President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is on a tour of Central Asia, said he plans to enhance the nation’s reciprocal and future-oriented cooperation with Uzbekistan, South Korea's key partner and "brother nation," during his upcoming state visit.

In an interview with Uzbekistan's state-run news agency prior to his arrival on Thursday, Yoon said Central Asia is a geographically important region linking Asia and Europe. Along with the region's vast natural resources, the president said its value is sharply rising.

Referring to Seoul's plan to create a "K-silk road" in cooperation with Central Asia, Yoon said it is a blueprint for a new form of cooperation in line with the rapidly changing international order based on the two sides' cooperation over the past 30 or more years.

Emphasizing that South Korea and Uzbekistan have been friendly nations for a long time sharing cutting-edge science and technologies, Yoon said Seoul hopes to work with Tashkent in creating a 21st century silk road in the area.

Yoon noted that the two sides upgraded their relations to a special strategic partnership in 2019 and added that though the world is facing a complex global crisis he believes it is an opportunity to further strengthen bilateral economic cooperation in key minerals and supply chains.