Uzbekistan Delegation Attends Issyk-Kul International Forum

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan led by the First Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, Sadyk Safoev, attended the Issyk-Kul International Forum.

The delegation also included Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and department head Azamat Sulimanov.

The Issyk-Kul International Forum is an influential intellectual and humanitarian platform established to discuss global human problems and the role of culture, science, and moral values in world development. The first forum took place in 1986 in Bishkek and Cholpon-Ata.

The prominent humanist writer Chingiz Aitmatov was elected its president. Over various years, the forum has brought together well-known state and public figures, as well as representatives of science, culture, and art.

This year, the event was held under the theme "The World at a Civilizational Turning Point: Together into the Future" and focused on finding answers to contemporary global challenges, strengthening international dialogue, and promoting humanistic values.

Representatives of state bodies, parliamentarians, heads of think tanks, scientists, cultural and art figures, and leading experts from 15 countries participated in the forum.

Among them were Albanian President Bajram Begaj, Nobel Prize laureate in literature Mo Yan, writer Wang Meng, historian Peter Frankopan, Uzbek film director Ali Khamraev, and artist and art manager Vasily Tsereteli.

Speaking during the plenary session of the forum, Safoev noted that the modern world is in a state of deep crisis and strategic uncertainty. According to him, "dialogue is increasingly being replaced by mutual accusations, cooperation by fragmentation, and law by the impermissibility of the use of force".

In this regard, he emphasized the particular relevance of the spiritual heritage of Chingiz Aitmatov. It was noted that Aitmatov is needed today not only as a great writer of the past, but also as a wise interlocutor about the future who raises eternal questions of human responsibility, historical memory, attitudes toward nature, and moral choice.

Special attention in the speech was paid to the processes taking place in Central Asia. Safoev stressed that against the background of global fragmentation, the region demonstrates a different dynamic, characterized by the strengthening of trust, cooperation, and responsibility for a common future.

As noted, thanks to the political will of the leaders of Central Asian states, many issues that previously seemed intractable have been resolved in recent years. International partners increasingly perceive the region not as a collection of separate states, but as a space of predictable progress and a single, large market for trade and investment.

In this regard, he stated that the response of the region's countries to modern challenges should be the further deepening of regionalism and interaction. At the same time, the formation of a regional community must rely not only on transport corridors and trade, but also on shared values, historical memory, cultural proximity, and trust.

In this context, Safoev focused attention on the issues of strengthening the regional identity of Central Asia.

According to him, this process is a logical continuation of the course toward closer alignment among the states of the region, which is consistently promoted by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

"The formation of a regional identity is a strategic necessity. It does not mean a rejection of national identity; on the contrary, it strengthens national statehood by creating a space of trust, predictability, and cooperation," Safoev emphasized.

It was noted that deepening interaction in this direction resonates with the ideas and values promoted by Chingiz Aitmatov.

According to Safoev, "Chingiz Aitmatov always deeply empathized with the fates of our peoples, realizing like no one else that Central Asia is a region of a single destiny".

He teaches to remember roots but not to become captives of the past, to love one's people but not to fence oneself off from others, and to preserve traditions but move into the future.

"In this sense, the spiritual heritage of Chingiz Aitmatov is part of our common identity," he concluded.