Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Iran and Uzbekistan should employ all commonalities to expand relations in various fields.

Ayatollah Khamenei received President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan in Tehran on Sunday.The Leader said the two countries share unique historical, cultural and scientific attributes.

Ayatollah Khamenei commended a new phase in bilateral relations after a long suspension and said that for years the scope of relations between Iran and Uzbekistan was “very limited.”The Leader said President Mirziyoyev’s visit and talks with senior Iranian officials would hopefully open the door to a better future in relations.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has the capability to connect Uzbekistan to High Seas through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. And the grounds for bilateral cooperation exceed trade and transportation,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

The Leader said innovations in a variety of scientific and technological fields can lead to the improvement of cooperation.Ayatollah Khamenei urged Tehran and Tashkent to disregard those who are against the expansion of relations.During the meeting, which was also attended by President Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, Mirziyoyev hailed his historic meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei.

The Uzbek president praised the Iranian nation’s resilience in the face of US-led sanctions and said Iran's grand achievements, particularly in science and technology, proved that a nation can achieve major goals by pursuing the wise guidelines of its leader and through unity.