LECTURE OF HIS EXCELLENCY MURAD ASKAROV, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF UZBEKISTAN TO THE UNITED NATIONS, TO THE

STUDENTS AND FACULTY OF UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY

Conversation between Ambassador Murad Askarov ( L ) and Professor Keith Snedegar from History and Political Science Department of UVU ( R ) about future cooperation in the field

of astronomy

On December 2, 2011 at 9.00 a.m. His Excellency Murad Askarov, Uzbekistans’ Ambassador to the U.N. has given a lecture to the students and faculty of UVU. The main theme of his speech titled: ““Discovering Treasures of the Old Silk Road: Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva” was the current condition of the country of Uzbekistan. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country declared its independence. Despite its formal recognition as a republic, Uzbekistan is more commonly r ecognized by the international community as authoritarian.

Ambassador Askarov explained that Uzbekistan is at the heart of Central Asia and is advancing economically. The country is a large producer of fruits and vegetables, which it mostly exports to the former Soviet Union. It is also one of the top ten among the world countries in producing natural gas, gold, uranium and cotton. The country is made up of 12 regions, each of which has a unique culture.

The ambassador noted that Uzbekistan is a place of rich historical heritage. One of its most famous cities – Khiva - has no modern buildings, which is an attempt to preserve the culture of the region. Another part of this heritage includes major contributions to the field of astronomy.

During the presentation of the foreign dignitary

Although Uzbekistan places an emphasis on celebrating their history, Ambassador Askarov explained that it is undergoing a period of drastic building and construction in its capital city. This represents the process of relatively rapid modernization in Uzbekistan.

The region, culture, and people who make up Uzbekistan have made major contributions to the world. Learning and understanding the culture and history of the region will become even more important in a more globalized world.

Although Uzbekistan has been criticized for having an authoritarian regime and limiting human rights, Ambassador Askarov made it clear that his country is working toward improvement. It is of significant importance for the United States to develop ties with countries like Uzbekistan. Improving relations with individual countries can help the U.S. develop ties and have mutually beneficial interaction in variety of direction: from economy to international security.

It is also important to develop individual ties between populations. This can be done through business, people to people diplomacy as well as on a personal level. Getting to know each other as people will help us understand and cooperate with each other in a more successful way.

Stephen Wickhamshire, UVU student, majoring in Political Science