Presentation of the Constitution of Uzbekistan at the British-Uzbek Society’s Annual Session

2 December, 2008

On 2 December, 2008 the Annual Dinner Session of the British-Uzbek Society (BUS) was held in the headquarters of British-American Tobacco (BAT) at the Globe House in London.

During the event, the 16th anniversary of the Constitution of Uzbekistan was celebrated. Participants were informed by the Embassy of Uzbekistan of the main provisions of the Constitution, which became a solid basis for independent development and achievements of our country. It was pointed out that the Basic Law, which encompasses the advanced ideas of constitutional development and democratic principles, as well as historical experience of the Uzbek statehood, was the product of laborious work of a special commission under the leadership of Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov. The Constitution, which marks the priority of universally accepted international legal principles, including a worth life for citizens of the country, national reconciliation and civil peace, received a high praise from international organizations and other developed countries.

Attention was also drawn to the fact that in 2008 Uzbekistan reached a qualitatively new level of its political and socio-economic development. In particular, a big step forward was made in the democratization and human rights - the abolition of the death penalty entered into force and «Habeas corpus» was introduced, special program of events dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was implemented. The country has achieved macroeconomic stability, sustained growth in GDP, which amounted to 9.4% for 9 months of this year.

It was stated that a stable and progressive development of Uzbekistan in all directions creates good conditions for further development of comprehensive cooperation with Britain. Here, the great role is played by British-Uzbek Society, which since its creation in 2001, has made a notable contribution to the promotion of cultural and economic ties between the two countries.

In his speech, the chairman of BUS Dr. Hartley Booth, who simultaneously is the co-chairman of the Uzbek-British Trade and Industry Council, congratulated the Uzbek people on Constitution Day and highlighted the successes of the country, achieved during the years of independence. In his view, «the Constitution of Uzbekistan, as the fundamental law of the state, is a reliable guarantor of the evolutionary development of the country and ensures the fundamental human rights and freedoms». Dr. Booth expressed intention of the Society to continue the popularization in Britain of the Uzbek culture and arts, current achievements of our country and enhance bilateral economic cooperation. 

Speeches were also made by Mr. David Fell, Director of BAT for Eastern Europe, and Mr. Detlef Zimmermann, Director General of UzBAT, who stressed their commitment to the company's long-term cooperation with Uzbekistan. «It is particularly pleasing that on the 16th anniversary of the Constitution, we celebrate the 15th anniversary of our company in Uzbekistan. We attach great importance to the further expansion of the UzBAT, as one of our key branches not only in the region, but also the entire international network».

Mr. Zimmermann highlighted the effectiveness of the socio-economic and democratic reforms in Uzbekistan. As he noted, «the long-term investments in education and training of qualified personnel are bearing fruits». As an example of high educational standards of the Uzbek graduates, he cited the fact that the headquarters and foreign branches of BAT are successfully employing about three dozen managers from our country. 

Chairman of the Cambridge Forum for Central Asia Dr. Sidharth Saxena also praised the level of government’s support of the development of science, education and preservation of cultural and historical heritage. He confirmed the intention to Cambridge University to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with our country. Dr. Saxena noted that - «during the years of independence, Uzbekistan has consistently carried out reforms. First of all, they are emerging within the country itself, given its history, culture and at the same time, the intersection of socio-economic policies aimed at broad social development. As an example, I can say about the progress made by Uzbekistan in the field of education. Uzbekistan has its own unique model of civil society that has existed since ancient times and continues to be an integral part of people's identity».

You can read the article on this event published in “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper on the following link: http://www.ut.uz/eng/world/guaranteeing_worthy_well_being_of_citizens_is_a_priority.mgr

The BUS’s November 2008 Newsletter is available here.