Mirziyoyev proposed Russia to create a creative and tourist corridor

Uzbekistan offers Russia to create a creative and tourist corridor from Samarkand to St. Petersburg. This was stated on June 5 by President of the Republic Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2026).

The leader of Uzbekistan stressed that tourism best forms an economy of trust, allowing nations to get to know each other's culture and explore business opportunities. According to Mirziyoyev, about 1 million Russians visited the republic in 2025, while even more are expected to be accepted in the current 2026 year.

"To do this, we are developing not only the tourism infrastructure, but also the creative economy. <...> In order to strengthen the cultural and humanitarian dimension of our cooperation, we propose launching a project for a creative and tourist corridor from Samarkand to St. Petersburg," the President of Uzbekistan said.

He explained that this initiative implies the organization of joint art and film festivals, museum exhibitions, gastronomic weeks and musical events. As an example of cooperation, Mirziyoyev pointed to the projects of culture and art of Uzbekistan launched on June 4 at the Mariinsky Theater and the Hermitage.

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Mirziyoyev also thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invitation to take part in SPIEF 2026. He noted that over the 30 years of its existence, the forum has acquired the status of one of the most authoritative and sought-after mechanisms for exchanging views on key issues on the global agenda.