TASHKENT. Sept 23 (Interfax-AVN) - NATO Secretary General George Robertson will visit Tashkent on Thursday, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry told Interfax.
The agenda of Robertson's visit includes meetings with Uzbek President Islam Karimov, Foreign and Defense Ministers Sadyk Safayev and Kadyr Gulyamov, and other officials.
The visit is aimed at expanding cooperation between NATO and Uzbekistan and discussing security in the region and in neighboring Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministry source said.
Cooperation between NATO and Uzbekistan is developing actively under the Partnership for Peace program. They are also pursuing scientific and research programs.
Since 1993, NATO has financed dozens of projects in Uzbekistan and allotted 71 grants for research activities.
Meanwhile, the NATO Council on Monday officially announced the appointment of Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer from the Netherlands as the alliance's new secretary general. He will relieve Robertson, who earlier announced his resignation, in December.