The Tashkent city Mayor Jahongir Ortikhodjaev hosted the Member of the European Parliament/Mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris Rachida Dati Tuesday.

Uzbek Defense Minister Bakhodir Kurbanov today hosted the US military delegation led by commander of the Central Command of the U.S. Armed Forces General Joseph Votel, the Uzbek Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The fifth round of Uzbekistan-Israel political consultations bewteen foreign ministries was held yetsreday in Jerusalem, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said.

Uzbekistan Senate will convene for the eighteenth plenary session on February 28, the Senate said. The meeting’s agenda includes a number of bills, including Approval of Uzbekistan’s Election Code, Protection of Reproductive Health of Citizens and Administrative Supervision of Specific Category of Persons Released from Penitentiary Institutions Bills.

The next conference of the chiefs of the general staffs of the countries of Central and South Asia will be held in Tashkent on February 21, the Uzbek Ministry of Defense.

The rapprochement of the Central Asia countries is not against the interests of any other country, said the Uzbek Foreign Minister Abulaziz Kamilov said in his opening remarks at at the international conference Central Asian Interconnectivity: Challenges and New Opportunities today in Tashkent.

Bakhtiyor Ibrahimov has been appointed as the new Uzbekistan Ambassador to the UAE, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Consultations on expansion of the legal base of the Uzbek-Qatari relations and its inventory check were held between foreign ministries in Doha.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the Seed Production Bill into Law Satruday. In accordance with the Law, depending on the stages of reproduction of crop varieties, the following seed categories are outlined:

The Cotton Campaign hosted the first-ever, high-level delegation of Uzbek government officials to join its annual strategy meeting on February 4 at a pivotal time for reform to end forced labor in Uzbekistan, the coalition said in a statement.

The senior officials of the Tashkent State Agrarian University (TSAU) and the University of Mississippi have agreed to implement programs of academic and expert exchange, conducting scientific research in fish farming, forestry, cotton growing, fruit and vegetable growing, and water management.

Uzbekistan delegation led by Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, attending the Munich Security Conference, met with the UK Minister of Defense Gavin Williamson Friday, the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan said.

According to the organizing committee, about 130 foreign experts confirmed participation in the International Conference “Central Asian Connectivity: Challenges and New Opportunities”, to be held February 19-20. They represent 36 countries, 9 international and regional organizations, 71 research institutes, 18 government bodies and parliaments.

Ikhtiyor Abdullayev, 53, fired on February 11, has now been made object of a criminal investigation, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Uzbek service, Ozodlik reported. The broadcaster has cited three anonymous sources close to the government as saying a dozen people working under Abdullayev have been arrested.

The Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant  will visit Uzbekistan in April. He will be the first U.S. governor ever to visit Uzbekistan, the Foreign Ministry said.

Islam Karimov Jr., the grandson of the late President Islam Karimov and Gulnara Karimova's son, posted an address to the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on his Instagram page stating about the pressure being exerted on his mother. 

The Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz, participating in the Munich Security Conference, met with the President of Afghanistan, Muhammad Ashraf Ghani, the Foreign Ministry said.

The draft presidential decree for opening of two new universities has been posted on the portal of discussion of drafts legal acts.

Bahodirjon Sidikov, by the Government resolution, has been appointed chairman of Uzbekneftgaz, the Ministry of Justice said in a statement.

The Interior Ministry has proposed to significantly cut fines for violation of the rules of stay in Uzbekistan.  The ministry proposed to modify the article 225 of the Administrative Responsibility Code and to introduce a new wording for the violation of the rules of stay: “living on invalid documents or visas (in the current version there is no word “visa”), failure to comply with the established procedure of movement or choice of place of residence, overstay, as well as non-compliance with the rules of transit".