At the invitation of the Uzbek government, Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad visited the Republic of Uzbekistan on the period from 8 to 11 July 2023, to participate in monitoring the early presidential elections, along with a team of international observers, amounting to about (940) international observers, who were invited on an individual basis, or by regional and international organizations of which Uzbekistan is a member. The incumbent president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, won a third presidential term for a period of 7 years, after amending the constitution and extending the presidential term from 5 to 7 years, by obtaining 87.1% of the votes. The voter turnout rate was 79.8%, as 4 candidates ran in the electoral race: the winning president from the Liberal Democratic Party, Ulugbek Inoyatov from the People’s Democratic Party, Robakhon Makhmudova from the Adolat Social Democratic Party, and Abdushukur Khamzaev from the Uzbek “Ecological Party”.
Ambassador Saad conducted a number of interviews, on the sidelines of the visit, arranged by the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs: a meeting at the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies, under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as he met with Mr. Alisher Kadirov, Head of the Institute. The conversation discussed future cooperation between the Institute and the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs. The meeting also tackled regional developments in both the Central Asian region and the Middle East, with a particular focus on the foreign policy of both Uzbekistan and Egypt. He also held a meeting at the Institute for Advanced International Studies at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, whereby he met with Mr. Sherzod Abdullayev, Director of the Institute, who presented the Institute’s activities since its establishment a year ago. Ambassador Saad gave a presentation of ECFA’s activities, its organizational structure, and its publications. The director of the Uzbek Institute requested to conclude a cooperation agreement with ECFA, which was welcomed.
In addition, during his visit, Ambassador Saad met with Ms. Ambassador Amira Fahmy, Egyptian Ambassador to Uzbekistan, who presented the significant opportunities available to Egypt to enhance economic cooperation and trade exchanges with Uzbekistan, noting that a delegation from Hassan Allam Holding Company operating in the fields of energy and infrastructure, El Sewedy Electric Cables Company, and ACDIMA Pharmaceuticals Company are planning to visit Uzbekistan before the end of July 2023, and there are daily charter flights from Uzbekistan to the tourist resorts in Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada, as Egypt has become the number one tourist destination for Uzbekistan.