the United States’ appreciation for Uzbekistan’s support for international efforts in Afghanistan. He noted that the United States and Uzbekistan have a shared interest in peace and stability in Afghanistan. The delegation also appreciated hearing President Karimov’s perspectives on developments in Afghanistan and the wider region.

The two sides also discussed ways that the US and Uzbekistan could build their partnership across a wide range of areas, including trade and development, border security, cooperation on narcotics, the development of civil society, and human rights. Deputy Secretary Steinberg expressed confidence that the United States and Uzbekistan can make progress on the broad range of priorities in the US-Uzbekistan bilateral agenda.

This was Deputy Secretary Steinberg’s first visit to Uzbekistan in his role as Deputy Secretary.