AKIPRESS.COM - Turkmenistan has unveiled a monument to Islam Karimov, the late leader of neighboring Uzbekistan, in a gesture that comes as the two former Soviet republics in Central Asia seek to improve ties, reports the RFE/RL.

The unveiling of the monument in the city of Turkmenabat on the border with Uzbekistan on March 7 was attended by Uzbekistan's visiting President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov.

The two presidents on March 7 also opened a new bridge across the Amu Darya River at Turkmenabat.

The bridge on the M37 motorway is about 15 kilometers from a border crossing between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Mirziyoyev arrived in Turkmenistan on March 6 for a two-day visit.

On March 6, the two presidents agree upon closer cooperation on a project to export electricity to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

They said they also agreed to try to work together more on developing trans-Caspian transport routes to South Caucasus and further on to Europe.

The two also signed what they called a "strategic cooperation agreement" on March 6.

That agreement is aimed at increasing cooperation in the fight against terrorism, Islamic extremism, and cross-border crime -- including illegal drug trafficking.