On September 10 the Representation Office of the Turkic Council in Budapest held a commemorative event in the Ybl Villa dedicated to the anniversary of Uzbekistan gaining its independence three decades ago. András Baranyi, the Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade reponsible for the development of Eastern relations and Abat Fayzullaev, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Vienna and Budapest attended the event and also made remarks.
The program was opened by Ambassador János Hóvári, the Head of the Representation Office of the Turkic Council in Budapest who pointed out: Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia with an exciting history going back to thousands of years. He reminded the audience that this fall the Representation Office was holding a series of commemorative events on the anniversary of the independence of Azerbaijan and the Central Asian countries. In the aftermath of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan gained its idependence on September1, 1991. János Hóvári emphasized that Hungarian politicians, experts on foreign and security policy, Turkologists, historians and artists were celebrating in the magnificent building of the Ybl Villa together with their Uzbek friends.
András Baranyi, the Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade reponsible for the development of Eastern relations recalled that Hungary was among the first countries to recognize the independence of Uzbekistan and establish diplomatic relations with it. This spring our country concluded an agreement with Uzbekistan on strategic cooperation which would in the future give an impetus to the development of our bilateral economic and political ties. The Deputy State Secretary also recalled that during the first wave of the corona virus Uzbekistan provided friendly assistance to Hungary in the form of donating approximately 650.000 masks.
”First of all, I would like to express my thanks to the Representation Office of the Turkic Council in Budapest and the Foreign Ministry for organizing tonight’s event”, said Abat Fayzullaev, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Vienna, who is also accredited to Hungary. In his remarks he put the emphasis on the reforms of the past years. A new Uzbekistan has been built, democratic and legal reforms have been implemented, and the liberalization of the economy and the media has also been launched. A turn has also taken place in the foreign policy of Uzbekistan since in the course of a few years they managed to settle their relations with the neighboring countries. The Ambassador stated: ”We attach a high priority to the security of the Central Asian region, and for this reason we strive for peaceful coexistence with all the means of diplomacy.”
As far as the bilateral relations between Hungary and Uzbekistan are concerned, they are good in all fields. Ambassador Fayzullaev offered a short review of what has been achieved recently. Trade relations have intensified. There is so much interest in them that in the spring a Hungarian-Uzbek trade forum was held in Budapest. The Ambassador also emphasized that from among the member states of the European Union it is only with Hungary that Uzbekistan has a strategic partnership. Answering a question on the opening of the Uzbek embassy in the Hungarian capital, he replied that in this respect Budapest was the first in line.
Professor Gábor Hamza, a legal expert, the holder of the Széchenyi Award and the full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences delivered a lecture on the constitutional reform in Uzbekistan. To conclude the event, Aibar Tangatov, a student of the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church performed folk music from Uzbekistan. Finally, the distinguished guests had the opportunity to taste a speciality of the Uzbek cuisine – the pilaf – prepared in the traditonal way.
