CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 03/2023

LE MONDE XYX UZBEKISTAN | INTERVIEW
H.E. Abat Fayzullaev
„Environmental security is our state policy“
H.E. Abat Fayzullaev, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Austria,
about the reform-process under President Mirziyoyev, the
potential of tourism and diversification of trade.
Interview: Otmar Lahodynsky Photos: Ralph Manfreda
CD: Under the rule of reelected President Shavkat
Mirziyoyev Uzbekistan opened up in many
sectors. What are the most important effects of
this policy?
Abat Fayzullaev: Since President Shavkat
Mirziyoyev took office in 2016, he has introduced
sweeping reforms in Uzbekistan in a
wide range of issues aimed at liberalising the
country’s public and political life, ensuring
the rule of law, prospering the economy, ensuring
the fastest growth of the country in
the region, and undertaking a full-scale
transformation in accordance with the principle
of “human interests above all.”
Under his leadership, Uzbekistan’s gross
domestic product (GDP) has been rising at
an annual pace of more than 5%, and exceeded
$80bn last year, and the country’s
exports reached a record high of $19bn as
well. Due to the ease of restrictions, Uzbekistan
also attracted about $8bn of foreign
direct investment (FDI) in 2022. Most notably,
President Mirziyoyev has eased bureaucratic
barriers for entrepreneurs, reduced
the tax burden and liberalised foreign
trade. Uzbekistan has now become a substantially
more convenient destination for
foreign business and investment, as well as
a more appealing tourism destination due
to its well preserved cultural heritage.
Legislative reforms provided for enhanced
public consultations on legislative, political
and social agenda and introduced an
improved dialogue mechanism between
citizens and state agencies to ensure better
accountability and transparency.
What was achieved in the sphere of freedom of
opinion, freedom of speech?
Freedom of speech and the media has
become the hallmark of the new Uzbekistan.
Information resources that were previously
inaccessible in the country have been
Uzbekistan‘s
Ambassador to Austria,
H.E. Abat Fayzullarv
(left) with CD‘s author
Otmar Lahodynsky.
unblocked, accreditation of foreign journalists
has been initiated, citizen journalists
– the so-called “bloggers” – have become a
real new force. Journalists openly raise previously
avoided topics, while criticism and
analysis have started appearing in the press
more often.
In the constitutional referendum, which
took place in April this year, the citizens backed
a new constitution that proclaimed Uzbekistan
a “social state”. This implied higher
government spending to ensure high-quality
education and medical services, and state
support for low-income individuals and seniors,
women and children, with the aim of
reducing poverty levels. One of President
Mirziyoyev’s most notable reforms has been
the outlawing forced labour. Thanks to the
reforms forced labour and child labour have
been completely eradicated.
Tourism is one of the booming sectors of
economy. Which visitors are you aiming at?
Indeed, the Government of Uzbekistan
views the tourism sector as having high
growth potential. Over the years significant
reforms have been implementing in
the tourism industry of the country by simplifying
visa procedures for foreigners willing
to travel to Uzbekistan for tourism and
business purposes, developing new tourist
destinations in Uzbekistan, improving the
infrastructure of the historical and tourist
cities, creating more comfort and better
conditions for visitors.
As of today, Uzbekistan has established
a visa-free regime for citizens of 93 countries
and e-visas for citizens of 57 countries.
We expect the inbound tourist flow
into the country to grow by 34% in 2023.
In 2019, 6.7 million tourists visited Uzbekistan.
Of course, the pandemic has affected
tourism, but since 2022 there is already a
steady trend to increase the flow of tourists.
Last year 5.2 million tourists visited Uzbekistan.
This year, we plan to attract 7 million
and exceed pre-pandemic indicators.
Of course, we welcome every type of tourists,
from leisure and holiday tourists to
business and professional tourists, from tourists
traveling to visit friends and relatives to
youth tourists, including backpackers. Uzbekistan
offers luxury mountain ski resorts,
historic sites and architectural beauties, desert
adventures, renown museums, hiking
and hunting, MICE tourism. Our goal is to
grow tourism services to $2.2 billion in
2025. By the way, from October 16 to 20,
2023, Samarkand, one of the most famous
ancient cities of Central Asia, will host the
landmark 25th session of the General Assembly
of the World Tourism Organization.
In trade, Uzbekistan is still largely depending on
Russia. Are there plans to diversify your trading
partners?
Implementation of the open economic
policy requires the penetration of new markets.
International trade plays a crucial role
for Uzbekistan. We aim to diversify our exports.
Besides traditional markets such as
Central Asia and Russia, Uzbekistan has
made progress in expanding and diversifying
foreign trade and now increasing its supplies
to China, the countries of Europe, Turkey
and the USA. Our primary goal is to liberalise
trade and increase the competitiveness of
the economy, which will ultimately ensure
the strengthening of Uzbekistan’s position in
foreign trade, as well as stimulate economic
growth and ensure a further increase in the
wellbeing of the people.
In Soviet times, Uzbekistan concentrated in
agriculture mainly on export of cotton. Now a lot
of textile factories produce clothes in your
FOTOS: XYXXYXYXY
H.E. ABAT FAYZULLAEV
serves as Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan
to the Republic of Austria and Permanent
Representative to the OSCE, the UN Office, and
other international organisations in Vienna since
August 2020. From 2013 to 2018, he worked as First
Secretary at the Embassy of Uzbekistan to the
United States. Then he became a Special Assistant
of the Foreign Minister. He graduated at the
University of World Economy and Diplomacy of
Tashkent and holds a Master‘s degree in
International Relations.
country. Can your textile industry compete
worldwide?
Uzbekistan was one of the largest cotton
producers and exporters in the world. Over
the recent years, the government has been
trying to reduce the export of raw cotton
and focus more on the export of high value-added
cotton products, like textile-garment.
Textile industry became a strategic
sector for the economy of Uzbekistan. Currently,
there are around 7,000 textile companies
with 440,000 employees, which generate
$3 billion per year. Now, Uzbekistan
is converting 100% of its cotton into yarn
(high value-added product). In March
2022, the Cotton Campaign ended its call
to boycott Uzbek cotton. Moreover, Uzbekistan
joined the European Union’s list of
GSP+ (Generalised Scheme of Preferences)
beneficiary countries, with textiles and
clothing among the largest product categories
that now qualify for duty free access to
the Union which, in turn, allows finished
products to find their place in EU markets.
Worldwide, Uzbekistan is one of two double
landlocked states – whose neighbouring states
also have no access to the sea. How do you cope
with this?
Trade flows require the sustainability of
transport corridors. Yes, Uzbekistan is
“double landlocked” country (all neighbours
are also landlocked countries), like
no other country in the world, except
Liechtenstein. Under these circumstances,
Uzbekistan reconsidered its transport strategy
and implemented several important
reforms in ground transportation.
Over the last years, the government of
Uzbekistan has made substantial progress
in improving international corridors. The
country plans to develop north, northwest,
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