We are working in the period in which we must be be careful what we say– Kadyrov

It is not necessary to be a great historian to understand and correctly interpret the brutal injustices committed against the intelligentsia of all the nationalities who lived in the Soviet Union.  This is stated in the reply of the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan - the chairman of the Democratic party “Milliy Tiklanish” (National Revival) Alisher Kadyrov, to the MP of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Konstantin Zatulin.
The fact is that the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on 31 August of the current year at the Memorial Square of Martyrs and at the museum “Memorial of victims of repression” said: “Gaining independence was not easy.  Although 31 years have passed since our independence, our grandparents attempted it 100 years ago.  100,000 of our compatriots were subjected to repression, and 13,000 were brutally executed.  Why?”  His words sparked a lot of discussion in Moscow.

In particular, Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for CIS, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Citizens, expressed his protest.

“Nobody destroyed the Uzbek nation in the Soviet Union.  Now there is a whole pantheon of claims that the Soviet Union deliberately starved Ukrainians on purpose, exterminated the Baltic peoples, and so on.  The Soviet Union, despite all its shortcomings, was an international community, and Uzbekistan first appeared on the world map under the Soviet Union, and then gained independence, retained its language, preserved itself as a nation”, - Zatulin said.

Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, former presidential candidate Alisher Kadyrov responded to the MP.

“Yesterday’s speech by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev caused erroneous conclusions based on an unfounded interpretation of Russian Duma MP Konstantin Zatulin.
The Head of State mentioned the dark days of the recent past based on historical facts.  Failure to remember that the most advanced intellectual strata of our people which was destroyed in those dark days could lead to a repetition of such mistakes in the future.

The president spoke about the cruel injustice being done not only to Uzbeks, but also to intellectuals of all nationalities living in the Soviet state at that time. I don’t think one needs to be a great historian to understand it and interpret it correctly.

I encourage my colleagues to refrain from interpretations that further complicate such a complex situation and undermine peace and tranquility in the region.  But, no one wins in this debate! We are working in a period in which we must be be careful with what we say” - Kadyrov says.

Earlier, Sodik Safoyev, the first deputy chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, replied to Zatulin and supported Mirziyoyev’s words about the oppression by the USSR.