Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in the Uzbek capital Tashkent for a meeting with his counterpart Islam Karimov.
The two heads of state will discuss security issues in Central Asia and cooperation in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, Russian presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said.
Special attention will be paid to the situation in Afghanistan.
The visit precedes the two leaders’ trip to the Kazakh capital Astana for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional security body, due June 14-15.
Medvedev and Karimov will also exchange opinions on the prospects of boosting bilateral trade and economic cooperation, as well as interaction in international organizations.
According to Russian data, trade in 2010 grew 35.4% to $3.4 billion.
Medvedev is accompanied by Prikhodko and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
MOSCOW, June 14 (RIA Novosti)