Weekly Digest: Lavrov, Berdimuhamedov, shocking crimes abroad and growing public discontent

The Controversial Visit of the Disrespectful Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a controversial visit to Uzbekistan on April 22–23, which caused many objections. His disrespect for Uzbekistan began even before the plane's landing. This was undoubtedly the most important event of the week in the country.

Lavrov, who was welcomed with open arms at the Samarkand airport, did not let his colleague Bakhtiyor Saidov come closer to him, did not even want to hug him, and pushed him by the shoulder. At least when taking pictures, he could have shown a sense of brotherhood and respect. He appeared in front of the cameras, either forgetting about the internationally recognized diplomatic protocols or deliberately treating Bakhtiyor Saidov as if he were a young child, putting his hand on his shoulder. However, on April 10, when Bakhtiyor Saidov visited the United States, he was welcomed with open arms by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at his residence.

“If you think about it, the Foreign Minister of another country should know very well that it is against the rules of diplomatic protocol for him to come and, without accepting the hug of his equal Foreign Minister, freely put his paw on his shoulder in front of dozens of cameras. We no longer accept that he is trying to demonstrate dominance (i.e., priority) in this way and understand that he is trying to demonstrate it through non-verbal means. We are sensitive Eastern people; if Mr. Lavrov does not understand this when he gets old, let him resign!” says UzJOKU Rector Sherzodkhon Kodratkhoja.

On April 23, Lavrov, who laid flowers at the "Mourning Mother" monument in Samarkand, erected in memory of those who died and went missing in World War II, complained about why the inscriptions in the complex were only in Uzbek and English. The guide explained that because Samarkand is a tourist city, they used English. The question was about the words "You are always in our hearts, dear" written under the statue. Bakhtiyor Saidov, who was standing next to Lavrov and heard his objection, did not react to this.

The fact that the words written under the statue in Uzbekistan were not in Russian was covered in the Russian press as if a serious mistake had been made, as if Uzbekistan were a subject of Russia. It was portrayed as obligatory to have Russian inscriptions. Of course, the Uzbek public and intellectuals did not remain silent about such relations.

“Each country decides for itself what language to use around historical monuments or statues on its territory. It is wrong for the Minister of Foreign Affairs of another country to criticize us abroad. After all, we are not their colony! Our ministers should also learn to ask bold questions on some issues like Lavrov when they visit Russia,” says UzJOKU Rector Sherzodkhon Kodratkhoja.

Sergey Lavrov, who supposedly brought greetings and best wishes from Russian President Vladimir Putin, also attended the reception of the President of Uzbekistan. In the information provided by the Presidential Press Service about the meeting, you can find almost routine statements. Bakhtiyor Saidov, in his conversation with Lavrov, called Russia a reliable partner.

Lavrov, who held a press conference after the meeting with the leadership of the republic, again touched upon the issue of the Russian language. He said that labor migrants from Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, moving to Russia should know the Russian language and Russian laws.

“If we look at the situation on a global scale, of course, measures that would lead to a reduction in the number of labor migrants are not in our interests, since the shortage of labor can make the relevant plans less feasible. However, the second part of the problem is the need to comply with Russian laws and prevent the development of criminal tendencies among labor migrants. And there are similar cases,” he said.

Lavrov said that Russia believes that Uzbekistan “fully understands the need” to minimize the opportunities for violations of the law, as well as the risk of terrorism and crime among migrants.

"Russia consistently supports the efforts of the leadership of Uzbekistan, personally Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to maintain interethnic harmony and strengthen the position of the Russian language as the language of interethnic communication in Uzbekistan, as well as the Russian cultural and historical presence. About a million of our compatriots live in the country, and the rest of the citizens of Uzbekistan communicate in Russian in one way or another in everyday life," Lavrov said.

It is believed that regardless of what Lavrov says when he comes to Uzbekistan, how he behaves, and what he tries to export, officials in Uzbekistan have their point of view on this issue. In any case, the order of the Minister of Preschool and School Education Hilola Umarova, signed on April 22, the very day Lavrov arrived, testifies to this.

According to the document, now graduates of classes in Uzbekistan where the language of instruction is not Uzbek will also take exams in the state language. As is known, 972 of the 9,468 general secondary schools in the country are in Russian. In the current academic year, 666,443 students are studying in them. Of course, there are also state schools in Uzbekistan that operate in the Karakalpak, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Turkmen languages, but their number is much smaller than that of Russian schools.

So, according to the amendments and additions to the Regulation on the final state attestation of secondary school students, the state language will be included in the list of subjects for which final attestation is held in graduating classes for schools where the language of instruction is not Uzbek. This can be called a real political will. I also think that, instead of engaging in a petty battle, we should pay more attention to strengthening the reputation of our language in our own space. If we cleanse our language of any foreign words, the result will be greater. In any case, Lavrov is not to blame for the fact that our language remains a "mess" even after 35 years.

Luxurious Hospitality for Berdimuhamedov and His Daughter

Former President of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the People's Council Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has been traveling to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan since the beginning of the week and also visited Uzbekistan. Unlike other visits, for the first time on a trip to Uzbekistan, he was accompanied by his eldest daughter, Oguljahon Otaboyeva. The eldest daughter had not been seen anywhere before she was appointed Vice President for Medical Activities of the Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov Charitable Foundation for Assistance to Children in Need in December last year.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was greeted with great honor, solemnity, and pomp by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Samarkand International Airport. He was greeted by boys and girls in national costumes.

He began his “Arkadag” visit by visiting the grave of the First President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov.

Then Mirziyoyev and Berdimuhamedov, as well as their daughters Saida Mirziyoyeva and Oguljahon Otaboyeva, toured the “Immortal City” historical and ethnographic park and got acquainted with historical monuments.

The official events of the visit took place on April 24. Mirziyoyev and Berdimuhamedov held talks in a narrow circle and with the participation of official delegations. However, in Uzbekistan, such high respect for the chairman of the upper house of the parliament of another country remains characteristic only of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Turkmenistan remains the first in Central Asia to remain closed. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who ruled the country for 16 years from 2006 to 2022, handed over the presidency to his son Serdar Berdimuhamedov and has been chairman of the upper house of the country's parliament since 2023. Despite this, he is perceived in high circles as the country's top leadership and takes a place around the table where the presidents sit.

If we may say so, this is the second visit of the Turkmen elite to Uzbekistan in the past month. On April 3–4, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov participated in the Central Asia–European Union summit in Samarkand on behalf of Turkmenistan.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev did not send the national leader of the Turkmen people away empty-handed. He awarded him the Order of "High-Level Friendship" and presented him with a copy of his book "Tafakkur Gavhari" in Uzbek.

There was no official information on whether the President of Uzbekistan discussed the issue of resuming imports of Turkmen gas with Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. However, gas and energy issues were on the agenda during Berdimuhamedov's visits to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The expansion of cooperation in the gas sector, in particular Kazakhstan's participation in the project to develop the Galkinish field together with foreign partners, was discussed separately.

Although it was not specified whether the gas issue was discussed with the national leader of Turkmenistan, Sergey Lavrov said that gas exports from Russia to Uzbekistan would be doubled. He noted that cooperation in the gas sector is also developing, and several infrastructure projects are being implemented, which will allow a doubling of gas supplies from the Russian Federation to Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan says that it is planned to increase the annual volume of Russian gas supplied to Uzbekistan via Kazakhstan to 11 billion cubic meters by 2038. In 2024, Kazakhstan is expected to triple the transit of Russian gas to Uzbekistan, and in 2025, it is expected to increase by 30 percent.

Where is Gulnara? What about her money?

In the past week, the focus has been on Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of the First President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, the former chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Forum Fund, and her stolen money.

