Director of the Agency for Youth Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Alisher Sadullayev, khokim of Tashkent Shavkat Umurzakov addressed the audience at the Tashkent Palace of Youth Creativity, the press service of the CIS Executive Committee reports.

In particular, the message notes that interstate cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere is improving every year in the Commonwealth, new projects and programs are emerging.

"One of these projects aimed at uniting the efforts of the Commonwealth countries in the field of youth work, sharing experience in developing the potential of young people and improving international youth cooperation is the CIS Youth Capital project," Sergey Lebedev said.

He stressed that Tashkent is the first of the cities of the Commonwealth to receive the high status of the Youth Capital of the CIS. And this choice is well deserved: almost half of the urban population consists of citizens under the age of 30.

"The city has all the opportunities for high-quality education, recreation, sports, creative activity, work and useful employment of young people. Tashkent has significant and generally applicable experience of working with young people, interesting public initiatives, and a rich cultural life. The city has repeatedly become a venue for large-scale international youth events, and has also presented many joyful meetings and discoveries for curious tourists," Sergey Lebedev highlighted.

He expressed deep respect for the actions of the leadership of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the city of Tashkent aimed at increasing the role of young citizens in public life, at mastering new skills and advanced knowledge in the interests of accelerated development of their country.

Sergey Lebedev also noted that an important part of the program of the upcoming days in Tashkent will be a youth Forum and a meeting of the Youth Affairs Council. He expressed confidence that these events will make a significant contribution to the development of humanitarian cooperation between the CIS member states, will contribute to improving mechanisms for working with young people and enhancing interaction between public associations of the Commonwealth countries.

Tatyana Kovaleva, Deputy Head of the secretariat of the Council for Youth Affairs of the CIS member States, presented the khokimiyat of the capital with a certificate of awarding Tashkent a new status.

In 2025, the Azerbaijani city of Gabala will become the new youth capital of the Commonwealth, and in 2026 this status will be transferred to the city of Kapan in Armenia.

For reference: the decision that Tashkent will become the first youth capital of the CIS was made on June 8, 2023 in Sochi at a meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States on the implementation of the international project "Youth Capital of the CIS".