President of Uzbekistan discusses main areas of interaction with OSCE High Commissioner

On August 2, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov.

Issues of establishing practical cooperation and prospects for implementing joint projects and programs in ensuring interethnic harmony and sustainable development were discussed.

The current level of constructive dialogue and fruitful cooperation with OSCE institutions in security, economic and environmental spheres, humanitarian dimension was noted with satisfaction. An action plan, which provides for about 50 measures for the medium term, is being implemented jointly.

At the meeting, the High Commissioner highly appreciated the policy being implemented in Uzbekistan to develop a culture of tolerance and humanism, to ensure interethnic and civil understanding and harmony, and to educate the younger generation on this basis.

Uzbekistan's initiatives to strengthen friendship, good-neighborliness and multifaceted partnership in the Central Asian region, promote peaceful development and economic reconstruction of Afghanistan were supported.

Agreements were reached on holding several joint events – a regional workshop on ensuring interethnic harmony and presentation of international experience and OSCE recommendations, as well as the participation of Uzbekistan delegation in a roundtable discussion on interethnic relations.

It is also planned to implement projects in multilingual education, including within the framework of the Central Asian Educational Program.