Initially, reports spread on social networks that Gulnara Karimova had been released from prison. The Supreme Court quickly denied this information.

According to previous information, Gulnara Karimova was being held in a specialized colony for women No. 21 in the Zangiota district of the Tashkent region. According to new information on QALAMPIR.UZ, Gulnara Karimova was transferred to penal colony No. 42 in the Zangiota district in January of this year.

She was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Tashkent Regional Criminal Court on December 18, 2017.

According to the information provided by the Prosecutor General's Office in 2017, a criminal case was initiated against Karimova on October 24, 2013, on charges of tax evasion in the activities of several LLCs, and during the investigation of this criminal case, it was revealed that Gulnara Karimova directly assisted the criminal activities of an organized group led by Sodiqov in 2001-2012 and by Madumarov from January to October 2013.

According to the Supreme Court in 2020, the Tashkent City Criminal Court considered a criminal case against Gulnara Karimova and members of the criminal organization she organized, and found the defendant Gulnara Karimova guilty of organizing a criminal organization, extortion, embezzlement, and embezzlement, legalization of proceeds from criminal activity, and other crimes.

The court sentenced Gulnara Karimova to 13 years and 4 months in prison, and in accordance with the norms of criminal law and taking into account the fact that she was sentenced for several crimes and sentences, the term of the sentence was set to be calculated from August 21, 2015. If we calculate it, Gulnara Karimova should be released in January 2029, at the age of 56.

In Tashkent, her money is still under discussion. According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Karimova's illegal assets confiscated in Switzerland are being directed to the healthcare and education sectors, at the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. For example, the returned $131 million was used to purchase 5,841 pieces of modern medical equipment of 23 types for 230 perinatal centers in the republic. It is planned to import more than 1,400 medical equipment. More than 11,000 medical workers have been trained.

Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan share Chashma

The Chashma Spring, which has caused a conflict between citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, will now be used jointly by both sides. The Chairman of the Government of Uzbekistan, Abdulla Aripov, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan - Chairman of the State National Security Committee, Kamchibek Tashiyev, reached an agreement on this issue in Tashkent on April 24.

Tashiyev arrived in Tashkent to participate in the first meeting of the heads of the special services of the Central Asian countries. On this occasion, a joint meeting was held on the issues of delimitation and demarcation of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz state border.

During the negotiations, the Protocol on the passage of the draft line of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz state border through the last unregulated section of the border and the main terms of the draft agreement between the Government of Uzbekistan and the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan on the joint use of the Chashma spring were approved.

The parties emphasized that the Chashma spring is a common asset of the two countries. Agreements were reached on the free and unhindered use of this spring by citizens of Uzbekistan, the use of two-thirds of the spring by the Uzbek side, and coordination with the Uzbek side of any actions that may affect the volume and quality of the water resources of the spring.

It is worth noting that on May 31, 2020, mass riots occurred on the banks of the “Chashma” spring, located in the Chashma village of the Sokh district of the Republic of Uzbekistan, bordering the Chechme village of the Kadamjoy district of the Batken region of the Kyrgyz Republic, as a result of a dispute between citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan over the use of the spring.

Local authorities and law enforcement officers who arrived in the Chashma village of the Sokh district to resolve this dispute were actively resisted by rioters, and they were injured to varying degrees. Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov visited the scene and met with residents.

Prosecutor's Office employee dies in clinic

A 32-year-old prosecutor's office employee and father of 3 children, Muhammad Husainov, who went to a private clinic in the Fergana region for nose surgery, died. He was an employee of the operational department of the Fergana regional department of the Department for Combating Economic Crimes.

According to QALAMPIR.UZ, the deceased's wife, said that Muhammad Husainov went to one of the private clinics in Fergana on his own feet to have a nose surgery, but did not return.

Hayot Shamsutdinov, the press secretary of the Prosecutor General's Office, told QALAMPIR.UZ that the regional prosecutor's office is conducting a pre-investigation into the case. It is ensured that the investigation is comprehensive, complete, and impartial, and that a legal decision is made based on its results.

