A festival of friendship and culture has taken place in Andijon on the slogan of “Uzbekistan is our common home”.

A festival of friendship and culture has taken place in Andijon on the slogan of “Uzbekistan is our common home”.

The event arranged by the International Cultural Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan was attended by representatives of nationalities’ cultural centres and state and public organizations.

The director of the republican International Cultural Centre, N.Muhammadiyev, and others have said that in this country under the leadership of the President, special attention is being paid to safeguarding peace, calm and social stability, protecting human rights and interests and further strengthening inter-ethnic accord and religious tolerance.

“There are representatives of more than 100 nationalities and ethnic groups living in peace and harmony in our region. And they are working tirelessly for the development of our country. All the necessary conditions have been created for them to get education, to learn professions and to preserve their customs, traditions and values. The Uighur, Kyrgyz, Russian, Korean and Armenian cultural centres have been functioning fruitfully. It has become a good tradition to conduct festivals of friendship and various cultural enlightenment events in Jalaquduq, Khojaobod, Pakhtaobod and Qorghontepa Districts and the city of Andijon, where representatives of various nationalities live in harmony,” says Shahzod Tursunov, deputy hokim (governor) of Andijon Region.

The festival started with various nationalities showing their customs and traditions at Andijon’s state university. As part of the event, exhibitions of photographs, works of visual art, national dishes and clothes as well as items of craftsmanship were arranged under the slogan of “We are your children, Uzbekistan”. Those pictures portray contributions of various nationalities to the development of this country.

Events entitled “Interethnic accord is a factor of stability” took place in Qorghontepa and Pakhtaobod Districts and at Andijon’s institute of agriculture. There speeches were made about conditions and possibilities created for people of all the nationalities and ethnic groups living in this country to take an active part in the socio-political, economic and cultural spheres.

“Others look in envy and admiration at our country’s interethnic accord and atmosphere of harmony. Indeed, there is an attitude of high respect for the languages, customs and traditions of all the nationalities living in Uzbekistan. Every citizen of this sacred land enjoys equal rights no matter what their ethnicity is,” says Vyacheslav Kim, the chief of the region’s Korean cultural centre.

“This festival of friendship prompts representatives of all the nationalities living in our country, especially us, young people, to have an even stronger sense of unity and to work tirelessly for the development of our country. Although I am an ethnic Kyrgyz girl, I am proud that my homeland is Uzbekistan. In our country, all the necessary conditions have been created for us, young people, to study and learn professions and to realize our potential and talent no matter what our ethnicity. I am always proud that I was born in this free and prosperous country where there is respect for human dignity,” says Mohinur Mukhtorova, a student of Andijon’s state university.

As part of the festival, big festive events were held at the Bobur regional musical, drama and comedy theatre in the city of Andijon, the Alisher Navoiy park of culture and recreation and the region’s puppet theatre. There artistic groups of cultural centres performed melodies and songs about independence, peace, friendship, kindness and generosity. And there was also a big concert by well-known singers.

The hokim (governor) of Andijon Region, Sh.Abdurahmonov, made a speech at the event.