PRESS RELEASE | Nov. 17, 2010
U.S. Central Command commander General James Mattis visits Uzbekistan
By None , U.S. Embassy – Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Deputy Minister of Defense on International Affairs General-Major Rustam Niyazov and U.S. Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Duane Butcher welcome General James Mattis to Uzbekistan
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (Nov. 17, 2010) — General James Mattis, Commander, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM), visited Tashkent, Uzbekistan on November 15-17.

General Mattis came to Uzbekistan on his initial round of visits to the region to see and hear personally from Uzbek officials. In Tashkent, General Mattis met with Uzbek government officials and exchanged views on regional security issues, including the situation in Afghanistan.

During his visit, General Mattis and the Uzbek Minister of Defense, General-Major Kabul Berdiev, signed the 2011 Program of Security Cooperation between USCENTCOM and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Similar to last year, the program outlines a series of mutually agreed-upon engagements and training opportunities for fiscal year 2011.