WASHINGTON, June 15. /TASS/. The US Army plans to complete the transfer to Uzbekistan of armored vehicles, namely mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles, a US defense ministry official has told TASS.

The Central Asian nation started receiving this military equipment in December last year. The armored vehicles are given to Uzbekistan free of charge. The Pentagon official gave no details on the exact date for accomplishing the supplies.

Commander of United States Central Command Lloyd James Austin told the Congress in March that Washington has stepped up military cooperation with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The military ties between the United States and Uzbekistan were curtailed in 2005. However, over the past year, these bilateral relations have been revived and strengthened significantly with the implementation of a new five-year plan for military cooperation, Austin stressed.