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Russian lawmaker: New Uzbekistan's president to ensure continuity in relations with Moscow

Head of Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) Committee for International Affairs Leonid Slutsky noted he did not expect any radical changes in the Russian-Uzbek relations

MOSCOW, December 5. /TASS/. Uzbekistan’s President-Elect Shavkat Mirziyoyev will ensure continuity in the country’s policies including cooperation between the former Soviet republics and relations with Moscow, head of Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) Committee for International Affairs Leonid Slutsky told reporters on Monday.

"Mirziyoyev has been a member of the first president of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov’s team for years. I am sure that after being elected president he will continue to pursue the course determined by Karimov and ensure continuity in internal and foreign policy," Slutsky, who headed the Russian and Belarusian parliamentary observer mission, said.

At the same time, he noted he did not expect any radical changes in the Russian-Uzbek relations. "I believe, bilateral relations will remain friendly under the new Uzbek leader," the lawmaker said.

When speaking of the voting process, Slutsky noted that the election campaign had been open and consistent with all democratic standards, "there were no serious irregularities that could impact the election results."

Chairman of Uzbekistan’s Central Election Commission Mirza-Ulugbek Abdusalomov said earlier on Monday that Liberal Democratic Party candidate Shavkat Mirziyoyev had won the presidential elections receiving 88.61% of the vote.

The early presidential elections in Uzbekistan were held on December 4 due to the death of the country’s first president Islam Karimov.