On February 5, 2019, a delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan headed by Deputy Prime Minister Tanzila Narbayeva, who arrived in the United States to attend the annual meeting of the international coalition Cotton Campaign, held meetings in Washington, DC with Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States Liza Curtis, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL), Michael Kozak.
At a meeting with Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States Liza Curtis, issues of enhancing international cooperation in the field of human rights, expanding the role of Uzbekistan in regional processes, including stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan, were touched upon.
The representative of the White House praised the transformations being carried out in the republic, especially in promoting the human rights agenda at the state level.
In the opinion of senior US officials, the participation of the official delegation of Uzbekistan for the first time in the Cotton Campaign meeting confirms the firm commitment of the republic’s leadership to the full implementation of reforms aimed at protecting human rights and freedoms and demonstrates Tashkent’s willingness for open dialogue and constructive interaction on the most sensitive human rights issues.
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells also welcomed the intensification and expansion of interaction with international non-governmental organizations. In her opinion, the transparency and openness with which reforms are being implemented in Uzbekistan are conducive to strengthening the country's international reputation.
The diplomat highly appreciated the well-established practice of constructive dialogue and exchange of views on all issues of Uzbek-American cooperation and noted that she is looking forward to her visit to Tashkent to participate in the next round of bilateral consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries.
During the talks with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) Michael Kozak, practical measures taken in the country to eradicate forced labor, reform the agricultural sector, interact with civil society institutions, simplify procedures related to the registration and operation of non-governmental organizations, ensure media freedom, and others, were discussed.
The diplomat emphasized that significant progress was achieved not only in the issue of the eradication of forced labor, but also in ensuring religious freedoms. As noted, the recognition of these achievements is the improvement of the country's position in the reports of the State Department and the US Department of Labor, as well as the decision to remove Uzbekistan from the "list of countries of particular concern in the field of religious freedom".
