Uzbekistan is open for cooperation with the Human Rights Watch, the Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov said during the July 5 direct line on “Uzbekistan” channel.
Answering the question about "the certain pause" in cooperation with the HRW and the possibility of its resumption, the minister emphasized: "Yes, they can return."
"We have recently received a letter from Kenneth Ross, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, in which he asked to allow a small team led by Mr. [Steve] Swerdlow to come to Uzbekistan. We are ready to receive this team," the foreign minister said.
However, Abdulaziz Kamilov stressed that cooperation should be based on the principles of mutual respect and "non interference in the internal affairs". Besides, "it is necessary to respect our traditions, our customs and understand the specifics", he added.
"We have our own understanding of the democratic development for Uzbekistan. Much in this regard has been initiated by Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev, our President, from the very first day of election as the President of the country," the minister said.
"There won’t be any forbidden subjects," he assured, suggesting "not to rule out any issues from the agenda, to discuss them serenely." "We may have different points of view, different approaches in relation to certain issues or problems. But this does not mean that we completely rule out joint activities in fields where we have common interests."
"Our doors are open and we are ready to accept not only the Human Rights Watch, but also other organizations," Abdulaziz Kamilov assured. In conclusion, he reminded of "a very successful visit" of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, which resulted in agreements on boosting cooperation.
