We are delighted to welcome you to this special issue of Diplomat, dedicated to ‘Uzbekistan – Heart of the Silk Road’.

For many centuries, our land has been at the crossroads of Eastern and Western civilisations. It occupied a pivotal position on the Silk Road during its most prosperous period. Today, the world-famous cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, developed and beautified by generations of our ancestors, exemplify a harmonious combination of different cultures and traditions.

Europeans have long had a special interest in our region. For example, Marco Polo, the famous thirteenth-century Venetian merchant and traveller, in his book on his travels to Asia described Samarkand with admiration, calling it ‘a great and noble city’. In the fifteenth century, Ruy Gonzales de Clavijo, envoy of Enrique III of Castile, in his Narrative of the Embassy to the Court of Temur, recorded not only the beauty of Amir Temur’s palace but also the local folk customs. Amir Temur and King Henry IV of England also conducted diplomatic correspondence with each other.

We are glad that today’s generation of Europeans also takes a keen interest in Uzbekistan, as evidenced by a steady increase of cultural, educational and academic exchanges, as well as by growing tourism and trade ties with the UK, France, Germany, Italy and other countries in Europe.

We are proud of our unique historical heritage, and equally, of our achievements during the years of Independence since 1991. These have transformed Uzbekistan into a modern, mature and self-sufficient state with a stable political system, dynamically developing economy and secular society. Our country has successfully completed the ‘transition period’ and is open and ready for mutually beneficial cooperation with foreign partners.

Among Uzbekistan’s current priorities we would emphasise the state programme ‘2010 - Year of a Harmoniously Developed Generation’, which highlights a number of measures aimed at creating new opportunities for the young generation in such fields as education, research, healthcare, sports, leisure, culture and tourism.

As for external activities, Tashkent recently hosted the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (3 May) and the Summit Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (10-11 June). Another important goal is to establish peace and stability in Afghanistan by implementing social and humanitarian projects, and also by promoting the initiative on the ‘6+3 Contact Group’ (ie a group comprising the six countries neighbouring Afghanistan, along with the US, Russia and NATO) as an effective instrument for dialogue and long-term settlement.

We invite you to read this special issue, which includes features such as key facts about Uzbekistan, views of the President HE Islam Karimov on the fundamental achievements of the Uzbek model of development, a message from HRH Prince Michael of Kent, as well as the opinions of our partners in the UK about Uzbekistan, its people, current developments in bilateral relations and new horizons for the future.

The Embassy expresses its gratitude to Uzbekistan Airways, Uzbekinvest International Insurance Company, Jahon Information Agency, Worley Parsons, Rio Tinto, Oxus Gold and Tethys Petroleum for their kind support for this publication. www.uzbekembassy.org

Ambassador of Uzbekistan HE Otabek Akbarov (in the centre) with First Deputy Rector of WIUT Alan France (left), Rector of WIUT Dr AbdujabarAbduvakhitov, Executive Director of Oxus Gold Richard Wilkins, Lord Ponsonby, Dr Hartley Booth and Viscount Waverley