Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Romania and the Republic of Uzbekistan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania Daniel Cristian Ciobanu sends festive congratulations to the people of Uzbekistan.

On 6 October 2023, Romania and the Republic of Uzbekistan celebrate the 28th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Please accept my sincere congratulations on this significant date! I wish you prosperity, fruitful development and mutually beneficial relations between our countries!

Romanian-Uzbek cooperation is developing very successfully in all areas. The ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan have opened up new opportunities for deepening bilateral relations. Romania and Uzbekistan have enormous potential for interaction.

Over the past year, very good results have been achieved at the political and diplomatic level. During last year’s round of consultations between the Secretary of State for Strategic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Mr. Y. Fota, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Mr. G. Fozilov (on 18 November 2022, Samarkand), a review of our cooperation was carried out. On 18 December 2022, the Romanian Embassy received a letter of gratitude from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan for its contribution to the development and strengthening of bilateral and multilateral relations with the Republic of Uzbekistan.

According to Romanian statistics, at the end of 2022, the volume of mutual trade increased by more than 330% compared to 2021. In this context, it should be noted that Uzbekistan’s exports to Romania have increased significantly, and the volume of Romanian exports to Uzbekistan in 2022 exceeded the figures recorded in Romania’s trade with geographically closer countries such as Azerbaijan, Armenia or Turkmenistan.

There are a lot of joint achievements in the cultural sphere. Among the events of particular importance are the holding for the first time in the history of bilateral relations of “Romanian Cinema Days” (2022), the organization of ceremonial events dedicated to the International Day of the Romanian Blouse (2022 and 2023), and the holding of wonderful exhibitions in Tashkent (“Romanian Contribution” into the world heritage" - 2022, "Romanian diplomacy and the Great Union" - 2022, "The works of the great sculptor Constantin Brancusi" - 2022, "George Enescu. In memory of the outstanding Romanian composer" - 2022, "Bucharest - little Paris" - 2023), concert of the Romanian jazz group "Ineffable" as part of the VII International Jazz Festival (2023). A few days ago, the Romanian film masterpieces “The Father Who Moves Mountains” and “The Mikado” were shown as part of the XV Tashkent International Film Festival “Pearl of the Silk Road”.

Cooperation in the field of education is developing very successfully. In September 2022, the Minister of Education of Romania met with the Minister of Preschool Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan and spoke at the event “Education Transformation Starts Early: Laying the Foundation from an Early Years”, organized by Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Romania has allocated funds, with the assistance of UNICEF, to open two alternative preschool institutions in Khorezm region on 25 October 2022 for children from remote areas. Higher education institutions in Romania and Uzbekistan closely cooperate. Two prestigious Romanian universities will be presented at the educational exhibition of the European Union in Uzbekistan (on 9 October 2023 - Tashkent, on 11 October 2023 - Samarkand, on 13 October 2023 - Namangan).

Positive dynamics are observed in the field of tourism. In May 2022, a Cooperation Agreement was signed in Tashkent between the National Association of Travel Agencies of Romania and the National Association of Travel Agencies of Uzbekistan. During January-November 2022, the number of tourists visiting Uzbekistan from Romania increased by 40% compared to the same period in 2021.

Romania strives to deepen bilateral relations. Romania will also support strengthening cooperation between the European Union and the Republic of Uzbekistan, including under the auspices of the European Union Strategy for Central Asia, and will continue to promote connectivity projects. The international transport route Black Sea – Caspian Sea is of strategic importance.

I look to the future with confidence that relations between Romania and the Republic of Uzbekistan will reach new heights. Physically, I have already become the first Ambassador who conquered several peaks in Uzbekistan (in 2021 Great Chimgan - 3309 m, in 2022 Hazrat Sultan - 4083 m and in 2023 Pulatkhan Plateau - 2823 m), where I recorded videos with congratulations on the occasion of Independence Day of Uzbekistan. These public diplomacy events caused a wide positive response.

I express my sincere gratitude and deep appreciation to the Uzbek side for fruitful cooperation.