Bahromjon Alayev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, who traveled to Tehran to take part in the eighth round of political consultations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Uzbekistan, met on Monday evening with Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian Foreign Minister congratulated Uzbekistan on the anniversary of its independence and expressed appreciation for the country’s principled positions regarding the military aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran, as well as for the presence of a high-ranking Uzbek delegation led by Nuriddin Ismailov, Speaker of the Parliament of Uzbekistan, together with accompanying members, at the ceremony paying tribute to the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution. Araghchi, referring to the good relations between Tehran and Tashkent and the continuous meetings and consultations among high-ranking officials of the two countries—including his meeting with his Uzbek counterpart on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Kyrgyzstan—stressed the need to plan for the strengthening of interactions and exchanges between the two countries in order to advance relations in all areas of mutual interest. He also emphasized the necessity of utilizing the capacity of the amicable bilateral relations to enhance regional cooperation between Iran and the Central Asian countries within the framework of multilateral mechanisms, with the aim of safeguarding security and expanding economic and commercial cooperation among the countries of the region. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan expressed satisfaction with his visit to Iran, conveyed the greetings of Bakhtiyor Saidov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, to his Iranian counterpart, and declared his country’s readiness for the comprehensive development of cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all fields of mutual interest.