The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan issued a statement on its official Telegram channel. This was reported by Upl.uz.
It emphasized that citizens of the republic will remain under state protection and jurisdiction regardless of the region they are located in. This statement was released following the spread of an incident that occurred in Khimki, near Moscow.
The video shared, distributed by the "TRT Russian" channel, recorded a verbal altercation between a local resident and a taxi driver who is a citizen of Uzbekistan. Hate speech was used, including insults directed at the driver such as "You are a slave of the Russians."
The opposing party stated that the driver came from Uzbekistan looking for work, as there are no opportunities there. "You couldn't find anything in Uzbekistan, you come here to work.
This is not your home, work here," were the words used. According to witnesses, the cause of the quarrel was related to a traffic situation: the taxi driver briefly stopped entering a yard to give way to a garbage truck, which led to the local citizen's inappropriate reaction.
The driver maintained calm, called for peace, and left the scene. The official statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the protection of the rights and interests of Uzbek citizens abroad is based on the Constitution, national legislation, and international legal norms.
When rights are violated or dignity is insulted, citizens should immediately contact the relevant law enforcement agencies of the country they reside in. Additionally, they have the right to receive legal and consular assistance from Uzbek diplomatic missions or consular institutions.
As the ministry highlighted, protecting compatriots is one of the priority directions of state policy, and this task is carried out within the framework of state obligations. According to the press service, the announcement is general in nature and intended for all citizens abroad.
At the same time, this statement was also issued in response to the incident in Khimki. So far, no official appeal has been received by the consulate from the injured driver.
Money transfers sent from Russia to Uzbekistan by labor migrants are an important part of the country's economy. According to data from the Central Bank of Russia, in 2023, the volume of money transfers sent by individuals from Russia to Uzbekistan exceeded 10 billion dollars.
This demonstrates the deep economic ties between the two countries.
