Eldor Tulyakov, The President of the Development Strategies Center (DSC) in Uzbekistan, talked about the reforms carried out by Uzbekistan between 2017 and 2021 at the Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM).
The committee of the DSC, one of the leading think tanks of Uzbekistan, gave a conference on “A Brief Overview of the Reforms within the Scope of the Uzbekistan Action Strategy” at the ANKASAM during their visit to Turkey. At the conference, Mr. Tulyakov discussed the action strategy for the years in between 2017 and 2021. Summarizing the reforms under five main titles, Mr.Tulyakov first spoke of the reforms regarding the improvement of the state system and public structure. He stated that various innovative decisions were taken in administration, parliament, judiciary, local governments and media of Uzbekistan within the framework of these reforms. He also said that reforms will continue to strengthen civil society along 2021 and 2025.
Tulyakov, the President of the DSC, then touched upon the reforms made within the framework of establishing the rule of law and improving the judicial system. In this context, he stated that the Court of Cassation and the Supreme Economic Court were merged, and the financial independence of the courts was ensured. Moreover, he added that the notorious Jaslyk Prison was closed, and various decisions were taken regarding the detection of torture.
The President of the DSC Tulyakov explained that other reforms were carried out in the fields of economic development and liberalization. He stated that taxes of customs were reduced; liberal decisions were taken about foreign exchange; and economic indicators, state budget, money supply, data on gold and foreign exchange were regularly declared to the public within the framework of a transparent state understanding. He also expressed that decisions were taken to encourage small businesses and private enterprises, and tax reforms were implemented while reducing the state’s intervention in the economy. In addition, he said that Uzbekistan does not require visas from many countries of the world. According to the data cited by Tulyakov, while Uzbekistan offered visa liberalization to the citizens of 18 countries in 2018, this number increased to 86 in 2020.
The President of the DSC Tulyakov indicated that varied social reforms were also implied in Uzbekistan. He explained that new policies have been developed on the issues, such as improving the health system in the country, increasing the quality and number of higher education institutions until 2030, providing internet access in various schools, increasing employment among the young people and reducing poverty.
Finally, emphasizing that various breakthroughs were made in security, ethnic harmony and foreign policy, Mr. Tulyakov touched upon some events such as the development of the Aral Region, the rehabilitation of the citizens affected by radical ideologies and the establishment of a new Armed Forces Academy in the country. Moreover, emphasizing that the President Mr. Shevket Mirziyoyev adopted an active stance in foreign policy, Tulyakov summarized these policies as supporting regional cooperation, taking a constructive role in solving the problems occurring in Central Asia and strengthening relations with the global actors. In this context, Uzbekistan, which is a full member of the Turkic Council, stated that Uzbekistan follows a policy of strengthening its relations with the United States, Germany, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey.
Noting that the President Mr. Mirziyoyev gives great importance to the relations with Turkey, Tulyakov underlined that the relations between the two countries may develop further in the future.