President of Uzbekistan: Our independence, which opened up such unprecedented opportunities, will always be the brightest, unfading page in the glorious history of our beloved Motherland

Each year of independent development has left a significant mark on Uzbekistan’s history. Today the country is on the verge of the most important milestone – the 30th anniversary of independence. People of the country are celebrating this glorious day with great joy.

This year’s main festive celebrations were held in the park created in honor of the anniversary, symbolically named “Yangi O‘zbekiston” (New Uzbekistan).

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev delivered a speech and congratulated all people on the 30th anniversary of independence.

“As is known, free life in a just society was the cherished dream of our people for centuries. In the name of achieving this sacred goal, they fought selflessly, courageously overcoming the most difficult trials on their way. No foreign yoke and violence could break the people in their noble striving for freedom. Our entire ancient history testifies to this. On 31 August 1991, a truly great historical event took place, which became a turning point in the fate of the country. Our people, always confidently looking into the future with great hopes, realized their age-old dream – gained state independence”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

The Head of the state recalled the First President of the country Islam Karimov, who proclaimed the independence of Uzbekistan and headed the state in the most difficult period of its history, about the enormous transformations that were carried out under his direct leadership thanks to the courage and resilience of people.

Over the years of independence, a large-scale activity has been carried out to build a new state and society. The foundations of modern statehood, legislative, executive and judicial branches of the government have been formed. Uzbekistan has taken a worthy place in the world community.

The main attention is paid to ensuring human rights and legitimate interests, freedom of speech and religion – the main principles of democracy.

The National Human Rights Strategy was adopted. Such negative phenomena as forced and child labor, which have been a big problem for us for many years, have been completely eradicated.

For the first time in its history, the Republic of Uzbekistan was elected a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which became a vivid confirmation of the international recognition of the reforms in this direction.

The past five years have been a challenging period. The coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020 and the economic crisis caused by it created serious problems for Uzbekistan as an integral part of the global world.

“With the help of the Almighty, thanks to the solidarity and selfless work of our people, we are worthily overcoming these difficult trials. The large-scale reforms being carried out in the country today marked the beginning of a new stage in our development – the era of New Uzbekistan”, the President said.

This is evidenced by the main economic indicators. In 2017-2020, economic growth in the country amounted to 18.3 percent, the gross domestic product reached $60 billion. Foreign trade turnover increased from $24 billion in 2016 to $36 billion in 2020.

We managed to significantly strengthen investors’ confidence in our economy. This is evidenced by the fact that the total volume of investments in a short period of time increased by 2.1 times, including foreign investments – almost 3 times.

Large factories, small industrial zones, infrastructure facilities, IT parks have been commissioned. A cluster system has been created in industry and agriculture. Support for entrepreneurship contributes to the provision of employment for the population.

“Today we can say that Uzbekistan is emerging from the most difficult period of the global crisis”, the Head of the state noted.

The development of the economy is also evidenced by the growth of real gross incomes by 28 percent compared to 2016. Major programs adopted within the framework of the reforms serve to improve the well-being of the population. Many rural areas have been improved within the framework of the “Obod Qishloq” (Prosperous Village) and “Obod Mahalla” (Prosperous Neighborhood) programs. In 2017-2020, more than 140 thousand affordable and high-quality houses and apartments were built. This figure is almost 11 times higher than in 2016.

The work carried out in the social sphere was also noted. The system of primary and emergency medical care has qualitatively changed. Specialized medical centers and polyclinics have been built. Thanks to timely measures, it is possible to effectively confront the coronavirus pandemic.

The results in the education should be mentioned. The coverage of children with preschool education has reached 62 percent.

Educational institutions of a new type are being created, in particular, Presidential, creative and specialized schools. In 2020, 56 such schools were created in the country in mathematics, 28 in chemistry and biology, 14 in computer science, information and communication technologies.

Over the past 5 years, 64 new higher education institutions have been created in the country, and now there are 141. The quotas for admission to universities have been increased by 3 times. Youth enrollment in higher education reached 28 percent, while in 2016 it was at 9 percent. Training young people in popular modern professions has been established.

The importance of the work being carried out to strengthen peace and tranquility in the country and the development of international cooperation was emphasized.

Thanks to an open and pragmatic foreign policy, in recent years, the political authority and role of Uzbekistan in the region and the world have grown significantly. In the world community, the tendencies towards strengthening trust and cooperation with Uzbekistan are growing.

First of all, friendship and good-neighborliness with the states of the region were established. The “Central Asian Spirit” concept has appeared in world political science. In the international arena, more and more initiatives are being put forward on behalf of the region.

The latest events in Afghanistan were also touched upon. The Head of the state noted that Uzbekistan remains committed to the principles of supporting friendly and good-neighborly relations with this country, considers it extremely important to carry out the transit of power in Afghanistan, taking into account the generally recognized norms of international law, peacefully based on national consensus.

The President also greeted the ambassadors of foreign states, representatives of international organizations, as well as foreign partners, who were present at the ceremony, and expressed his best wishes.

It was noted that the reforms carried out with the support and active participation of our people have become irreversible.

“Years and centuries will pass. New generations will come. But our independence, which opened up such unprecedented opportunities for the revival of the national statehood, prosperity and well-being, will always be the brightest, unfading page in the glorious history of our beloved Motherland”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted.

The festive celebrations continued with a grandiose concert program.

UzA