US Congress plans to approve a resolution to support independence and sovereignty of Uzbekistan

Reportedly, the event was attended by a delegation of Uzbekistan headed by First Deputy Chairman of the Senate Sodiq Safoyev, members of Congress, representatives of the White House, the State Department, the Pentagon, the Agency for International Development (USAID), staffers of influential congressmen and senators of the American legislature, non-governmental organizations , international institutions, and leading US think tanks.

“During the event, the participants were informed about the essence and content of the large-scale reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan, the processes of deepening the political and economic modernization of the country, as well as an active business environment that creates attractive conditions for foreign investment. In addition, detailed information was provided on the prospects for the development of comprehensive Uzbek-American cooperation, including the expansion of direct contacts and interaction between the republic and the US states,” the statement reads.

In his speech, the co-chair of the Uzbekistan Caucus, Congressman Trent Kelly, said that since the establishment of this friendship group in August 2018, there has been a significant intensification of mutual visits of lawmakers from both countries. In particular, more than 35 congressmen and staffers have visited Uzbekistan in recent years, which, in his opinion, indicates the continued support of Uzbekistan from both parties on Capitol Hill.

In addition, the representative of the Congress emphasized that the Uzbekistan Caucus, which had 4 congressmen at its inception, has expanded significantly in a short period, and currently has 17 American legislators.

“We are interested in transforming the current Caucus into a reliable and effective platform for the comprehensive expansion of the US-Uzbek strategic partnership. In this regard, we are determined to increase the number of members of this friendship group to 30 in the near future,” Trent Kelly said.

In turn, the co-chair of the Uzbekistan Caucus, Democratic Congressman Vicente Gonzalez noted that Uzbekistan occupies a prominent place on the agenda of the US Congress. In particular, the initiated resolution to support the independence and sovereignty of Uzbekistan, as well as the development of Uzbek-American cooperation, has already received the support of 21 congressmen.

“We expect that soon we will be able to get the support of another 4 votes so that the Speaker of the US Congress Nancy Pelosi approves this resolution,” the legislator emphasized.

Congressman Vicente Gonzalez spoke about his intention to move forward on the issue of withdrawing Uzbekistan from the Jackson-Vanik amendment through the adoption of a special act HRes-1913 aimed at ensuring a normal trade regime with Uzbekistan. It was emphasized that this bill will serve to further strengthen the US-Uzbek trade, economic and investment cooperation.

Representatives of the expert community who participated in the second meeting of the Uzbekistan Caucus stressed that democratic reforms in Uzbekistan set the tone for positive changes throughout the region. As a result of the event, the “Minutes of the second meeting of the “Caucus on Uzbekistan”, signed by the co-chairs of this friendship group, Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez and Trent Kelly, were adopted, in which its members reaffirmed the strategic importance of further deepening multifaceted cooperation with Uzbekistan, and also declared their commitment to strengthening and expanding bilateral relations.

In addition, the participants of the Caucus called for further intensification of the inter-parliamentary dialogue, expansion of trade and investment cooperation, support for the development of direct contacts between business communities, as well as cultural, humanitarian and educational ties.

It should be recalled that the Uzbekistan Caucus was created in 2018 at the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. In accordance with established practice, the Uzbekistan Caucus meets twice a year to discuss ways to further develop US-Uzbek cooperation. The first meeting of the members of this group - US congressmen - took place in February 2019 in Washington.