MOSCOW, September 22. /TASS/. Moscow appreciates Uzbekistan’s attitude to strengthening the Russian language in the country, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in an interview with TASS on Wednesday.

"The contribution of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the development of Russian-Uzbek relations cannot be overestimated. In these years, our trade turnover has increased as well as the cooperation in other spheres, in particular in education. We appreciate how the Uzbek leadership treats the Russian language and strengthens its position in the country. These are very important factors for the rapprochement of our states. In this regard, we wish success to Uzbekistan in the elections and we are confident that their results will contribute to the further development of our cooperation," he said.

The presidential elections of Uzbekistan will be held on October 24. All five parties - the Ecological, National Revival Democratic, Liberal Democratic, People’s Democratic and Justice Social Democratic parties registered their candidates in the CEC. The sitting Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was registered by the Liberal Democratic party. The candidates’ election campaign began on September 20.