Uzbekistan’s Independence Day, which began on September 1, was celebrated last night (9/13) in Israel as well. The Ambassador of Uzbekistan in Israel, Feroze Mahmudova, held a festive reception at the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv, to which members of the diplomatic staff, senior officials of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, businessmen who work with Uzbekistan, journalists and more were invited.
Uzbekistan declared its independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. A year later diplomatic relations with Israel were already established. The Uzbek ambassador spoke about the cooperation between the countries in the fields of agricultural development, water improvement, education and student and lecturer exchanges, security knowledge and more.
“We are in the stages of implementing social reforms and developing a challenging foreign policy,” said Mrs. Mahmudova. Uzbekistan is a very popular tourist destination in the world, and the ambassador is interested in developing tourism from Israel as well. To this end, it has recently taken actions such as the opening of a direct flight line from Tashkent to Samarkand by the airline Qanot Shark, in addition to the old line to Tashkent by the company Uzbekistan Air. Recently, she even organized a study tour for journalists so that they could inform the public about the tourist advantages of her country. She is organizing an official visit of Tourism Minister Haim Katz to Uzbekistan next month.
The energetic ambassador surprised the crowd of guests when she revealed that she would soon finish her post and leave Israel. “Israelis have an important place in my heart. I ask you not to forget me, and not to forget Uzbekistan,” concluded Ambassador Proza.
The head of the ceremony at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Gil Hashakal, blessed the Uzbek people on behalf of the Israeli government. Following the ambassador’s words, he pointed out that Uzbekistan is in an important strategic location for Israel since it is a neighbor of Afghanistan, which is hostile to us. “The relationship between us is growing fast, but not fast enough,” said Gil Hashakal.
He also congratulated the ambassador and noted that she is the first Uzbek woman appointed to the position of ambassador, and we are happy that we were the first to win it. He added that her first major achievement in Israel was the establishment of the Israel-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, which leveraged trade between the countries.
After the welcome speeches, delicacies from the best Uzbek cuisine were served, especially the “pilov” which is their national dish. To my surprise, wine was also served, which is not acceptable at events in Muslim countries. The ambassador also arranged for an entertainment program of Uzbek music, and dancers who danced between the guest tables in typical Uzbek clothing.
The event was also honored with their presence by the ambassadors of Kazakhstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and others from the foreign diplomatic staff serving in Israel.
