President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on 20 December signed a decree "On granting citizenship of the Republic of Uzbekistan". For the first time in many years the text of the decree has been openly published.

Pursuant to this decree 179 people have been granted the Uzbek citizenship.

"Uzbekistan has chosen the path of building a democratic state with a strong civil society, setting human rights and freedoms as top priority of the state policy, which is implemented on the basis of the principles of social justice and the rule of law.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first international legal instrument ratified by Uzbekistan after independence, establishes the right of every person to citizenship.

The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan establishes single citizenship in the whole country which is equal for all regardless of the grounds of its acquisition.

Citizenship is the basis for all personal, political, economic and social rights and freedoms.

Uzbek state provides legal protection to all its citizens both on the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan and abroad.

In this connection, it is absolutely crucial to consider applications for citizenship and make reasonable decisions on granting citizenship of the Republic of Uzbekistan to persons the most worthy and deserving this high rank, in particular, those born in the republic but who were outside the country at the time of entry into force of the Law "On citizenship of the Republic of Uzbekistan".

Implementation of these measures is fully consistent with generally recognized principles of international law and takes into account the interests of individuals, including those who were born and raised in Uzbekistan, and make a worthy contribution to the development and prosperity of our country.