On Wednesday afternoon, Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, received Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the President of Uzbekistan, and the accompanying delegation. In this meeting, referring to the unique historical, cultural, and scientific affinity between Iran and Uzbekistan, he remarked, "These common grounds should be used to expand bilateral relations in different arenas." 
The leader of the Islamic Revolution expressed his pleasure at the revitalization of bilateral ties after a long period of stagnation, saying, "Unfortunately, for many years Tehran-Tashkent ties were quite limited. I hope the negotiations in Tehran will be a starting point for better future relations."
Ayatollah Khamenei said, "Either via Afghanistan or Turkmenistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran could easily enable Uzbek access to international waters." He added, "With the help of various initiatives, areas of cooperation should expand beyond trade and transport to include science, technology, as well as other fields." 
He added, "Of course, there are those who look unfavourably on the expansion of Iranian-Uzbek ties. They, however, should be ignored as all decisions ought to be based on mutual interest and then relations must be expanded to the fullest extent possible."
In this session, where President Raisi was also present, Mr Mirziyoyev described his meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei as historical. He added, "We also regret the pause in bilateral ties and the resulting decline in cooperation. I hope that the discussions held in Tehran would jump-start cooperation in the fields of trade, transport, science, technology, as well as tourism."
Praising the Iranian nation's resistance in the face of sanctions, the Uzbek President stated, 'The achievements of the Iranian people indicate that even when a nation faces stiff opposition, it can reach great heights if it is united under wise leadership. I have observed parts of these achievements in science and technology at this exhibition.