Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky has paid a visit to Uzbekistan, the first by a Hungarian defense minister, and he and his Uzbek counterpart signed an extensive cooperation pact.

The leaders of the two countries "have already achieved very serious results in other areas", Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky said in a video uploaded to Facebook late on Monday.

Now Hungary and Uzbekistan will work on "strengthening of our defense industry", he said, adding that the stability of Central Asia was vitally important in terms of Hungary's security.

Communication channels between East and West serve Hungary's interests and must be kept open, a statement published on the honvedelem.hu website quoted the minister as saying. The Tashkent visit was an important component in maintaining those channels, he added.

The statement noted that in March 2021 the two countries elevated their relations to the level of strategic partnership. Ties have been expanding and covering more and more areas ever since, it added.

The minister said the Joint Declaration he signed in Tashkent with Major General Shukhrat Kholmukhammedov also lays the foundations for cooperation in military education and training.

Meanwhile, Hungary's embassy in Uzbekistan is a NATO liaison embassy, he noted, adding that this was the first direct point of contact with the alliance. Uzbekistan, he said, was an important NATO partner thanks to its big role in fighting terrorism in Central Asia.

Both ministers agreed that the Russia-Ukraine war must be brought to an end, and Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that it was more vital than ever that US administration efforts to promote the peace process should succeed as soon as possible. "Anything that endangers this must be avoided," he added.

Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky laid a wreath at the monument in honor of the 1,400 Hungarian soldiers and their unknown comrades who died as prisoners of war in Uzbekistan during the first world war.

He also visited Uzbekistan's Armed Forces Academy, its centre for innovative technologies, and the Chimgan military training base.