SAMARKAND, November 3. /TASS/. Russia is ecstatic about Uzbekistan’s desire to strengthen cooperation in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said at the Verona Eurasian Economic Forum.

"We are very happy that interest in Eurasian integration is growing in Tashkent, in the land of Uzbekistan. This is confirmed by the Republic of Uzbekistan receiving the status of an observer state to the EAEU in 2020," Grushko said. "This will enable our Uzbek friends to dive deeper into the Union’s issues. We welcome and highly appreciate this sentiment for closer cooperation within the EAEU," the diplomat said.

Russia is focusing on developing multilateral relations with CIS countries, Grushko said. The biggest things here are "to expand the trade and economic direction of the Commonwealth’s activity, maintain the comfortable investment climate, and strengthen technological sovereignty," he noted. "We firmly proceed from the fact that there is an interconnectedness among the economies of CIS and EAEU member-states. It is important to synchronize this decision at the national Eurasian level for the purpose of supporting sustainable development of these regional, integration associations," the diplomat added.