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ISLAMABAD, Jan 16 (APP):President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired an expanded meeting on Friday to review the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions abroad, issuing directives for upgrading their operations amid sharp geopolitical changes and rising threats to state sovereignty.
He stressed the urgent need to critically evaluate current foreign policy efforts and shift to a renewed, proactive format, said a news release issued here.
Opening the session, the president noted that the meeting is taking place amid sharp geopolitical changes in the world and increasing threats to the sovereignty of states.
He hailed 2025 as a landmark year, with high-level visits to 26 countries and reciprocal visits from several foreign leaders for the first time in recent history.
He said multilateral “Central Asia Plus” dialogues proved fruitful, forging strategic partnerships with 11 nations (totaling 19) and allied relations with Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan.
This open, pragmatic diplomacy has positioned Uzbekistan as a global center of peace and diplomacy, the president noted.
Since 2017, 16 new missions and consulates have opened, raising the total to 60 in 165 countries with diplomatic ties and embassy staffing and salaries have also grown.
Yet Mirziyoyev questioned whether these resources are fully utilized. “An ambassador today isn’t just a political dialoguer,” he said. “They represent the state by attracting investments, technologies, export markets, logistics corridors, tourists, legal migration opportunities, and—most importantly—protecting citizens’ rights.” Key performance metrics for envoys will now include export revenues, tourist growth, and labor migration effectiveness from their host countries, he added.
Meanwhile talking on boosting economic diplomacy and exports, he said that economic diplomacy takes center stage, with tasks to ramp up exports and investments and in 2025, bilateral and multilateral deals secured $160 billion in investment
projects and trade contracts.
Foreign trade hit a record $80 billion, exports reached $33.5 billion (up nearly $4.5 billion to 75 countries), and investments topped $43 billion, he said.
The president said ambassadors must target Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Africa markets, prioritizing industry, agriculture, chemicals, textiles, greenhouses, and services.
He said that Uzbekistan’s products need better recognition, logistics costs must drop via diversified routes and optimized chains, and agriculture requires water-saving tech and innovative greenhouses.
He said chemical exports demand international standards compliance, exhibitions, and a roadmap for Africa as a key new market. To incentivize results, financial bonuses await ambassadors who land and complete investment or export projects.
He said in particular, it was noted that opportunities to attract international grants are not being fully exploited. It was noted that with closer and more systematic interaction between ministries, industry leaders, and ambassadors, it would have been possible to attract an additional $200-300 million in grant funds last year.
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said as noted, international organizations and donor countries announce grant programs worth approximately $200 billion annually. A unified grant strategy is now mandated, alongside partnerships with top-100 global universities via envoys in the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland, China, Japan, and Singapore.
Protecting Citizens, Tourism, and Diplomacy Renewal, he said that regions must deepen ties with missions for economic gains and legal, high-paying jobs abroad are a priority, expanding organized migration while embassies provide robust legal aid and ditch “office diplomacy” for field work and direct citizen engagement.
President of Uzbekistan said that tourism efforts call for ambassadors to promote cultural potential, leverage visa-free regimes, and court outsourcing firms.
The meeting also covered high-level visit prep, diplomat retraining, foreign info policy, media projects for a stronger global image, and updating Uzbekistan’s foreign policy concept to align with reforms, national interests in security, economy, logistics, water, and climate.
Presideny Mirziyoyev proposed the “Honored Diplomat of Uzbekistan” title to honor achievements. “The time has come for a new generation of diplomats who deliver concrete results and defend Uzbekistan’s interests,” he concluded, after hearing ambassador reports.