The Committee on Religious Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Today, February 18, a dialogue was held at the Symposium Palace in our capital with a delegation led by the Minister of Hajj and Umrah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabia, with the participation of the Chairman of the Committee for Religious Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Sodiq Toshboyev, the Chairman of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, Mufti Sheikh Nuriddin Kholiknazar, and other relevant officials.

It should be noted that the high level of Uzbek-Saudi relations, based on strong historical, cultural and religious ties, is the result of friendly relations under the leadership of the leaders of the two countries.

Minister of Hajj and Umrah Affairs Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabia expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and said that the purpose of this visit is to further improve cooperation between Uzbekistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in particular, to improve the quality of organizing Hajj and Umrah events, and to strengthen ties in the fields of religious education, scientific research, tourism, and transport.

The Minister emphasized the invaluable contribution of scholars such as Imam Bukhari, Imam Termizi, Al-Farabi, Al-Biruni, and Ibn Sina to Islamic enlightenment and world civilization, and said that he would be active in promoting Saudis to visit Uzbekistan, a land of ancient culture and priceless artifacts.

During the conversation, the Chairman of the Committee on Religious Affairs, Sodiq Toshboyev, said that the organizational and legal framework for the implementation of Hajj and Umrah events in our country has been provided, systematic work is being carried out to create conveniences and better opportunities for our citizens, in particular, in order to organize Umrah events in an exemplary manner, create appropriate conditions for pilgrims to perform their rituals in full and safely, and ensure their use of guaranteed services, the authority to organize Umrah events in Uzbekistan has been granted to the Office of Muslims of Uzbekistan and 12 companies in accordance with the legislation of our Republic. He noted that explanatory and promotional work is being carried out to prevent illegal actions related to Hajj and Umrah events.

At the meeting, the Chairman of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, Mufti Sheikh Nuriddin Khaliqnazar, first of all, expressed gratitude to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, for creating the basis for such cooperation, and acknowledged that the hajj quota for our compatriots has been increased threefold in recent years, and 15 thousand of our compatriots are blessed with the happiness of hajj every year, the number of Umrah pilgrims is several hundred thousand, and the respect and attention paid to them and the conditions are improving.

The dialogue also highlighted the openness policy pursued by our President, in particular, the adoption of numerous documents on cooperation between the governments and ministries of our countries in such areas as energy, customs, civil aviation, tourism, agriculture, healthcare, and labor relations. Proposals and comments were made on the development of activities such as wide-scale cooperation between the two countries in scientific and research work, holding conferences with the participation of religious scholars, and organizing pilgrimages for Saudi citizens to ancient cities of Uzbekistan such as Samarkand, Bukhara, and Termez.

Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabia said that he would thoroughly consider the proposals made by Uzbekistan and make every effort to find a positive solution.

The conversation was held in a sincere and upbeat spirit.