Current Developments in Uzbekistan: A Conversation with H.E. Javlon Vakhabov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the US and Canada

Uzbekistan has been witnessing significant transformation since the election of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in 2016: changing foreign policy priorities, liberalizing economy, reforming state administration and developing job opportunities for a younger population (72% of the population is under the age of forty). Furthermore, in December 2019 the country held its first parliamentary election under the new administration. The global COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping the country’s healthcare system, as well as presenting challenges to economic development. Join us to discuss the future of Uzbekistan and current reforms with H.E. Javlon Vakhabov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the US.   Ambassador Javlon Vakhabov joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan in 2001, serving early career assignments as an attaché, 3rd secretary, and chief of division. In 2006 he was appointed to the Uzbek National Security Council where he was promoted to deputy security of the Council in 2011. In 2013, Ambassador Vakhabov served as the Director of the Institute for Strategic and Inter-Regional Research, a government-funded think tank in Tashkent. He joined the leadership team at the Foreign Ministry in 2013 as one of four deputy ministers of foreign affairs. In July 2015, he was promoted to First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the title he held when he was appointed Ambassador to the U.S. in 2017. RSVP