This is not the only case in Uzbekistan where patients entered the hospital on their own feet and their bodies were taken out. An 11-year-old boy also died in an otolaryngology clinic in Bukhara. We will discuss this a little later.

Uzbeks committed a stabbing in Dubai

Have you heard? In Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, three of our Uzbeks were sentenced to death for the murder of a Jewish rabbi, Svi Kogan. After this incident, it became more difficult for Uzbeks to enter the UAE. Those who arrived were stuck at airports for days, and distrust of those who were there increased. As if that were not enough, in the past week, videos have been circulating about another stabbing in Dubai by Uzbeks. According to reports, one person died as a result of the brawl.

Ahror Burhonov, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, said that to clarify the situation that arose between Uzbeks in Dubai, Uzbek diplomats held a meeting with the leadership of the Dubai Criminal Investigation Department.

It is noted that investigative actions are currently being carried out in the UAE, and 15 Uzbek citizens have been detained.

A representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded that the recent increase in cases of violations committed by Uzbek citizens may affect the visa-free regime between the two countries. He called on citizens to refrain from actions that tarnish the honor of Uzbeks abroad.

An Uzbek died in an earthquake in Istanbul

After the earthquake that occurred in Turkey in February 2023 and killed more than 50 thousand people, it was said that a similar earthquake was expected in Istanbul soon. Maybe the same, another, in short, on April 23 at noon, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck Istanbul. The casualties were not great, but an Uzbek died in it.

The Consulate General of Uzbekistan in Istanbul, confirming the death of an Uzbek, did not specify the identity, gender, or age of the deceased. It was only reported that the death occurred as a result of the deceased falling into a state of severe fear during the earthquake.

It was also stated that the Consulate General is taking the necessary consular, legal, and organizational measures to send the body of the deceased to Uzbekistan.

UzAutoMotors is being sold

State shares of such enterprises as UzAutoMotors, Uzmetkombinat, UMS (Mobiuz), Uzbekistan GTL, Uzbekinvest, Navoiazot, and Technopark will be put up for auction with the participation of international consultants. This was stated in the resolution “On the privatization of large enterprises with state participation in international markets,” signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

According to the document, the share packages (shares) in the authorized capital of 29 large enterprises with state participation will be put up for public auction with the involvement of reputable international professional consultants. Also, the primary (IPO) and/or Secondary (SPO) public offering of the share packages in the authorized capital of 12 large enterprises with state participation will be held on international and local stock markets.

This resolution is said to have been adopted in order to increase the efficiency of the activities of large enterprises with state participation and commercial banks, as well as to actively attract foreign investment through their privatization.

Also, the next document signed by the President - the decree "On the Privatization Program for 2025" - introduces a moratorium on the establishment of state-owned enterprises until January 1, 2030.

The poor man's wedding will be regulated, the rich...

There is an issue in Uzbekistan that cannot be regulated with dozens of resolutions, documents, meetings, bans and persecutions. And that is weddings. It cannot be regulated for centuries. They could not. If it could be regulated, Abdulla Avloni would not have said a hundred years ago, "Save the Uzbek people from the scourge of weddings!" And what he said would not be on the agenda today.

Or, as the first Uzbek marshal Alikhantora Soguni said, "If Uzbeks had united for any task as if they were going to osh in the morning, there would not have been a great nation."

So, this past week, the Presidential Decree “On measures to effectively organize the implementation of priority tasks to further improve the system for combating corruption” stated that a project will be developed in Uzbekistan to regulate weddings.

The decree states that by August of this year, a joint resolution of the councils of the parliamentary chambers will be adopted on regulating the holding of weddings, family celebrations, and ceremonies.

The chambers of the Oliy Majlis, the Ministry of Culture, the Committee on Family and Women, and the Committee on Religious Affairs are responsible for the project.

