On January 19, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met in Tashkent with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who made a brief stopover. During the meeting, issues of further strengthening the Uzbekistan–Italy strategic partnership, as well as expanding cooperation through practical projects, were discussed.
During the talks, it was noted with satisfaction that the agreements reached at the highest level in Samarkand in May 2025 are being implemented consistently. It was emphasized that this is not a “nice plan” left on paper, but a course that has been turned into action.
At present, contacts between the sides are actively continuing at various levels. Steady growth in trade turnover and the number of joint ventures was highlighted, as well as interregional cooperation — in particular, the development of exchanges with Lombardy . It was also noted that quotas have been allocated for Uzbek citizens for regulated labor migration .
The meeting also paid great attention to industrial cooperation. In particular, it was said that major projects are being implemented in cooperation with “Finopera”, “ANCI”, “Pietro Fiorentini”, “Danieli” and other companies. There is also an important step in science and education: the opening late last year in Samarkand of the University of Tuscia branch gave new impetus to bilateral ties.
Plans for this year are also clear: a strategic dialoguebetween foreign policy agencies, meetings of the intergovernmental commission, and holding the second Rectors’ Forum are envisaged.
The range of priority areas in economic cooperation is broad: textiles, geology, energy, chemicals, construction materials, the financial market and other sectors — the sides agreed to advance joint projects. The cultural agenda was not overlooked either: an agreement was reached to hold Days of Uzbek Cinema in Italy and Days of Italian Cinema in Uzbekistan. Plans were supported for Uzbekistan’s participation in the next Venice Biennale, as well as organizing this year applied arts and museum exhibitions in Milan .
The meeting also included an exchange of views on international and regional issues. In conclusion, Shavkat Mirziyoyev invited Giorgia Meloni to pay a separate visit to Uzbekistan .
In short, even if this meeting looked like a “brief stop,” in substance it is a long-term move. Cooperation is no longer just talk, but concrete actions such as projects, forums, quotas, and investment .
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