OREANDA-NEWS. Earlier in the year, on 22 August, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov had awarded the city of Termez with the Amir Temur Order. A festive awarding ceremony took place on November 28 in Termez.

The head of our state delivered a congratulatory speech at the official event.

With a great history and rich heritage, Surkhandarya is one of the cradles of human civilization, President Karimov said.

As it has been the case with all the regions of our country, Surkhandarya has passed through an enormous path of development during the independence years.

Dozens of modern enterprises, highways and bridges, trading and public services facilities, institutions of education, healthcare and sports, new residential quarters, squares and alleys have been built in the province.

The construction of a 223-km long railway Tashguzar-Baisun-Kumkurgan along mountain slopes and in steppes has come to be a resplendent and historic event not only in the life of the Surkhan oasis, but also of our entire country.

It is noteworthy that this blessed land of Surkhandarya accounts for the 10 percent of the cotton and around 8 percent of the grain grown currently in the country. More than 335 thousand tons of cotton and 477 thousand tons of grain have been produced this year in this region.

Islam Karimov stressed that we can state today with satisfaction that dozens of new schools, lyceums and colleges, institutions of arts and sports, the modern building of the Termez State University have been erected in the process of fostering a healthy and comprehensively advanced generation, which is our most critical and priority task. It facilitates not merely a transformation in the appearance of the province, but also a cardinal change in the consciousness and mindset of our compatriots, especially the youth.

It is essential to underscore that wide-ranging efforts have been undertaken to preserve and promote the ancient and inimitable culture, traditions and customs of the Surkhan oasis, the unique pearls of nonmaterial heritage, which have received a high recognition from UNESCO.

We have set up Central Asia’s only archeological museum in Termez, have marked the 1,000th anniversary of the Alpomish epos and the 2,500th jubilee of the city of Termez, Islam Karimov said.

Extensive construction and beautification works have been carried out in recent years in Surkhandarya Region and its administrative center Termez. New housing and infrastructure facilities have been built. 3,772 comfortable standard-design homes have been constructed in rural areas of the region, while 36 state-of-the-art apartment buildings were erected in the city of Termez.

Exceptional objects and ancient cultural monuments that this land has saved for millennia and which are discovered today by Uzbek scientists jointly with colleagues from abroad during archeological excavations and research works have been admired by the world academia, the President of our country said.

Notably, the first ruler of Bactria, Zoroaster, laid the foundations for Termez in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. Initially Termez used to be called Taramata. The convenient geographical location of the town on the trade crossroads linking the East and the West allowed it to enjoy accelerated advancement.

Expounding on the history of Termez, worth noting is the fact this city is inseparably connected with the name of our outstanding ancestor, Amir Temur, who wrote bright pages to its chronicles.

In the great and powerful state that the Sahibkiran built, Termez used to be a potent and reliable fortress.

In his celebrated volume “Zafarnoma”, the historian Sharafiddin Ali Yazdi described how courageous and heroic were the Termez residents in their fight against the Mongol invaders, and dubbed Termez “the city of daring”, which embodies a deep truth.

In the independent development years, Termez turned into one of Uzbekistan’s most beautiful cities and the principal fortress on the southern frontier of our country. Today, Termez is one of the economic, cultural and communications centers of not only the Surkhan oasis and Uzbekistan, but also of the entire Central Asian region.

In his greeting speech President Islam Karimov paid a particular attention also to issues of peace and security in Central Asia.

We live in an intricate and alarming time. A particularly grave threat to the peace and stability in our region is posed by the war in Afghanistan that has been ongoing for as long as 35 years.

In myriads of speeches, particularly those delivered from the rostrums of prominent international forums, Uzbekistan’s leader appealed to the world community and stressed that there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict.

Islam Karimov said he would like to underscore it again that our stance in this issue is clear-cut and articulate, that is, non-interference in the internal affairs of the neighboring Afghanistan, further consolidation of ties on the principles of mutual respect and cooperation with the government that the Afghan people have expressed confidence in and elected, and to live with that country in peace and harmony.

Following his keynote speech, President Islam Karimov awarded the city the Amir Temur Order.

It was a splendid holiday not only for the residents of Termez and Surkhandarya, but also for the whole of Uzbekistan. This remarkable date in the life of the ancient and eternally young city will become an unforgettable occasion.

Along with all the young people of our country, President Islam Karimov said he addressed the young men and women of Surkhandarya Region, calling them his children, and urged them to never forget that they live in so glorious a city like Termez that has deserved the Amir Temur Order, a town with a rich history and a great future. The country’s leader asserted with conviction and pride that our children will not yield to anyone in anything, will be successors of the great undertakings that we started and will make greatest achievements in all spheres.

Speaking at the festive ceremony, deputy chairman of the regional council of the Mahalla Charity Public Fund Arzikul Soatov, director of the Termez specialized boarding school no.4 Shahida Aripova, the kurash world champion Toshtemir Muhammadiev, the People’s Poet of Uzbekistan Sirojiddin Sayyid thanked the President of the country for awarding Termez with the high order of the nation and the care for the development of the Surkhandarya Region.