Uzbekistan has begun marking the 35th anniversary of its independence with a large-scale celebration in New Tashkent, days before the country’s official Independence Day on 1 September. Uzbekistan proclaimed independence from the Soviet Union on 31 August 1991. The ceremony brought together Uzbek officials, foreign guests and performers from Uzbekistan and abroad.
Spanish tenor José Carreras, British soprano Sarah Brightman and Italian tenor Alessandro Safina were among the international artists taking part, alongside Uzbek singers and dancers. The programme also included 3D projections, lighting effects, robots and a drone show. The choice of venue was significant.
New Tashkent is a major urban development being built alongside the existing capital on a site of around 20,000 hectares. It is ultimately designed for a population of two million, while its first phase, covering 6,000 hectares, is intended to accommodate 600,000 residents. Plans include housing, universities, cultural and scientific institutions, government buildings, business districts and new transport infrastructure.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev used the anniversary address both to look back at the country’s development since independence and to set out priorities for the next decade. Mirziyoyev framed independence as a restoration of national identity, paying tribute to the Jadids, a reformist movement of Central Asian intellectuals who promoted modern education and social change, and to Uzbekistan’s first president, Islam Karimov. Much of his speech, however, focused on the reforms pursued over the past decade as Uzbekistan has sought to open its economy and strengthen relations with its neighbours and international partners.
He pointed to the end of systemic forced and child labour in the cotton harvest, the lifting of restrictions on currency conversion and the easing of restrictions on residence registration. The president also cited changes in taxation, customs and investment policy as evidence of the country’s economic opening. He said annual foreign investment had increased from around $2 - 3bn (€1.7 - 2.6bn) to $40 - 50bn (€34.5 - 43.2bn).
Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan had initially aimed to raise gross domestic product to $160bn (€138bn) by 2030 but now expected to exceed that level in 2026. The president also said poverty had fallen from 35% in 2017 to 4% this year. President Mirziyoyev described the coming ten years as a new period of national development and announced seven programmes covering education, healthcare, the economy, the environment, the rule of law, local government and foreign policy.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
