Uzbek leader stated: “Without ensuring information freedom, without turning mass media to arena, where people can freely express their thoughts and ideas, positions and relations to events, it is impossible to speed about deepening democracy, political activity of population and its participation in political and public life of the country.”

He said that ensuring freedoms and rights of citizens in information sphere, including such components as freedom and implementation of rights to receive and spread information and own ideas, are basic stone of construction of democratic society in Uzbekistan.

According to Islam Karimov, number of print mass media rose by 1.5 times and electronic mass media seven times in ten years and currently their number reached 1,200. Over 53% of all television and 85% of radio channels are non-government outlets. He added that number of Internet users reached over 6 million.

Islam Karimov proposed some legislative initiatives directed at further developing and strengthening of this sector. In particular, the Uzbek President Islam Karimov offered to adopt law “On transparency of activity of the state authorities and administration”, law “On television broadcasting”, law “On economic basis of mass media activity”, law “On guarantees of the state support of mass media” and others.

Uzbek President said that adaptation of the law “On transparency of activity of the state authorities and administration” could expand implementation of the constitutional right of the citizens to information and raise responsibility of the state bodies for quality of the adopted decision.

He said that implementation of this law should ensure transparency and openness of activities of executive authorities, reforms in political life of the country, external and internal policy of the state, etc.

President Islam Karimov said that implementation of measures will strengthen role and place of mass media in civil society institutes’ system, fuller implementation of constructional rights of citizens on speech and selection freedom.