Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 9 March 2020, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan Javlon Vahabov in Washington met with the US Ambassador on Special Assignments in the Field of Religious Freedom Samuel Brownback.

An exchange of views took place on cooperation in the field of ensuring religious freedoms. It was emphasized that the protection and promotion of religious freedom is an important point in the reform program of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, affecting all aspects of the country’s socio-political, economic and social life.

The American side welcomed efforts aimed at improving and liberalizing national legislation in the field of religion, providing opportunities for all faiths, including the non-Muslim faith, to freely carry out religious activities. The commitment of the Government of Uzbekistan to ensuring the unhindered worship of all rituals was highly appreciated.

The meeting also discussed further measures to improve the legal and institutional framework for regulating the activities of religious organizations, including under the new law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations”. Samuel Brownback welcomed the wide involvement of international experts in the process of drafting this law, as well as the plans for a series of international conferences, round tables and expert meetings with representatives of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the office of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion, Helsinki Commission, US Commission on International Religious Freedom and others.

In this context, the representative of the State Department expressed his readiness to organize a study tour in the United States in the fall of this year to delegations of relevant departments of Uzbekistan in order to exchange experiences in ensuring religious freedoms, as well as send leading American experts to Tashkent to participate in thematic seminars and conferences.

Ambassador Samuel Brownback invited the Uzbek delegation to again take part in the next Ministerial Conference on Religious Freedoms, which this year will be held in Warsaw.