Entitled "Egypt and Uzbekistan: 30 Years of Diplomatic Relations," the seminar was attended by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Furkat Sidikov, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan in Cairo Mansour Bek Kelychiv, and the Deputy Chief of Mission Lotf Al-Din Khoja.

Attending from the Egyptian side were Ambassador Ezzat Saad, president of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs; Ambassador Mohamed Ghoneim, deputy assistant minister of foreign affairs; together with Professor Ahmed Ragab Rizk, dean of the Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University.

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Also present were Emad El-Din Hussein, editor-in-chief of Al-Shorouk newspaper and a member of the parliament; Ahmed El-Moslemany, political writer, founder and director of the CCSS; Magdy Zaabal, president of the Egyptian-Uzbek Friendship Association; Ahmed Abdo Tarabik, researcher in the Asian affairs; and Mohamed Khaled Al-Qaeed, teacher of history and civilization at Al-Azhar University.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Furkat Sidikov provided detailed information on the large-scale reforms being carried out in his country. In particular, he spoke in detail about the projects implemented within the framework of the Action Strategy in five priority areas between 2017-2021. Particular attention was paid to the fact that this year, together with the general public and civil society institutions, the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026 was developed.

"Based on current global events, the development strategy identifies seven priority areas for human dignity, the rule of law and economic development," said Sidikov.

It was noted that the consistent reforms carried out under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev opened a new stage in the development of the country known as New Uzbekistan.

"Special attention was paid to the fact that the head of our state has established open and friendly relations with foreign countries, and the Central Asian region has been identified as a priority direction of foreign policy," he added.

Director of the CCSS and moderator of the event El-Moslemany noted that over the past five years, New Uzbekistan has been built and great success has been achieved in domestic and foreign policy.

He disclosed that Cairo and Tashkent have great potential and opportunities to bring bilateral relations to a higher level.

"There are also historical and cultural ties and prerequisites for the development of cooperation in various fields. In particular, more than 60 bilateral documents have been signed, and the legal framework allows developing new areas of cooperation."

"Egypt recognised Uzbekistan immediately after its independence, and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has a strong friendship with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi."

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Dean of the Faculty of Archeology Professor Ahmed Ragab Rizk, holder of the Uzbek order Dustlik (“frienship”), said that the relationship between the peoples of Egypt and Uzbekistan is dated thousand years back. "The nilometer was built by ibn Kathir Al-Farghani in Cairo, as well as the states of Tulunids, Mamluks and Ayyubids in Egypt and many other examples confirm the long history of our friendly relations," Rizk confirmed.

It is noteworthy that the Egyptian-Uzbek relations extend for nearly a thousand years, and prominent figures from Uzbekistan have contributed to the development of the history of Islamic civilization, such as scientist Ibn Sina, who presented the book of canon of medicine, which became an essential reference in medicine for long periods, geologist, mathematician, pharmacist, historian and translator Al-Biruni, as well as Al-Khwarizmi, who is considered the founder of algebra, and Ibn Kathir Al-Farghani, one of the most famous astronomers in the ninth century. In addition to Imam El-Bukhari, Imam Al-Tirmidhi and Imam Al-Nasafi.