On October 8, 2018, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, at the invitation of the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, arrived in Paris on an official visit.
Officials of France met the President of Uzbekistan at Orly International Airport.
Today the President of Uzbekistan will meet with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Audrey Azoulay. At the meeting, prospects for expanding cooperation between Uzbekistan and UNESCO will be discussed. It is planned to adopt a joint Action Plan for 2018-2021.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev will also hold meetings with the Chairman of the French Senate and heads of leading companies of this country.
Official events of the visit are scheduled for October 9.
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President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Audrey Azoulay, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
At the meeting, Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted the deep symbolism that the official visit to the French Republic began with a meeting at UNESCO, and that Uzbekistan’s cooperation with this organization is consistently developing.
Audrey Azoulay, sincerely welcoming the President of Uzbekistan, emphasized that cooperation with Uzbekistan and in particular the current meeting is very important for UNESCO.
Uzbekistan was twice elected to the Executive Board of the organization. The parties fruitfully cooperate in the sphere of restoration and in-depth study of rich spiritual heritage of Uzbekistan, implement joint projects in the field of culture, education, science and others. Historical and cultural sites in Khiva, Samarkand, Bukhara and Shakhrisabz are included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Bukhara city was awarded the prize of the organization “Cities for Peace”.
The Ichan-Kala complex in Khiva, the historical centers of Samarkand, Bukhara and Shakhrisabz, as well as Chatkal State Biosphere Reserve are included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Baysun cultural heritage “Shoshmaqom”, “Katta ashula”, “Askia”, “Osh”, “Navruz””, atlas and adras production technologies are included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Quran of Othman and the collection of manuscripts of Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies are included in the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
Uzbekistan’s cooperation with UNESCO also contributes to preservation, development and popularization of classical Uzbek musical heritage. Thus, under the auspices of UNESCO, Sharq Taronalari International Festival is held every two years in Samarkand. In September this year, the first International Maqom Art Forum was held in Shakhrisabz.
In accordance with a recent resolution of the President of Uzbekistan, a Permanent Mission of the Republic of Uzbekistan to UNESCO has been established.
Cooperation in the field of education is promising. Uzbekistan pursues a policy on formation of physically and spiritually developed individuals, based on “Enlightenment against ignorance” principle.
In September 2017, Shavkat Mirziyoyev initiated the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Youth and the General Assembly Resolution on Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance.
The Director-General supported the initiatives of the President of Uzbekistan on creating under the auspices of UNESCO in Samarkand the International Institute named after Mirzo Ulugbek for creating a culture of peace, tolerance and preventing extremism, creating a Regional center for information and communication technologies in education at Tashkent University of Information Technologies, opening the UNESCO department at Silk Road International Tourism University in Samarkand.
An agreement was reached on holding a regional forum of young scientists of Central Asia in Uzbekistan, as well as the Asian Forum “Information technologies in the service of cultural heritage conservation” in 2019 in Tashkent.
UNESCO Director-General highly appreciated the policy of Uzbekistan on preserving cultural and historical heritage of its people, which is the heritage of all mankind.
At the meeting, the Joint Action Plan was adopted for 2018-2021, aimed at bringing relations to a new level, innovative solution of joint tasks and strengthening cooperation in all areas.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev left a note in UNESCO’s Book of Honorary Guests.
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The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with the President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher.
The President of Uzbekistan congratulated the President of the Senate on the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the French Republic. He presented him with the first copy of the French Constitution, published in connection with this, in Uzbek and French.
Activation of inter-parliamentary interaction, especially within the framework of friendship groups of the parliaments of the two countries, was noted with deep satisfaction.
Uzbekistan – France relations are developing dynamically in the sphere of inter-parliamentary relations. In 2008, the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Group was established at the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Uzbekistan – France Friendship Group has been operating in the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis since 2010. In 2008, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights (Ombudsman) and the French Defender of Rights.
Cooperation with France covers a wide range of bilateral relations in political, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres. Special attention is paid to expansion of contacts between business circles and regions of the two countries.
Issues of developing inter-parliamentary relations in specific areas, including through holding events, mutual visits on a regular basis and exchange of experience, were discussed. This will contribute to expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and people.
President of the French Senate highly appreciated the ongoing large-scale reforms and transformations in Uzbekistan on modernization of the economy, increasing the well-being of the population and building strong civil society. Especially noted the conduction by Uzbekistan of constructive regional policy based on the principles of good neighborliness, mutually beneficial cooperation and consideration of the interests of each other.
It was emphasized that the first official visit of the President of Uzbekistan to France will serve to identify new areas of practical cooperation for the long term, including through the parliaments of the two countries.
Gérard Larcher expressed the readiness of the French Senate to further develop inter-parliamentary relations and give them a systemic nature in order to develop comprehensive and fruitful friendship and partnership with Uzbekistan.
The President of Uzbekistan examined the French Senate building.
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The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting with managers of major French companies.
It was attended by the heads of leading companies of the European and world markets, financial structures such as Total, Total Eren, Orano, Fives Stein, Rungis Semmaris, Vinci, Suez, SAD, Idemia, Mercier, Thales Alenia Space, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, French Development Agency and others.
At the meeting it was noted that in Uzbekistan wide opportunities are being created for foreign investors. Necessary normative-legal acts for stimulating and protecting their activities are adopted. Various obstacles to business development have been eliminated, foreign trade and customs tariff control have been significantly reduced.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that for a direct dialogue with foreign investors, it was decided to establish the Council on Foreign Investments under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Its task is to develop proposals for continuous improvement of the investment climate in Uzbekistan, taking into account the opinions of investors themselves. The President of Uzbekistan invited French investors to actively participate in the activities of the Council.
French businessmen highly appreciated the economic reforms carried out in Uzbekistan under the leadership of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, emphasized that liberalization of the monetary system, simplification of the procedure for obtaining a visa created favorable opportunities for development of mutually beneficial cooperation. This has increased the interest in partnership with Uzbekistan. Evidence of this became the signing on the eve of this visit of agreements on investment projects worth about 5 billion euros.
Issues of further development of partnership between financial organizations and companies of Uzbekistan and France, expansion of mutual deliveries of goods and provision of services were discussed.
The official visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the French Republic continues.
