TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (March 28, 2012) — General James Mattis, Commander of U.S. Central Command, visited Uzbekistan as part of a multi-country trip to the region. Gen. Mattis had a productive meeting with the President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, and had a separate joint meeting with Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Kabul Berdiev and Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov. He also spoke at the Armed Forces Academy of the Republic Uzbekistan on various military topics. During his meetings, General Mattis and his Uzbekistan hosts exchanged views on a range of defense-related issues.