Margareta Cederfelt and Tanzila NarbaevaTASHKENT, 27 October 2021 – A high-level delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, composed of President Margareta Cederfelt (MP, Sweden), Vice-President Pia Kauma (MP, Finland), and Secretary General Roberto Montella concluded yesterday a series of official meetings seeking to further reinforce co-operation between the OSCE PA and Uzbekistan.
The PA delegation met with the Chair of the Senate, Tanzila Narbaeva; the Speaker of the Legislative Chamber, Nurdinjon Ismoilov; the Head of the Delegation of Uzbekistan to the OSCE PA, Sadik Safoev; and other parliamentarians. Talks also took place with Deputy Foreign Minister Gairat Fazilov.
Coming on the heels of the 24 October 2021 presidential election, the discussions underlined the scope and depth of the reforms undertaken by Uzbekistan from 2017 to 2021, and explored areas where the international community can provide additional support and relevant expertise.
“The OSCE looks forward to assisting Uzbekistan in the full implementation of its wide-ranging reform programme,” said President Cederfelt. “The OSCE PA is the ideal forum for parliamentarians from Uzbekistan to share their experience with other Members of Parliament. I hope that our discussions can support Uzbekistan’s objective to strengthen the role of parliament.”
The PA delegation noted the strong commitment of the authorities of Uzbekistan to carry on with an ambitious set of reforms aimed at enhancing democratic institutions, restructuring the domestic economy, and promoting fundamental freedoms and human rights.
Sadik Safoev Roberto Montella and Pia KaumaThe meetings also addressed regional security challenges, in particular following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Vice-President Pia Kauma, who also serves as Special Representative on Central Asia, noted the stabilizing role that Uzbekistan plays in the region.
“Uzbekistan has been a key partner to facilitate evacuations from Afghanistan since the summer,” said Kauma. “Ahead of the difficult winter months, we are grateful that the Government of Uzbekistan will play a central role by assisting the international community in delivering humanitarian aid to the Afghan people. “We also look forward to working closely with Uzbekistan to ensure that the new Afghan authorities remain committed to preventing and suppressing terrorism, and protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Afghans, especially women and girls.”
The discussions touched upon ways to further strengthen ties between the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Oliy Majlis (parliament) of Uzbekistan.
“Uzbekistan and the OSCE PA enjoy excellent co-operation, as recently demonstrated by the deployment of one of our largest election observation missions,” said Secretary General Roberto Montella. “We hope that we can build on this good relationship by returning to Uzbekistan on the occasion of a statutory meeting of the OSCE PA. This will provide a unique opportunity for Uzbekistan to demonstrate its reform effort to the rest of our Assembly.”
In Tashkent, the delegation also met with local organizations to discuss the role of civil society in promoting and protecting democratic principles and human rights, and in crafting comprehensive responses to security challenges. The discussions further highlighted the need to empower women and the younger generations to promote an inclusive society and achieve long-term success.
The delegation is continuing to Tajikistan for the second part of this high-level visit to Central Asia.
