Letter On 10th Anniversary Of Uzbek-French Ties
Posted
06.03.2002 21:20 Pravda Vostoka - BBC
Text of a message from the president
of France to his Uzbek counterpart marking the 10th anniversary of the establishment
of diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and France, carried by the Uzbek
newspaper Pravda Vostoka on 6 March. To His Excellency Mr Islam Karimov, president
of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Mr President, ten years have passed since the
establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. On this occasion,
I have the honour of sending my best wishes for happiness, prosperity and
success to you and the whole Uzbek people. The celebration of this date gives
us a chance to sum up our fruitful cooperation during the past 10 years. The
decade has allowed the peoples of our countries to know each other better.
Our political relations are becoming richer. Cultural cooperation and scientific
and technical ties are progressing for the benefit of our two friendly countries
and are aimed at studying our spiritual heritage and educating future generations.
In 1999, we laid the foundations for our cooperation in the defence field.
An intergovernmental economic commission began its work in 2001 and held its
first meeting in Tashkent in July 2001. Finally, the fact that last year your
country was included in the list of countries that are in a transitional period
and have the most favoured status allowed us this year to start implementing
an irrigation project in the town of Karshi in Kashkadarya Region. The development
of cooperation in the field of state structures, in particular in the treasury
sector and in cooperation between the structures of the internal agencies
with the appointment of a [French] police attache in October 2001 whose powers
extend to the entire Central Asian region, and the growth in the role of the
French Institute for the Study of Central Asia show that cooperation between
our countries is dynamic and diverse. People in France are learning more and
more about Uzbekistan. Its culture, traditions and advantages are of great
interest not only to government structures but to private companies as well.
For its part, France will continue to deepen its dialogue and cooperation
with Uzbekistan in all fields. Mr President, please accept the assurance of
my great respect for you.
