Tashkent, Jun 22 (IANS): Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and visiting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have signed a declaration on deepening the strategic partnership and building up comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, the Uzbek president's press service said.

Following their talks on Tuesday, the two sides also signed 18 documents on cooperation in industry, international road transport, the fight against illegal migration, quarantine and plant protection, military and military-technical cooperation, it added.

The Uzbek leader also proposed to increase the volume of bilateral trade, implement a number of projects in machine-building, electrical engineering, textile, wine-making, food, construction, oil and gas, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, agro-industrial and other industries, Xinhua news agency reported.

The two countries have reached an agreement to create a joint investment fund to develop and promote promising cooperation projects in both countries, and have agreed to improve efficiency by using the transport communications system, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, media reports said.