According to the Amiri Diwan, the Qatari leader departed Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held official discussions in Samarkand on Tuesday to enhance bilateral ties.
According to an Amiri Diwan statement, the Qatari leader said the two countries hold “many elements to consolidate cooperation and advance relations to broader horizons.”
“During the session, they reviewed the existing friendship and cooperation relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing and developing them in various fields,” the statement read.
The two leaders also tapped into ways to implement mutual investment and trade plans while discussing regional and international developments. Sheikh Tamim and President Mirziyoyev also planted a tree at Samarkand’s Congress Center garden.
On the same day, the two countries inked several agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOU), including one over the exemption from travel visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports.
Qatar and Uzbekistan signed an agreement to encourage and protect mutual investments in addition to another MOU on trade cooperation. Other MOU’s covered sports, environment, food security, and agriculture.
The two countries signed an agreement to eliminate double taxation, another for cooperation and mutual administrative assistance in customs affairs, as well as cooperation in workers’ recruitment.
Doha and Tashkent also signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of higher education and scientific research.
The meeting witnessed the two countries sign a cooperation programme between Qatar and Uzbekistan’s foreign ministries for the period of 2023-2025, in addition to a separate programme between their justice ministries.
Meanwhile on Monday, Sheikh Tamim and the Uzbek president toured historic sites and museums in Samarkand.
In a statement, the Amiri Diwan said the Gulf state’s leader and Uzbek president “listened to an explanation about the history of the Ulugh Beg Observatory and its role in the development of astronomical sciences among Muslims.”
The observatory was built in 1970 to commemorate Ulugh Beg, one of Islam’s most renowned astronomers during the Middle Ages.
“During their visit to the Afrasiab Museum, they were briefed on the most prominent archaeological holdings and artefacts that document the most important historical stations of the city of Samarkand and the various archaeological regions of Uzbekistan,” the Amiri Diwan statement added.
The amir also visited Registan Square.
Uzbekistan is the first leg of the Qatari leader’s tour to Central Asia, which will include visits to Kyrgyzstan amd Kazakhstan before ending in Tajikistan.
Speaking to Qatar’s state news agency (QNA) on Monday, Doha’s ambassador to Tashkent Hassan bin Hamza Hashim said the amir’s visit “constitutes a quantum leap in the bilateral relations between the two countries.”
The Qatari envoy noted that the two countries’ ties are witnessing “significant” development, with the latest visit representing a key opportunity for discussions over investment and regional developments.
“Especially the current situation in Afghanistan, since the State of Qatar played a major role in the Afghan peace, and the Uzbek side cooperated with Qatar in this file,” QNA reported, citing Hashim.