"Claims to hegemony are not capable of giving humanity justice"

There is a clear demand in the world for equality and mutual respect of interests, said Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko at the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The event is attended by representatives of more than 180 countries, and it is being held in Tashkent for the first time, which demonstrates the strengthening of Uzbekistan's position in the international arena, experts say. Valentina Matvienko stressed that cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan plays an important stabilizing role in the field of security in the region. In addition, Russia's participation in the interparliamentary assembly is an opportunity for Moscow to speak out on a number of important international issues. About what other topics are being raised on the agenda of the IPU and what are the main prospects for cooperation between Moscow and Tashkent — in the material of Izvestia.

IPU Assembly in Tashkent

The 150th anniversary assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union is taking place in Tashkent. The forum, which will be held in Central Asia for the first time, is expected to be attended by about 2,000 delegates from more than 180 countries, 15 observer states, as well as more than 25 international and interparliamentary organizations. Russia is represented by the Chairman of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko.

The main theme of the assembly is "The Parliamentary Movement for Social Development and Justice." That is why the event raises issues such as reducing poverty, creating decent working conditions and increasing the participation of vulnerable groups in the decision-making process.

— The topic of our discussion is more relevant than ever. There is a clear demand in the world for equality and mutual respect of interests. It is obvious that the unipolar system, the "world of one sovereign," and the exclusive claims of individual countries to cultural, ideological, and value hegemony are not capable of giving humanity either justice or development," Valentina Matvienko said during her speech.

The desire of some States to ensure their well-being at the expense of the rest of the world has become the root cause of food and energy security crises. This has led to unequal representation in international structures and regional conflicts. The role of parliamentarians is significantly increasing in addressing these issues.

— We, the legislators, the representatives of our peoples, have been entrusted with the historical mission to provide conditions for equal, honest, and national—interest-based interaction. And I see a significant role of the Inter—Parliamentary Union in this," she said.

The Federation Council Speaker met with parliamentarians and senators from several countries. During the talks with representatives of Pakistan, she stated the need to strengthen cooperation with Islamabad. During the meeting with the Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Matvienko stressed the high intensity of Russian-Vietnamese contacts at the highest levels.

"Vietnam has been our closest and most reliable partner in Southeast Asia for many years and decades," the senator noted.

By the way, it is already known that the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Toh Lam, plans to take part in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in Moscow.

The possibilities of intensifying trade and economic ties were also discussed with representatives of Bahrain during the event. In addition, the Chairman of the Federation Council held meetings with colleagues from Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

Of course, special attention is paid to cooperation with the host country of the forum. The Chairman of the Senate of Uzbekistan, Tanzila Narbayeva, noted the priority of developing interstate and interparliamentary dialogue and strengthening interregional ties between the two countries.

The participation of Russian parliamentarians in the assembly is not just a formality, but an opportunity to convey the Russian position on the most important international issues during negotiations with members of parliamentary delegations from all over the world, Maria Mokhovikova, associate professor of the Department of Foreign Regional Studies at MGLU, Candidate of Political Sciences, told Izvestia.

"The importance of this meeting lies in the fact that after Russia's withdrawal from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the suspension of cooperation between the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, it is a good platform for dialogue with parliamentarians from different countries," the expert notes.

Valentina Matvienko also mentioned such an important topic for the Russian Federation as Western sanctions. However, the Russian economy has successfully coped with the restrictions and even outstripped the pace of development of those who impose them. At the same time, the initiators of the pressure themselves faced inflation and rising energy prices.

Cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan

Of course, if the topic of regional security was raised at such a high level, then the issue of the Ukrainian conflict was also raised. Western countries are now spending hundreds of billions of dollars on weapons for Kiev, ignoring any proposals for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, Valentina Matvienko noted. While the Russian Federation and the United States are trying to reach a settlement of the conflict, the EU continues to discuss further arms supplies to Ukraine and the deployment of its own military contingents on its territory. Europe, which was the source of two world wars, is bringing the planet to the edge of the abyss again, the Federation Council speaker said.

"Developing countries are also hostages of such a policy, as sanctions and disruption of supply chains negatively affect the global economy as a whole and worsen the food situation," she said.

Earlier, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev supported the start of the negotiation process on the Ukrainian conflict. The topic of security is particularly important for Tashkent and for Central Asia as a whole. Regional threats include terrorism, extremism, illegal migration, cybercrime, and drug trafficking. In particular, the Uzbek leader stated that the international community underestimates the threats emanating from Afghanistan. He stressed that his state is ready to continue political consultations on the peaceful development of the country, which still remains in an unstable state after the withdrawal of American troops.

—Apart from the values in the bilateral plan, stable and confident relations between Russia and Uzbekistan play an important stabilizing role in the region as a whole, including in the field of security,— Matvienko said during a meeting with Speaker of the Senate of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbayeva.

Against this background, communication between Moscow and Tashkent in the military sphere is of particular importance. In January, Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation signed a plan of cooperation between the Ministries of defense for 2025 and a program of strategic partnership in the military field for 2026-2030.

It is also worth noting the economic prospects of cooperation between the two countries. The volume of trade between Russia and Uzbekistan, as well as Russian investments in the republic, is growing, the portfolio of joint projects amounted to $45 billion, it was reported in May 2024 following the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Uzbekistan. In September, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced that the share of settlements in national currencies between Moscow and Tashkent had reached 70%. Two Uzbek-Russian technoparks, Chirchik and Jizzakh, are currently operating in the republic. Earlier it was reported that the republic plans to launch new industrial parks with the support of the Russian Federation.

In the year of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, it is certainly important to work together to preserve common memory. During her visit to Tashkent, Valentina Matvienko met with veterans who participated in the Great Patriotic War, as well as with those rescued from besieged Leningrad. The veterans were awarded the jubilee medal "80 years of Victory in the Second World War 1941-1945." Medals were also awarded to residents of besieged Leningrad who escaped death in early childhood and found shelter in Uzbekistan. Earlier, Shavkat Mirziyoyev issued a decree on the establishment of a commemorative jubilee medal "80th anniversary of Victory in World War II."

During the Great Patriotic War, Uzbekistan made a huge contribution to the victory over fascism. More than 2 million Uzbeks went to the front, almost half of them never returned home. More than 300 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In those early years, Uzbekistan also became one of the key evacuation centers for people and businesses - more than 100 large industrial enterprises were transported to the republic.

Uzbekistan still plays an important role in the region. The country is actively strengthening its position: major international events are taking place here, including the ICP Assembly, as well as the EU—Central Asia summit, which recently took place in Samarkand.

— Uzbekistan consistently pursues a peaceful and balanced foreign policy based on the principles of sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and equal cooperation. We strive to develop constructive and mutually beneficial relations with all partners, both with Russia and with the countries of the West, Asia and other regions," the republic's Foreign Ministry told Izvestia.

The holding of the 150th assembly in Tashkent indicates the strengthening of the republic's position at least as a platform for dialogue.

"This is a symbolic and strategic event reflecting the shift in global attention to regions that used to be on the periphery of international diplomacy,— says the orientalist, a researcher at the ISAA of Moscow State University. Lomonosova Daria Saprynskaya.

In addition, such events contribute to the investment attractiveness of the republic, the experts concluded.