Bakai: Iran and Uzbekistan strengthen historical and civilizational ties Foreign Ministry spokesperson: The deep civilizational and cultural ties between Iran and the countries of the region, especially historical cities like Samarkand and Bukhara in Uzbekistan, is a deep-rooted and valuable capital, based on a shared heritage of several thousand years. These identity-building commonalities are considered the best support for strengthening overall relations with neighbors in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and they demonstrate the invalidity of harsh words and baseless claims by American officials against Iran's rich civilization and history. The Islamic Republic of Iran attaches special importance to strengthening its relations with Uzbekistan and makes the shared cultural heritage the focus of strategic cooperation development.