Georgia, Uzbekistan Elevate Ties to Strategic Partnership as Mirziyoyev Visits Tbilisi
By Messenger Staff
Monday, July 6, 2026
Uzbekistan and Georgia signed a strategic partnership agreement on July 2-3 during a visit by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the first of its kind at this level between the two countries. Uzbekistan is now the second Central Asian country to sign such a deal with Georgia, after Kazakhstan did the same on June 30.
The agreement comes on the back of a busy month for Tbilisi in the region. Georgian Dream ministers traveled to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan in June, and Turkmenistan's president is expected in Tbilisi soon too. The push lines up with growing talk of the Middle Corridor trade route, at a time when Georgia's ties with Western partners, the US and EU included, remain largely stuck.
Mirziyoyev landed in Tbilisi on July 2 and was met by Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili. Georgian Dream President Mikheil Kavelashvili hosted him at the Orbeliani Presidential Palace, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze held an official dinner, and the two took a ride on Tbilisi's funicular.
Kavelashvili said his meeting with Mirziyoyev focused on what the partnership means for the region. "We discussed the opportunities that the strategic partnership creates both for bilateral relations and for strengthening connectivity between the South Caucasus and Central Asia," he wrote, calling the Middle Corridor "a key foundation for economic cooperation and sustainable development across our regions." He thanked Mirziyoyev for Uzbekistan's support of Georgia's sovereignty and non-recognition policy, and awarded him the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Kobakhidze and Mirziyoyev held their own meeting on July 3, where Kobakhidze said the visit would bring relations to a "qualitatively new stage." Both sides pointed to the Middle Corridor as a shared priority going forward.
The two delegations then sat down for broader talks, where officials said the partnership would open up cooperation in politics, trade, investment, science, technology, culture and humanitarian work.
Kobakhidze called Uzbekistan "not only a reliable and important partner, but also a friend." Mirziyoyev, in turn, called the new partnership "a great achievement," praised Georgia's economic performance, and said the two countries' cooperation is "only the beginning."
The leaders signed the joint declaration formalizing the partnership, and government agencies on both sides signed a batch of memorandums covering the economy, healthcare, agriculture, finance, customs, education, technology and culture.
Mirziyoyev left Tbilisi on July 3, seen off by Kobakhidze, Botchorishvili and other officials.
