Uzbekistan, Tashkent, 5 June / Trend corr. T.Jukov / Islam Karimov, the President of Uzbekistan, received Alexander Stabb, the Chairman of the OSCE and Foreign Minister of Finland, at the Oksaroy residence.
According to the news-service of the Presidential Administration, the President said that he receives the guest who is the acting chairman of OSCE and Foreign Minister of Finland, and who also holds fruitful cooperation with Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan has become a member of OSCE since the first years of its independence. It also cooperates with this organization to strengthen its regional security and stability, develop its citizen institutes and extend its international economic and humanitarian relations.
The OSCE Bureau on Central Asian countries was opened in Tashkent in 1995. At present, the coordinator of OSCE projects has been operated in the country.
The ground for the relations between Uzbekistan and Finland was founded during Islam Karim's visit to Finland in 1992. Finland, being a member of the European Union, first ratified the Agreement on partnership and cooperation, signed between Uzbekistan and the European Union. The first meeting of the Cooperation Council "Uzbekistan-EU" was held under the chairmanship of Finland 1999. The both republics cooperate within the framework of OSCE, EU, UN and NATO's program "Partnership for peace".
Uzbekistan exports oil refining products, fertilizers, services to Finland, and imports cellulose and chemical products, electric, enginery medicals and other products from Finland. The enterprises Scanmix-Samarkand, Nokia Siеmens Network Tashkent have been operating in Uzbekistan jointly with Finnish counterparts.