The President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairman-in-Office, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Miguel Angel Moratinos at Oksaroy residence in Tashkent on 12 April, the local agencies reported.

"We are welcoming you not only as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, but also as a minister of foreign affairs and cooperation of Spain," the President Islam Karimov has said, "we have established the kindest and friendly relations with Spain".

It is not a secret that the foreign ministers of the OSCE member-states take chairmanship in the organization one by one in a row. The visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos to Uzbekistan comes first as an OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

Uzbek President paid a state visit to Spain in early 2003. The visit is reported to have taken the bilateral relations up to a new level. Spain considers Uzbekistan as a leading country in the Central Asian region, the reports have underscored.

The reports have also said that the OSCE chairmanship has admitted that Uzbekistan, which had joined the organization in 1992, has been consistently moving along the path of consolidation of security and stability, development of democratic institutions and establishing the civil society.

Uzbekistan makes a deserved contribution to a versatile and effective OSCE activity. And, the OSCE highly assesses the constructive cooperation with Uzbekistan.

Moratinos has said that the "Central Asia takes an important place in the OSCE activity. The stability and effective governance alongside with a healthy economy and developed civil society are paramount factors in Uzbekistan to maintain the security in Eurasian and Transatlantic regions.

The Spanish chairmanship in the OSCE has set priority goals of the mission as to ensure the security and stability on the territories of the member-states, enhance the struggle against terrorism and extremism, maintain the ecological safety, and other.

In Tashkent the sides are reported to have exchanged views on the state and prospects of relations between Uzbekistan and OSCE.

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