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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman provided the following readout:
Acting Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper met with Maj. Gen. Bahkodir Kurbanov, Minister of Defense for the Republic of Uzbekistan, today at the Pentagon to reaffirm the strategic security partnership between the United States and Uzbekistan.
The leaders discussed a broad range of defense issues, including regional security concerns, defense modernization, and the continued access Uzbekistan provides in support to our military operations in Afghanistan.
Secretary Esper reiterated the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan and the South Asia Strategy, and how imperative it is for regional states to contribute positively for a stable Afghanistan.
Secretary Esper also thanked Minister Kurbanov for efforts to energize the bilateral relationship and partnership to counter transnational security threats.