A release from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers highlights that her presence in the Uzbek city of Samarkand will mark the beginning of her tour, during which Meloni will attend a summit meeting in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on Friday, with the leaders of five Central Asian countries.

On May 29, Meloni will meet with Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Conference Center in Samarkand to discuss actions to strengthen the bilateral strategic alliance and expand cooperation, with the signing of several agreements.

This meeting will give continuity to the development of initiatives approved during the Uzbek president’s official visit to Italy in June 2023, when a joint declaration that expanded the partnership between the two countries was adopted, and 11 intergovernmental agreements were signed.

On Thursday, the Italian prime minister will travel to Astana to hold an exchange with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, before the first Italy-Central Asia summit.

Shortly before her departure, the head of Government stated that this visit “confirms the strategic value of our collaboration and the excellent level of relations between our nations.”

jrr/iff/oda/ort