Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A film club “Diplomat” will be created in Uzbekistan. This was stated by Sodyk Safaev during the media event “The civilizational potential of Uzbekistan as the main factor of soft power,” which took place in Tashkent on the eve of the national holiday Navruz.

The event was organized by the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan (WOSCU) and the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED).

– Our goal is to unite two forces – diplomacy and culture. WOSCU has done a lot of research work and this knowledge can bring practical benefits in the activities of future diplomats. We are planning practical cooperation in the field of cinematography. Uzbek cinema has a rich heritage, and one of our goals is to promote soft power and be able to tell foreign countries about the enlightened intellectuals of the Jadids through cinema. Together with the Cinematography Agency of Uzbekistan and the Film Fund, we will organize an international film club and invite diplomats working in Uzbekistan, we will show Uzbek cinema abroad,” said Sodyk Safoev, rector of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, First Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The traditional ceremony for WOSCU to present certificates for the free receipt of books and albums to the embassies of foreign countries in Uzbekistan also took place. Separate certificates for 70 volumes of the series “Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan in the World’s Collections” and “Architectural Epigraphy of Uzbekistan” were awarded to the Rector of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, First Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sodyk Safoyev.

– In the new Uzbekistan, under the leadership of our President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the issues of studying, preserving and popularizing cultural heritage have been elevated to the rank of state policy. In this context, an important activity of WOSCU is cooperation with foreign museums, libraries and organizations involved in the culture of Uzbekistan.

Collaboration in this area with the University of World Economy and Diplomacy opens up new horizons for us, bringing fresh strength and ideas into our ranks thanks to purposeful youth. Our cooperation with the University of World Economy and Diplomacy is based on the understanding that transferring knowledge about the culture and heritage of Uzbekistan to a new generation is not just a mission, but also a duty to the history of our country. We see in every student a future cultural diplomat who will disseminate this knowledge throughout the world, turning it into bridges between peoples and countries. This underlines our common belief in the “soft power” of culture as a tool for global understanding and peace,” said Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Chairman of the Board of WOSCU.

The brightness of the celebration was given by the performances of active and talented students of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, including the play “Jadidlar”, prepared by the theater studio “Diplomat”, a show of national costumes of the Beqassam brand and the national Khorezm dance Lazgi. At the event, an exhibition of book-albums of the series “Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan in the World’s Collections” and “Architectural Epigraphy of Uzbekistan” was organized. Guests were shown a video about the activities of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, as well as its youth clubs, as well as documentaries dedicated to the activities of WOSCU.

Since the beginning of the project, the general sponsor of the project “Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan in the Collections of the World” has been the oil service company Eriell Group.

The World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan (WOSCU) was founded in 2018 on the initiative of more than 300 orientalists from around the world, officially registered in Paris in 2019, and also opened its representative office in Tashkent in 2023.

Today, WOSCU unites more than 450 scientists and annually, with the support of state, public and international organizations, socially responsible businesses, publishes book-albums in the “Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan in the Collections of the World” series, as well as holds cultural events and media events.