Paris hosted a roundtable discussion on “Uzbekistan and France: Prospects for the mutually beneficial partnership”.

Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Bobur Usmanov spoke in detail about the transformations in all spheres of political and public life, and civil society reforms taking place in the country.

It was emphasized that the situation in human rights and freedom of the media has changed dramatically in Uzbekistan, child and forced labor has been eradicated, and a human rights strategy has been adopted.

Previously inaccessible information sites have been unblocked, accreditation for foreign media has been opened, bloggers have become a new reality.

“In recent years, ordinary Uzbeks have been able to feel their involvement in the process within the country”, Bobur Usmanov stated.

Only in the past 2021, he emphasized, the Virtual Reception Office of the President and the People’s Reception Offices received 1.6 million requests, which is an average of 133 thousand requests per month or 4.4 thousand requests per day.

According to the ISRS Deputy Director, it is impossible to deny the growing civic activity, and this involvement of civil society significantly helps to implement reforms.

UzA