Pentagon Spokesman Lt. Col. David Herndon provided the following readout:
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Colin Kahl met with His Excellency Vladimir Norov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, to reaffirm the strategic security partnership between the United States and Uzbekistan and discuss bilateral defense relations, December 14 at the Pentagon.
Dr. Kahl congratulated the Minister on the 10th anniversary of the State Partnership Program relationship between the Mississippi National Guard and Uzbekistan, the 20th anniversary of the strategic partnership with the United States, and the 30th anniversary of diplomatic and defense relations between the United States and Uzbekistan.
Minister Norov expressed his appreciation for the United States' continuous support for the professionalization of Uzbekistan's Armed Forces. Dr. Kahl and Minister Norov agreed on the importance of expanding the bilateral security cooperation relationship and shared their desire to continue close collaboration on issues such as border security, counterterrorism, intelligence sharing, and defense modernization.
