The Islam Karimov Foundation published memoirs of the Russian President Vladimir Putin about the first president of Uzbekistan.

“Islam Karimov was the most confident statesman, the true leader of his country. The most important milestones in the history of the modern Uzbek state are connected with his name. Under the leadership of Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan pursued a peace-loving foreign policy that contributed to strengthening of security and stability in Central Asia and development of multilateral cooperation in the region,” Putin said.

According to Putin, Islam Karimov has done a lot for the development of Uzbekistan as an independent state.

“I think that the scale of this contribution has yet to be realized. It is possible to evaluate different aspects of the modern history of Uzbekistan in different ways. Most importantly, the head of state maintained stability in the country and ongoing development,” the President of the RF said.

He noted that he had very warm relations with Islam Karimov over the years of his acquaintance and joint work.

“This is especially related to the recent years. He treated me kindly. Islam Karimov was older, so when communicating in person, he called me by my name. There was something very emotional in this, humanly simple and sincere,” Putin said.