President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the first summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Central Asian countries' leaders on 19 July.
The event, chaired by Sheikh Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Saudi Arabia, was also attended by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Emir and Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister of the Sultanate of Oman Sheikh Asad bin Tariq Al-Said, Special Representative of the King of Bahrain Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Secretary - General of the Council Jasim Muhammad Al-Budaywi.
In accordance with the agenda, the sides considered the issues of developing constructive political dialogue, expanding trade, economic and investment cooperation, and strengthening cultural and humanitarian relations. Moreover, sides exchanged views on current topical aspects of regional and international politics.

In his speech, the President of Uzbekistan emphasised the deep historical relationship between the people from Central Asia and the Gulf region, which are based on close trade relations, common values and traditions, and the holy religion of Islam.
The contribution of our eminent thinkers and scholars to the development of historical relations between Maverannahr and the Arabian land was noted. One of them was the great scholar Imam Al Bukhari, also known as the "Sultan of all Muhaddiths".
- We are proud that two of the six renowned scholars of the Muslim world were born and raised in our region, and ancient Bukhara became famous with the name of "Qubbatul Islam". It is known that at the beginning of the ninth century, more than 200 scholars from Central Asia were engaged in scientific activity at the "House of the Wisdom" academy in the capital of the Abbasid state. Our great scholars such as Musa Al-Khorazmi, Abu Rayhan Beruni, Ahmad Farghani, Ibn Sino created their valuable scientific works in the beautiful Arabic language and gained fame all over the world, - said the head of Uzbekistan.
Assessing the current situation, the leader of our country noted that despite today's challenges, both regions continue to remain a place of peace, stability and development. At the moment, the states of Central Asia and the Gulf are reliable and long-term partners.
It was noted with satisfaction that Uzbekistan's relations with the Gulf countries have reached a new level in recent years.
Taking into account this positive experience, it was proposed to expand practical cooperation between the two regions in a number of priority areas.
In the political sphere, the Uzbek leader noted the importance of developing comprehensive large – scale cooperation in various formats.
In order to bring our fraternal countries and peoples closer together, it was proposed to study the issue of developing a multilateral agreement on friendship, interregional connection and cooperation in the future.
The second direction is cooperation in the field of high technology and investments. The head of our state noted the need to create platforms and working mechanisms for cooperation in the field of innovation, "artificial" intelligence, "green" economy, digitalisation, "smart" agriculture, nano- and biotechnology. An initiative was put forward to establish a Joint Investors' Council with the participation of business representatives and hold its first meeting in Samarkand.
- We are interested in effectively using the potential of investment funds established by partners in the Gulf and expanding the activities of leading banks in our region. Also, I believe it is important to adopt a separate "roadmap" for the joint implementation of "green" energy projects, - said the President of Uzbekistan.
The third direction is to strengthen trade and transport links. The head of our state stressed the urgency of introducing a free trade regime with the Gulf States, harmonizing technical regulations and developing e-commerce. In this regard, it was proposed to work out the issue of developing and adopting a multilateral trade agreement.
In the field of transport and transit, it was proposed to apply the most favorable tariffs in the Middle transport corridor, to make extensive use of existing multimodal routes through Afghanistan, and to increase direct air travel with the help of subsidies.
The leader of our country also urged our partners to take an active part in the strategic project to build the Trans-Afghan railway, which will connect the Gulf States with Central Asia through the shortest route.
The next important direction is ecology and climate change. The importance of developing an international joint research program on the basis of the Central Asian University of Environment and Climate Change Studies, which is opening in our country, was noted.
The attention of the participants was drawn to the opportunities in tourism (firth direction). It was proposed to create a single visa-free tourist space "Gulf - Central Asia", to develop modern clusters and joint tour products, also, to hold a forum of leading tour operators of the two regions in the city of Khiva, which is declared as the Tourist Capital of the Islamic World in 2024.
Within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, special attention was paid to the issue of joint fight against the cases of islamophobia observed in the world.
It also pointed the importance of strengthening cooperation in combating terrorism, extremism, radicalism and drug trafficking, as well as to protect young people from the spread of these threats through the Internet and other channels.
The President of Uzbekistan touched the issues of settling peace in Afghanistan.
- Our regions should take the initiative and draw the attention of the entire world community to the problems of Afghanistan from high tribunes and make a worthy contribution in making the life of the Afghan people easier," the head of our state stressed. 
In concluding his speech, the President of Uzbekistan expressed confidence that the results of today's historic summit will serve to bring the multifaceted relations between the regions of Central Asia and the Gulf to a completely new level. 
At the end of the meeting, a Joint Statement was adopted.
The summit participants supported Uzbekistan's proposal to hold the next high-level meeting in the format of the "Cooperation Council of the Central Asia-Gulf Arab States" in the city of Samarkand.