On the eve of the Global Media Congress to be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on 14-16 November 2023, UzA Correspondent interviewed the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to this country, Abdulaziz Akkulov.

– Mr. Ambassador, would you please tell us about the priority areas of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the UAE? What areas have untapped potential?

– Cooperation with the United Arab Emirates in energy, mainly green energy, the construction of solar and wind power plants, is developing at a high level. In this regard, the Masdar company, which produces green energy, operates in Uzbekistan, along with more than 40 countries. The company is carrying out accelerated work on constructing solar and wind power plants in Navoi, Jizzakh, Surkhandarya, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Kashkadarya regions.

In addition, extensive cooperation has been established in growing agricultural products. It is known that the UAE has put forward several proposals and initiatives to combat the problem of climate change and food security. In this regard, joint ventures specializing in the production of agricultural products have been created in Andijan, Namangan, and Syrdarya regions. Today, a specific food part is sent to the domestic market, and the rest is exported.

The logistics potential of the UAE has reached high levels in terms of delivering goods to the world market. Based on this, interregional projects are being promoted to provide cargo transportation services to send products manufactured in Uzbekistan to the UAE and other countries through this region.

At the same time, precise growth rates are also observed in developing collaboration in tourism. Through the activities of companies such as Uzbekistan Airways, VFS Global, and Holiday Factory, the tourism potential of our country is promoted, and tourism packages are diversified. It should be noted that more than 40 flights a week connect Tashkent, Samarkand, Namangan, and Fergana with the cities of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah.

Cooperation in religion, education and enlightenment, culture, and art has also expanded significantly. Based on the results of negotiations in these areas, which started in March 2023, several bilateral agreements have now been signed. Programs are exchanged between higher education institutions, masterclasses and joint internships for faculty and students are organized. Since 2019, the National Pavilion of Uzbekistan has opened its exposition separately at the Sheikh Zayed Festival, which takes place annually from November to March. As part of its work, the peculiarities of the culture of our country are demonstrated, ranging from Uzbek cuisine to crafts and performances of artists. Interaction is steadily expanding in inter-parliamentary and cultural-humanitarian cooperation, trade, economic, and investment activities.

– How do you assess the social significance of this congress, held annually in Abu Dhabi? To what extent were the goals of the previous conference achieved, in particular from the point of view of a positive impact on the development of cultural cooperation between Uzbekistan and the UAE?

– The Global Media Congress, which is organized by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) together with the Emirates News Agency (WAM), serves close cooperation with several organizations in the world and region operating in the information market, uniting representatives of journalism around a single platform and sharing experience. For the second year now, the delegation of our country has been taking part in this prestigious international conference, demonstrating its media potential to the world community at a separate stand.

Traditionally, the congress will include conferences, training events, as well as an international exhibition of goods and services aimed at creating high-quality content. Participants will discuss many current issues in the media industry, including digital communications, the impact of artificial intelligence on modern media, the integration of advanced technologies and innovations in the media industry, and the fight against fake information.

Regarding the social perspective of the conference, it should be noted that the main goal is to create a healthy media environment between the Middle East region and the global media, gain experience based on the activities of the leading information disseminators in the region, and achieve information exchange agreements. In addition, during the week, young journalists will establish contacts and exchange ideas for implementing major joint projects. For example, we, members of the Uzbekistan delegation, set a goal to organize the publication of information about essential reforms being implemented in our country on the information resources of our new partners.

Last year, the creative team of the National News Agency of our country, UzA, successfully took part in this conference, organized at a high level. It is noteworthy that more than 150 media outlets, representatives of media companies, and several industry experts were invited to the event, which took place in the capital of the UAE on November 15-17. The congress also included media training and workshops for young journalists.

In short, the congress achieved its goal. Thus, members of the UAE Government managed to gather representatives of influential media and investors from many leading countries. The main achievement of the host party is that the participants reached cooperation agreements and signed mutual contracts. It is commendable that the exhibition organized as part of the conference received special recognition.

The potential of our country’s information space, historical books, and cultural artifacts, including handicrafts and various souvenirs presented by the UzA team at the stand, aroused the admiration of WAM representatives and attracted the attention of many foreign journalists and investors. During the workshops, it was possible to become familiar with the activities of foreign news agencies and other organizations, and it was also possible to collect interesting information about the influence and role of the media sector in the 21st century.

Naturally, the next congress will become a logical continuation of last year’s event. Exciting workshops will be organized on increasing the role of the media, with the participation of famous speakers. In particular, it is essential to become familiar with the activities of Arab news agencies and think tanks and establish contacts with foreign organizations.

I consider it appropriate to organize such events that serve to improve further friendly relations between countries, governments, and peoples regularly. In this sense, this prestigious congress, held annually at the initiative of the UAE, will undoubtedly make a significant contribution to the development of cooperation.

– WAM Director-General, Chairman of the Supreme Organizing Committee of the Global Media Congress Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi pays special attention to the opportunity to create Media Future Labs within the framework of this event. How do you imagine the work of these labs, and how important is it for young specialists in Uzbekistan?

– Indeed, Mr. Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi announced the creation of Media Future Labs. It will be organized to support young professionals working in the media. It is envisaged that Media Future Labs will include roundtable discussions and dialogues on important global issues of a political, economic, cultural, and educational nature.

In turn, I believe that the holding of this congress testifies to the attention paid by the UAE leadership to the media sector. The state actively supports the event organizers and allocates enormous funds. Serious work is underway to provide organizational, technical, and financial support to attract influential organizations, think tanks, and large media corporations from partner countries to participate in this congress.

As part of the traditional conference, large international media organizations, publishing houses, and printing houses present their capabilities at separate stands. From this point of view, exhibitions are a very convenient platform for promoting news agencies worldwide.

– Mr. Ambassador, what other aspects, in your opinion, should be given the most significant attention in the development of the industry, using the ample opportunities provided for the media today? For example, from the point of view of developing the media industry, the widespread introduction of advanced technologies between Uzbekistan and the UAE, etc...

– An appropriate question. In the current era of global change, it is essential for representatives of the international community, members of governments, and especially journalists to cooperate and exchange experiences closely. It is advisable to enhance the creative thinking of media representatives, their role, and their potential in conveying news happening on a global scale to the public. To do this, we should focus on international experience, including the media industry.

It should be noted that the Emirates News Agency initiated this major event. Naturally, this will further strengthen the status and authority of the country’s media industry. Every year in mid-November, the eyes of the world turn to Abu Dhabi. The UAE not only creates a platform for young and experienced personnel to communicate. The large-scale events held here demonstrate to the world the internal and external image of the country. Thereby, media representatives worldwide form a particular impression of the Emirates.

Currently, we are also working on a project to organize a visit of representatives from various fields, especially foreign journalists, to Uzbekistan to develop bilateral and multilateral relations. First, we plan to arrange a special press tour for employees of leading news agencies of the UAE. Our initiatives are supported by the Tourism Committee under the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Introducing guests to the famous and ancient cities of our country – Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and Tashkent, and holding meetings in several organizations and agencies is undoubtedly very useful for both the UAE and Uzbekistan.

In general, organizing major international conferences and inviting foreign specialists and experts in media will contribute to the radical development of the domestic media industry.

We wish success to the UAE officials, the Emirates News Agency, and other partner organizations preparing to host the Global Media Congress.

– Thank you for the informative conversation!

Interviewed by Durdona Salikhova, UzA