Russia and Uzbekistan have agreed to strengthen military cooperation and to work together to combat radical Islamist groups.

The Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, said Moscow viewed Uzbekistan as a strategic partner and wanted to see continued stability there.

The Uzbek President, Islam Karimov -- who's accused foreign-based groups of seeking to overthrow him and set up an Islamic state -- said Russia's presence in the region would help prevent what he called the rampant spread of extremism and terrorism. The BBC Central Asia correspondent says Uzbekistan has traditionally been hostile to Moscow, but with the secular leadership deeply anxious about the spread of radical Islam, relations have improved in recent months.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service