A delegation of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, consisting of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Science, Education and Health Odiljon Iminov, Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judicial and Legal Affairs and Anti-Corruption Shukhrat Chulliyev, members of the Legislative Chamber Gulshan Khudoyarova and Oltina Mamirova visited the United States.
According to the Embassy of Uzbekistan, the visit of the delegation was organized jointly with the “Open World” Leadership Center at the Library of Congress, which specializes in the development of parliamentary diplomacy. Since the beginning of 2022, the Center has organized 5 study visits to the United States for representatives of Uzbekistan.
Representatives of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, as part of their stay in the United States, visited the capital of the state of Iowa, the city of Des Moines, where they held meetings in the office of the governor of the region, the Supreme Court, the Tax Administration, the Iowa Council for Freedom of Information, the Office of Economic Development, the Des Moines Police Headquarters, and also held talks with American legislators in the US Congress. In addition, an exchange of views took place regarding the expansion of Uzbek-American relations at the Embassy of our country in Washington.
In particular, during negotiations with the mayor of the capital of Iowa, the parliamentary delegation of Uzbekistan got acquainted with the US experience in urban planning, the creation of smart cities and modern water and energy supply systems, as well as the practice of interaction between the city hall and the local legislature in the field of improving socio-economic living conditions of the population.
In turn, within the framework of the meeting with members of the Supreme Court of the state, representatives of the Oliy Majlis got acquainted with the activities of the US judicial institutions, the system for ensuring the independence of courts and the training of judges.
The Uzbek legislators also had a constructive dialogue with the US government auditor, who deals with issues of ensuring transparency and accountability of local governments and the fight against corruption. The Uzbek side was introduced to the audit system of financial transactions of local authorities and mechanisms for combating corruption and its early warning.
Separate talks were held with Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, during which the parties discussed the prospects for establishing close ties with the state. Particular attention is paid to the issues of strengthening economic and cultural-humanitarian ties.
The delegation of Uzbekistan also visited Washington, where they met with the co-chairman of the Uzbekistan Caucus in the US Congress, Republican Congressman Trent Kelly (Mississippi). The meeting discussed the current state and prospects of Uzbek-American cooperation, including issues of expanding inter-parliamentary cooperation.
It should be recalled that the “Open World” Program, created by the US Congress in 1999, organizes short-term professional visits to the United States for partners of the United States with the aim of “promoting public diplomacy, developing and strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation, exchanging experience and ideas on the most important for both sides issues, ensuring professional growth, development of business and personal contacts”. The “Open World” Center is managed by an independent Board of Trustees and operates an expanded year-round exchange program. The center is a division of the US Library of Congress.
