Gul and Karimov exchange brotherhood messages

Turkish President Abdullah Gul had an exchange of messages with his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In his message to Karimov, Gul recalled that Turkey was the first country to recognize independence of Uzbekistan, saying, "We sincerely wish that our relations with Uzbekistan will reach an appropriate level appropriate to our common language, history and culture in the upcoming period. Within this framework, the acceleration of our relations with Uzbekistan will be obviously for the benefit the two countries on the basis of mutual respect and confidence with joint efforts. I hereby wish his Excellencies health and happiness, as well as prosperity and welfare for the friendly and brother people of Uzbekistan." In response to Gul's message, Karimov thanked his counterpart, saying, "I believe that our bilateral relations will be improved in line with traditions of cooperation and friendship between our people on the basis of mutual respect, confidence and equality."