On October 19, 2018, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan Otabek Akbarov presented his credentials to the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella in Rome.

In the course of a brief conversation held after the ceremony in the Quirinale Palace, the President of Italy asked to convey assurances of his respect and warm wishes to the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He stressed the importance of resuming direct dialogue between the leaders of the two countries after an 18-year pause and expressed readiness to welcome the President of Uzbekistan in Italy at a convenient time for him.

Italy, as a founding member of the European Union, from the very beginning played an active role in establishing Uzbek-European relations. In particular, the fundamental Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Uzbekistan and the EU was signed in Italy (Florence) in 1996 during the presidency of this country in the EU. Based on this, President Sergio Mattarella underlined that Italy is ready to continue fully support the development of relations between the European Union and Uzbekistan.

According to the Head of the Italian state, there are good opportunities for more active cooperation between the two countries in the international arena, in particular with regard to helping stabilize the situation in Afghanistan and its socio-economic development. He also spoke in favor of intensifying the Uzbek-Italian contacts through inter-parliamentary lines, joint implementation of economic projects, especially in areas in which Italy occupies leading positions in the world. The President also noted the prospects for a close bilateral partnership in the field of culture, education and tourism.