The 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union is currently underway in Tashkent. It is worth noting that such a large-scale international event related to parliaments is being held in the region for the first time not only in the history of Uzbekistan, but also in the entire history of Central Asia.

We interviewed Poobalan Govender, Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of South Africa, who is participating in this prestigious forum.

– This is my first visit to Uzbekistan. Honestly, my previous perceptions about this country were completely different. As we landed in your capital from the airport, I saw Tashkent as a vast construction zone. It is a beautiful and well-organized city. It gave me the impression of being the capital of Central Asia.

The cheerful mood on people’s faces makes one extremely happy. This is very important.

We are convinced that the choice of Uzbekistan as the host of the anniversary assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union was a very well-reasoned and correct decision. Uzbekistan is emerging on the global stage as one of the countries that has rapidly implemented democratic reforms in a short time. The achievements in poverty reduction are especially noteworthy.

Analyzing the demographic dynamics of your country, I believe that the efforts and measures taken by your President to lead the nation into a bright future should be fully supported.

Today, hundreds of representatives of the Inter-Parliamentary Union listened to President Mirziyoyev’s speech with great interest. We are pleased that every issue put on the agenda by Uzbekistan is gaining global importance. Your President focused mostly on the future in his speech. Indeed, for a leader of a country where more than 60% of the population is youth, there is truly no issue more important than this.

The assembly is organized at a very high level. We are witnessing active discussions, exchange of ideas, and listening to new proposals and initiatives. What’s important is that all of them are directed toward one common goal – to make our planet more democratic, more promising, and to jointly overcome today’s pressing challenges, which is what makes this event significant.

Norgul Abduraimova, UzA