Uzbekistan does not need another non-working document. There are already several documents that have been adopted so far. For example, let's take the joint resolution “On further improving the system of regulating the holding of weddings, family celebrations, parties and ceremonies” adopted by the Council of the Legislative Chamber and the Council of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan on September 14, 2019. Everything is written in it. However, this resolution, which was adopted with great fanfare, did not work at all. The most interesting thing is that the resolution was first and foremost violated by those officials, those who adopted it. And the pockets of ordinary people cannot afford the luxury and ambition they are engaged in.

According to Article 1921, which was introduced into the Code of Administrative Offenses by the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated March 17, 2020, failure to comply with the requirements for the procedure for holding weddings, family celebrations, ceremonies and rituals by a person holding these events entails a fine of 10 times the basic calculation amount (3.75 million soums) for citizens, 30 times (11.25 million soums) for officials and owners of institutions, and 50 times (18.75 million soums) for repeated violations. So, did this procedure work? Which officials were fined after their lavish family events and weddings that were widely shared on social media? Is there such a thing?

11-year-old boy dies in hospital

If you remember, in our program last week, I talked about how some uneducated, irresponsible doctors are seriously harming people's health, especially children's, and how children are being prescribed any strong drugs, like guinea pigs, and that no conclusions have been drawn from the deaths of 65 children from the drug Doc-1 Max. Here is the result: An 11-year-old boy who went to a private clinic in Bukhara on his own feet to be examined by an otolaryngologist was found dead in the hospital.

It was reported that the child died as a result of an injection of drugs into an 11-year-old patient who had applied to the ENT clinic due to ear pain, without testing whether they had any side effects. A forensic medical examination and a service investigation into the actions of the responsible persons have been ordered to determine the cause of the deceased's death.

Taking into account the need to verify all the circumstances that need to be proven in the case and conduct a number of investigative actions, a criminal case was initiated under Article 116 of the Criminal Code (improper performance of professional duties).

Leaked messages on the networks alleged that the deceased child was an athlete, had an earache, went to the clinic with his father, and when his father went to bring food, doctors forcibly injected the child.

Conflict between the mayor and the head of the traffic police

Namangan city mayor Anvar Otakhojaev sent a letter to the head of the traffic police, Mansur Gaziev, asking the head of the regional traffic police department to remove the radars illegally installed in the region.

According to the mayor, during meetings and discussion sessions with public representatives and young people, there is growing dissatisfaction with the use of special automated photo and video recording software and hardware tools for recording violations of traffic rules established to ensure traffic safety, especially on social networks. Radars cause material and moral damage to the citizens of Namangan.

In his letter, the governor asked the head of the traffic police to remove the cameras installed in the city of Namangan and the Davlatabad and Yangi Namangan districts of the city in violation of the Regulation on the procedure for installing and operating special automated photo and video recording software and hardware devices for recording violations of traffic rules on motor roads by business entities by the Resolution No. 232 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated April 21, 2021 “On additional measures to involve the private sector in ensuring traffic safety” from the traffic police system and to stop imposing fines for violations recorded by them, and to use them only for security purposes.

So, do you think that your traffic police head responded to the governor’s letter with a slur and resolved the issue he raised and stopped the operation of the radars? You are not counting Chuchvara. On the contrary, Gaziev sent a response letter to the hokim, reminding him to pay the fines for traffic violations committed by vehicles under the administration of the government.

The letter stated that a Captiva vehicle belonging to the Namangan city mayor has committed 47 violations since 2024. Of these violations, the fines for 11 of them (more than 8 million soums) have not yet been paid.

In addition, it was reported that 4 more vehicles of the city hokim have overdue unpaid fines for 41 violations in the amount of 18 million 750 thousand soums, and 6 vehicles under the administration of the Davlatabad and Yangi Namangan districts have overdue unpaid fines for 46 violations in the amount of 16 million 307 thousand soums. In total, the hokims had 87 unpaid fines.