20.09.2024

Today, September 20, a solemn ceremony of presenting credentials of newly appointed foreign ambassadors to our country took place.

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received credentials from Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India Smita Pant, Republic of Korea Won Do-yong, Mongolia Daadanhuu Batbaatar, Federal Republic of Germany Manfred Huterer, State of Israel Gideon Lustig and European Union Toivo Klaar.

The Head of our State sincerely congratulated the heads of foreign diplomatic missions on the official start of their honorable and responsible activity in Uzbekistan.

It has been noted that today, amid the unstable and rapidly changing situation in the world, the significance of the honorable mission of ambassadors, aimed not only at promoting the interests of their countries, but also at comprehensively strengthening the relations of friendship and cooperation between the peoples, is growing.

The President emphasized that as a result of the open, constructive and pragmatic foreign policy pursued, the authority and image of the New Uzbekistan in the international arena are increasingly strengthening.

The adoption of more than 10 special resolutions by the UN General Assembly at the initiative of our country, including 4 important documents this year alone, is a confirmation of this statement.

Despite the complex global environment, Uzbekistan's economy has been demonstrating stable growth, which, according to the World Bank's forecasts, will make 5.3 percent this year. According to the International Monetary Fund, the country's GDP exceeded 100 billion dollars for the first time last year.

The Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris have become an arena of records and unprecedented achievements of our young athletes, who have written a new sports history of the country.

- All these are the fruits of large-scale reforms that have become irreversible, emphasized the Head of State.

It has been pointed out that Uzbekistan will continue the policy of building a democratic society based on the “Uzbekistan - 2030” strategy, liberalization of economy, modernization of industrial and social infrastructure, creation of wide opportunities for business and investors.

In this regard, the upcoming elections to the Oliy Majlis and local representative bodies next month, which in accordance with the updated Constitution will be held for the first time on the basis of a mixed electoral system, have been noted separately.

In addition, gratitude was expressed to the governments of the countries represented by the heads of diplomatic missions for supporting Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization.

Addressing Ambassador Smita Pant of the Republic of India, the President of Uzbekistan noted with satisfaction that thanks to the firm political will of the leaders of the two countries, the relations of strategic partnership between our two countries have reached a new level.

Since the beginning of this year, bilateral trade turnover has increased by 30 percent, the number of joint ventures and air flights is growing, tourism exchange is expanding, and interregional ties are consistently developing. Four branches of Indian universities are successfully functioning in Uzbekistan.

The Head of our State has stressed the need to bring the volume of mutual trade to 1 billion dollars in the near future. At the same time, special attention has been paid to increasing practical interaction projects in digital economy, innovations, IT, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, chemical industry, agriculture, transportation, tourism and other priority areas.

High potential for the development of inter-parliamentary ties and continuation of the India-Central Asia dialogue was highlighted.

The Leader of Uzbekistan said that the Republic of Korea is a time-proven special strategic partner and close friend for us in Asia.

During President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to Uzbekistan, an agreement was reached to launch a new stage of Uzbek-Korean multifaceted cooperation. A model of high-tech and innovation partnership is being introduced to create modern industry and infrastructure in our country.

The volume of mutual trade amounts to 2.5 billion dollars. More than 700 joint ventures are successfully operating, the portfolio of new investment projects has reached 10 billion dollars.

Branches of a number of leading Korean universities, centers of professional education, innovations and information technologies have been established in Uzbekistan, the best practices of creating a pre-school education system have been successfully introduced, and major projects in the field of health care have been jointly implemented.

- The Children's Clinic, the House of Korean Culture and Art, Seoul Park and a street in Tashkent have become vivid symbols of our strong friendship, and the Korean Diaspora, counting nearly 200 thousand people as an integral part of the multinational people of Uzbekistan has made a significant contribution to our development, - emphasized the President of Uzbekistan.

The need for full-scale implementation of strategic plans for cooperation with leading companies of the Republic of Korea in the field of critical minerals, semiconductors, chemical industry, green energy, mechanical engineering, smart agriculture and transport, as well as the importance of further intensifying parliamentary and interregional ties, expanding humanitarian cooperation, and developing multilateral cooperation mechanisms was noted.

Addressing the Ambassador of Mongolia, the Head of our State noted that the recent state visit of President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh to Uzbekistan opened a new page in the Uzbek-Mongolian mutually beneficial relations.

The Embassy of Mongolia began its activities in Tashkent. Mutual trade has doubled since the beginning of this year. Contacts between various ministries and departments have intensified.

The need for unconditional implementation of the agreements reached was emphasized, in particular, on the adoption of the Agreement on Preferential Trade, participation in the development and processing of minerals, implementation of projects in the field of agriculture, livestock, leather, textile, pharmaceutical industries and in the field of medicine, launch of direct flights, expansion of educational and cultural programs.

The expediency of strengthening interaction within the UN, SCO and other authoritative international structures was pointed out.

The leader of Uzbekistan stated that Germany, being one of the leading countries in the world, with its powerful intellectual and economic potential, is an important and long-term partner of Uzbekistan in Europe.

It was emphasized that the key events that marked the beginning of a new era in the history of Uzbek-German multifaceted relations were two high-level visits to Germany last year, as well as the recent official visit of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Uzbekistan.

In recent years, the volume of mutual trade and the number of joint ventures have doubled, and the investments made have increased tenfold.

Joint projects worth 9 billion euros are being developed with leading German companies and banks.

Mechanisms are introduced to expand cooperation with companies such as Siemens, Linde, BASF, MAN, CLAAS, Henkel, Knauf, Papenburg, Deutsche Bahn and others, and the Industrial and Technological Partnership Program has been adopted.

- At the same time, we expect great results in the field of cultural, humanitarian, educational, migration and tourism cooperation, - pointed out the President of our country.

He also expressed support for initiatives aimed at deepening the regional strategic partnership expressed during the recent second Central Asia-Germany summit in Astana.

The Leader of Uzbekistan noted that Israel is an important economic partner of Uzbekistan.

Last year, the volume of trade doubled, and about 120 enterprises with Israeli capital are operating in our country.

Bukharan Jews, who have lived in Uzbekistan since ancient times, still play the role of a strong connecting thread between our peoples.

The President pointed out the existence of great opportunities for bilateral cooperation. In particular, interest was expressed in developing partnerships in the field of innovation, "smart" agriculture and water management, resource-saving technologies, pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

The Head of our State confirmed Uzbekistan's firm commitment to a speedy and fair settlement of the situation in the Middle East with the establishment of lasting peace and stability in accordance with universally recognized documents.

The President of Uzbekistan emphasized that the European Union is a reliable and time-tested partner. In recent years, our relations have been consistently developing and have risen to a completely new level. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The number of high-level visits is growing, strategic partnerships have been established with a number of European countries, and trade turnover with EU countries increased by 30 percent last year.

Large joint projects are being implemented in the field of "green" economy, alternative energy, high-tech industry, innovation, mineral resources, agriculture, ecology, science and education.

It was noted that the soonest signing of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement will serve to further deepen our relations.

- We intend to cooperate with the European side in such relevant areas as intensifying political contacts, continuing an open and constructive dialogue on human rights and strengthening democratic institutions, searching for new ‘growth points’ in the areas of economy, investment, transport and communications, easing the visa regime for mutual trips of our citizens, - said the President of Uzbekistan.

The expansion of cooperation of the European Union with Central Asia was also emphasized. In this regard, the Head of our State announced preparations for holding the Central Asia – European Union summit in Samarkand next year.

At the end of the ceremony, the President of Uzbekistan sincerely wished the newly appointed ambassadors great success in their honorable work, recommended that they become more closely acquainted with the results of creative work and reforms, especially in the most remote areas and villages of our country.

In turn, foreign diplomats expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and the conditions created for the effective implementation of their activities aimed at strengthening mutually beneficial multifaceted cooperation and implementing joint projects.