Uzbekistan is a secular, multiethnic and multiconfessional state, where a great deal of work is carried out to ensure religious freedom and tolerance among the population. At present there are 2226 religious organizations of 16 various confessions in Uzbekistan. Of them Muslim organizations comprise 2051, Christian organizations –159, Jewish communes – 8, Baha’i communes – 6, society of Krishna –1 and Buddhist temple – 1. Reports related to ensuring religious freedoms always raise a heightened interest of the international community. It is for that reason a report “On Christian Organizations in Uzbekistan,” disseminated by the Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, has triggered a certain resonance. Religious, political, diplomatic, expert and academic circles from many countries have expressed their views on the matter. Most active among them were representative of France. Thus, Jan Batist Deco, a servant of “Sainte-Gerve” Parisian Catholic Church, noting that religious freedom is one of the basic freedoms in the modern civilized states, stressed: “The example of Uzbekistan, providing equal legal rights for harmonious coexistence of various religious confessions, demonstrates the presence of another important component of democratic development, i.e. free thinking in society”. He positively assessed existence in the country a large number of Christian and other religious organizations. “The stated growth of the number of Christian and other religious organizations in your multiethnic state represents a rare example of tolerance and respect”, – said Jan Batist Deco. According to him, “countrywide celebration of non-Muslim holidays in the country and provision of opportunities for making Christian pilgrimages is evidence of a principled consistence of a secular policy by President Islam Karimov to ensure the universal inter-religious accord in the country” Bartholomew Gurmon, an expert of the French Institute of Strategic Studies thinks that the disseminated report on Christian organizations in Uzbekistan was quite useful, “considering the examination of this issue in light of the dominance of other religion in society and situation with regard to Christianity in Central Asian countries”. “It is encouraging that during the years of independence, the existing churches are carefully preserved and more others were built. This indicates that the implementation by the republic of its international obligations in the sphere of freedom of religion”, - stressed Bartholomew Gurmon. In turn, Head of the Military Industry Department of the Ministry of Defense of France Olivier Bekaert said that he read the information about Christian organizations in Uzbekistan with a special interest. “It is noteworthy that tolerance and respect for the various representatives of religions and faiths is an integral part of the historical and spiritual wealth of the Uzbek society” - he said. Olivier Bekaert finds that religions should find common features that unite them rather than seek contradictions to each other. “In this regard, in individual countries, the majority of misunderstandings and conflicts arise on the grounds of lack of respect for the culture and customs of other religions. In this case, you should also avoid instrumentalization of religion for achieving a particular purpose” - he believes. Olivier Bekaert said that it is very important that the Constitution of Uzbekistan secures the judicial guarantees which provide international harmony and inter-religious solidarity in society, as well as the rights and freedom of citizens and their equality regardless of race, nationality, creed and religion.

Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan