On December 12 of this year, as part of his stay in the United States, the Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Eldor Aripov held a series of meetings with the heads of leading analytical centers in Washington.

Negotiations were held with the President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) John Hamre, Vice President of the Institute for International Studies of the Heritage Foundation James Carafano, Director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center John Herbst and CEO of the Caspian Policy Center Efgan Nifti.

Also, a round table was organized at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in the United States, dedicated to issues of bilateral cooperation between Uzbekistan and the United States, as well as regional cooperation and security in Central Asia.

During the conversations, attention was focused on the prospects for the development of Uzbek-American relations. The parties acknowledged that in recent years, the partnership between the countries has gradually been enriched with specific practical content, which is confirmed by the transformation of annual consultations into the Strategic Partnership Dialogue.

Representatives of leading US think tanks highly appreciated the large-scale reforms carried out under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in New Uzbekistan. It was emphasized that consistent policy to strengthen democratic institutions in the country, liberalize and diversify the economy, opens up great opportunities for expanding the presence of American business in the Uzbek market.

This is evidenced by the increased dynamics of trade and investment interaction. Since 2016, mutual trade has grown by 1.4 times, and the volume of US direct investment in the economy of Uzbekistan has grown by 14.5 times over seven years.

Particular attention was also paid to US foreign policy priorities, including in Central Asia. The experts were pleased to note the successful cooperation in the C5+1 format, which has become an important platform for coordinating efforts to strengthen regional trade, develop transport and energy links, combat environmental challenges, and counter extremism.

During the conversations, an exchange of views on deepening relations between ISRS and scientific, academic and analytical centers of the United States also took place. The parties expressed interest in establishing a regular expert dialogue aimed at finding new growth points and drivers in all areas of Uzbek-American partnership relations.

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ISRS and the Caspian Policy Centre was a landmark outcome of the talks, which will open up new prospects for the implementation of joint initiatives and the strengthening of scientific and analytical cooperation between the two countries.