Bakhtiyor Mustafayev: The visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Switzerland set a new strategic trajectory for the development of the state

Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the head of our state (ISRS) Bakhtiyor Mustafayev commented on the results of the working visit of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Switzerland and participation in the ceremony of signing the charter of the Peace Council in Davos:

- The participation of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in events on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026 became a landmark event, recording the country’s historical transition toa qualitatively new stage of the international positioning.

In the face of growing geopolitical uncertainty, Tashkent showed the world a model of a country that has successfully synchronized its internal reforms with global expectations, becoming a reliable and predictable center of gravity for investments and security initiatives.

The central milestone of the working visit of the head of our state was participation in the solemn signing ceremony Charter of the Peace Council on January 22, 2026. The invitation of the President of Uzbekistan personally by US President Donald Trump as a full founding member of this structure is evidence of high international trust.

Uzbekistan’s participation in the Peace Council has a deep strategic justification.

Firstlyit is a natural development of the strategy of openness and multi-vector dialogue, which Uzbekistan has been consistently implementing in recent years. Tashkent is purposefully building a presence on all significant global platforms, actively participating in regional and international formats of the UN, SCO, CIS, UTC, OIC, BRICS+.

US President Donald Trump's invitation to attend the G20 Summit demonstrates the growing recognition of Uzbekistanas a responsible partner in global governance.

Joining the Peace Council logically continues this trajectory, confirming Uzbekistan's ability to play as an equal interact with the world's leading powers and make a constructive contribution to the formation of new mechanisms of international cooperation.

SecondlyUzbekistan's participation in the Peace Council clearly demonstrates its strong commitment to a principled position on the Palestinian issue, whereTashkent demonstrates a combination of humanitarian determination and practical action.

So, after President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's public call for a ceasefire in November 2023, the country moved from words to action: $1.5 million in aid was allocated through the UNRWA agency, and in December 2024, Uzbekistan carried out the humanitarian evacuation of 100 wounded Palestinian women and children from Rafah.

Applying the successful experience of the program “Mehr”, Tashkent has created full-fledged conditions for treatment and social adaptation for them, essentially offering the world community a working model of practical humanism. This position of the state, which is not limited to declarations and assumes real responsibility for the destinies of people, has become the most important factor of trust in the formation of the Peace Council.

Thirdly, the Davos site serves as a powerful catalyst for the economic and investment breakthrough of the republic to a new level of global competitiveness.

Over the past decade, Uzbekistan has demonstrated impressive dynamics: GDP more than doubled to $145 billion, economic growth in 2025 reached a record 7.7%, exceeding all forecasts of leading international institutions, and gold and foreign exchange reserves exceeded $60 billion for the first time in history.

The qualitative transformation of the economy was reflected in the that today over 80% of GDP is formed in the processing industries, and exports have reached a historical high of $33.4 billion with an increase of 24%. Of particular importance is the social result of the reforms - a reduction in poverty from 35% in 2017 to 5.8% in 2025, whichmakes economic prosperity truly inclusive.

In addition, negotiations between the President of Uzbekistan and the leadership of BlackRock Corporation - the world's largest asset manager with capital worth trillions of dollars - open a new era in attracting “smart investments” in Uzbekistan.

The discussion of initiatives for BlackRock’s entry into the capital of leading domestic enterprises and the creation of joint investment mechanisms indicates our country’s entry into the “major league” of global investment platforms. This trust is shared by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), whose investment in Uzbekistan has reached almost $7 billion, making the country the EBRD's largest partner in the region.

Fourth, in an era of fragmentation of the global order and escalation of regional conflicts, it is critical to ensure that the interests of Uzbekistan and Central Asia are taken into account when forming a new security architecture. Participation in the Peace Council is an instrument of preventive diplomacy, based on an understanding of the indivisibility of modern challenges and threats.

Uzbekistan is actually building the first line of defense for its own security and the stability of the entire region, not allowing national and Central Asian interests to be marginalized in global decision-making processes.

To summarize, we can confidently state that the visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Switzerland seta new strategic state development trajectory. The combination of institutional consolidation in the Peace Council, recognized macroeconomic achievements, a consistent humanitarian position and active protection of regional interests at the global level makes Uzbekistan a unique model of successful modernization in the modern world - a state that not only adapts to changes in the international system, but also acquires the right to participate in shaping the global agenda of the 21st century.

IA Dunyo

Tashkent