Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12
By Fikret Dolukhanov – Trend:
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo officially removed Uzbekistan out of the so-called "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) list, thereby recognizing the country's significant achievements in the field of religious freedom, Trend reports on Dec. 12 referring to the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan.
The high appraisal of Uzbekistan’s achievements in this area from the US State Department was first voiced during the Ministerial Conference on the Promotion of Religious Freedoms, which was attended by the Uzbek delegation headed by Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov.
Subsequently, during a visit to Uzbekistan in September, the American delegation led by US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback had the opportunity to see the implementation of practical measures to ensure religious freedom, improve and simplify existing standards, develop approaches to counter radicalism, as well as the unprecedented amnesty of thousands of people convicted of religious crimes, and the creation of institutional mechanisms to promote enlightened Islam.
“Removing Uzbekistan from the CPC list is a timely and correct decision. This is the result of significant progress in Uzbekistan. In the 20-year history of the US State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom, only two countries have been removed of the list: Vietnam and Uzbekistan,” Chris Seiple, President Emeritus of the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE), said, commenting on the decision of the US State Department.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov