TEHRAN- In a message on Monday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi congratulated his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev on his reelection victory, expressing hope that relations between Tehran and Tashkent would expand in accordance with an already-established roadmap.

Highlighting the commitment of the two countries’ leaders to fostering relations, Raisi also expressed hope that ties would advance shared interests and promote regional and global security.

Mirziyoyev was re-elected with 87.1% of the vote on Sunday. Almost 15 million participated in the presidential election. He has been the leader of Central Asia’s most populated country since 2016.

The Uzbek president called for a snap election to amend the constitution and increase the length of the presidency from five to seven years.

Mirziyoyev had previously served as prime minister under his predecessor Islam Karimov, and had styled himself as a reformer since coming to power, promising to create a “New Uzbekistan”.