03.07.2022

On July 3, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

As it is well-known, an important political process – a nationwide discussion of the draft law on amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan is going on these days in our country. All necessary conditions have been created for the free expression of the will and opinions of citizens on the basis of democratic principles. However, under the pretext of their opposition to the constitutional reform, certain forces have made a self-serving attempt to stir up and destabilize the situation by choosing the path of aggression and violence. On July 1, in the city of Nukus, under the guise of populist slogans, manipulating the consciousness and trust of citizens, a group of people, contrary to the legitimate demands by the representatives of the authorities, organized riots, attempted to seize the local government buildings.

On July 2, despite the urges to stop the public disturbances, these individuals continued their destructive actions. Moving along the streets of Nukus, rioters have caused extensive damage to infrastructure, smashed windows and set fires. Several groups attempted to seize the buildings of the Nukus City Department of Internal Affairs and the Department of the National Guard in order to obtain weapons. Taking advantage of their numerical superiority, these men attacked law enforcement officers, severely beating them and inflicting severe injuries.

Most unfortunately, there have been casualties among the civilian population and law enforcement officials.

In this regard, in order to ensure the security of citizens, protect their rights and freedoms and restore justice and the rule of law, the presidential decree was issued declaring a state of emergency in the territory of the Republic of Karakalpakstan from July 3 to August 2, 2022.

On July 3, a meeting with the participation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was held in Nukus. The commandant of the territory of the Republic of Karakalpakstan reported on the introduction of the state of emergency and noted that the situation was fully under control.

During the meeting, held in a videoconferencing format, the President spoke with the responsible officials of all regions of the city, heard their reports on the measures taken to ensure the security of citizens, strengthen the rule of law and justice. They noted that after yesterday’s address of the President, the situation has stabilized and life is returning to normal.

Thereafter Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Jakaterek Makhalla in Nukus and talked with local residents.

Local elders noted with regret that, in recent events, the individual youth had made mistakes and had committed wrongful acts under the influence of external disruptive forces and succumbed to emotional impulses. It is emphasized that the Uzbeks and Karakalpaks are one people with two languages, it is necessary to value and preserve the unity and peace in our country.

The President held a meeting with the deputies of the Jokargy Kenes (Supreme Council), the leadership of the Council of Ministers and the public representatives of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

It was again emphasized that the draft Constitutional Law «On amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan» will be finalized on the basis of proposals and opinions of the people of Uzbekistan. Then the draft will be submitted to referendum of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and our citizens will express their will through the free vote.

This approach is fully consistent with the principle of «People is the only source and author of the Constitution». And each of our compatriots will proudly be able to say: «The Constitution of the New Uzbekistan is my Constitution».

Taking into account the opinions of the residents of Karakalpakstan, yesterday the President has proposed leaving Articles 70, 71, 72, 74, 75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan concerning the legal status of the Republic of Karakalpakstan in their current versions. The Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis will consider this issue in the coming days.

The meeting was addressed by deputies and intellectuals, who noted that in recent years large-scale work on the socio-economic, cultural and innovative development of Karakalpakstan is being carried out.

Over the past five years, about 11 trillion Uzbek soums has been allocated to the local budget of the region. In 2020 alone, Karakalpakstan’s total per capita income almost tripled.

The volume of construction work in the last 5 years has increased by 3.5 times. Dozens of new industrial enterprises, modern agroclusters, joint ventures have been created. Thousands of facilities, including kindergartens, schools, universities, health, science, culture and sports institutions, have been built in the Republic.

Important social protection programmes are being implemented. In particular, financial assistance was provided to about 65 thousand families included in the «iron notebook», 17 thousand families who have disabled children under the age of 16, as well as lost their breadwinners.

As part of the programs «Obod Qishloq» (‘A prosperous village’) and «Obod Makhalla» (‘A prosperous local neighbourhood community area’) in the Republic of Karakalpakstan the large-scale work on development of social infrastructure, provision of electricity, natural gas, drinking water, improvement of irrigation and reclamation networks has been carried out. The people of the region feel the benefits of this work.

Active efforts are being made to protect and restore the ecological system and to promote sustainable social and economic development in the Aral Sea region. In particular, the previously backward Muynak has acquired a completely new look, has turned into a modern, dynamically developing area.

For the first time, the issue of the development of the Aral Sea region has been identified as a priority of State policy. One million 733 thousand hectares of green plantings have been planted on the dried-up part of the Aral Sea. A five-year national programme for the restoration of the region’s flora and fauna is being developed.

«I firmly declare that the positive changes taking place in Karakalpakstan will continue at an accelerated pace. After all, the fate of Karakalpakstan is the fate of Uzbekistan, the happiness and well-being of the Karakalpak people is the happiness and well-being of the entire Uzbek people», Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said.

The deputies of the Jokargy Kenes (Supreme Council) called on the youth to exercise prudence, not to succumb to provocations, including those of foreign hostile forces and movements, and not to become their victims.

It was noted that calls for separatism and mass disturbances will be strictly suppressed in accordance with the current legislation, and those responsibles will be punished irrevocably.

What has happened calls on our people to be even more vigilant and attentive. In these troubled times, it is very important to strengthen friendship and harmony among our compatriots, to ensure stable and continuous development in the country, to increase the creative potential of our people and their confidence in the future. Only thus will we be able to meet all modern challenges and threats with dignity, to form in our society, especially in the youth, a strong immunity against various destructive ideas, to achieve even more effective results, without turning away from the path of democratic reforms, chosen by our people.

«We all have one Homeland. We all share a common, great goal - peace in our homeland, prosperity of the country and well-being of the people. We will build the New Uzbekistan and the New Karakalpakstan together», the President has said.

After the meeting, Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the citizens’ assembly of the village «Samanbay» of Nukus region, met with representatives of the older generation, assistants of the khokim, youth leaders and women activists.

The President emphasized that the alarming events that had occurred in Karakalpakstan have been very painful for all Uzbek citizens, and that it was necessary to turn the page calmly and cohesively.

The participants agreed and expressed confidence that the wise people of Karakalpakstan will continue to adhere to the inviolable values of unity and indivisibility of the destinies of the Uzbek and Karakalpak peoples.