Dear compatriots! Dear guests! Ladies and Gentlemen!
Allow me to sincerely and wholeheartedly congratulate you and in your person all our people on this memorable day with the greatest and dearest holiday - the Independence Day and expressing to you the most kind wishes.
Twenty-six years ago, the first President of our country, prominent state and political figure Islam Abduganievich Karimov, proclaimed the state independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
From that day on, a new independent and sovereign state appeared on the world map - the Republic of Uzbekistan.
In the history of our country, which counts the millennium, a new era has begun - the era of freedom and independence, national revival and development.
Today, analyzing the difficult and at the same time glorious path chosen by our people, we can proudly say that, having become masters of their own destiny, for a historically short period they have achieved tremendous successes in finding a worthy place in the world community, ensuring rights and human freedoms, the revival of national statehood and spiritual values, our sacred religion, customs and traditions.
In these days, all of us, our entire people, once again remember the great historical merit in achieving such high marks of the founder of our independent state, Islam Abduganievich Karimov.
Today in our beautiful capital city Tashkent, on the square in front of the Oksaroy residence, we opened a monument to Islam Abduganievich. On September 2, the opening ceremony of the monument to the First President will also take place in Samarkand, where he was born and raised.
We plan to complete the work on installing the monument in Qarshi, erecting a memorial complex in Samarkand and to hold the inauguration ceremonies on January 30, 2018 - the day of the 80th anniversary of Islam Abduganievich.
We are all firmly convinced that the unfading memory of the First President of Uzbekistan will always live in the heart of our people.
Dear compatriots!
Of course, we are all well aware that today we face even more important and urgent tasks to ensure peace and tranquility in the country, a worthy life for our people.
The current rapidly changing time, when competition on the world arises, requires us all to think in a new way, to work with even greater impact.
Proceeding from these tasks, in order to raise the development of our country to a new, higher level, we adopted the Strategy of Action on the five priority development directions of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021.
In this Strategy, improvement of state and social construction, ensuring the rule of law and reforming the judicial and legal system, further development of the economy and social sphere, ensuring security, interethnic harmony and religious tolerance are defined as the main directions, continuing a deeply thought out foreign policy based on the principles of constructive dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation.
In the Strategy of Action, the principle "It is not the people that serves state bodies, but the state bodies should serve the people" is defined as one of the highest priorities of state policy.

First, today hokims of all levels, heads of ministries and departments, prosecutors, judicial and legal bodies, law enforcement agencies, deputies and senators, leaving on the spot, report to the people about their activities.
By conducting house visits in each mahalla, they study the people's life problems and, in accordance with the law, provide practical assistance in their solution.
Secondly, we pay great attention to the modernization and diversification of our economy, the production of competitive products, the enhancement of the country's export potential and the acquisition on this basis of a worthy and lasting place in the world market.
It should be noted that, for this purpose, in the past few years, in the framework of socio-economic development programs, many projects have been launched, modern high-tech plants and factories are being built, and new jobs are being created.
There are also structural changes in the sphere of agriculture, with which our present and future development is directly related.
As you know, we have abandoned traditional approaches to the distribution of agricultural crops and are investing in the production of export-oriented products, which serves to increase the incomes of our farmers and farmers.
In order to ensure the sustainable development of the country and proceeding from the principle "If the people is rich, then the state will be rich and powerful", new opportunities and preferences for the development of entrepreneurship and cardinal improvement of the business environment are being created today.
Most importantly, we are happy with all of us that for thousands of our citizens, especially young people, this sphere becomes a source of income and well-being at the expense of honest work, a solid foundation for improving the well-being of the people.
Thirdly, there is a lot of work to improve the current state of affairs in social spheres, especially those that cause people the most complaints - health, education, providing the population with natural gas, electricity and drinking water, utilities, road construction, activities bodies of internal affairs.
In order to solve the acute and urgent problem of providing the population with affordable housing, we adopted a separate program, designed for 2017-2021.
In accordance with it, 1136 multi-storey houses will be built in the cities, and in rural areas - more than 100 thousand houses under the updated standard projects.
It is gratifying that these days more than 5 thousand families of villagers celebrate a housewarming party in such houses built this year.
When it comes to the sequential continuation of this work, I want to emphasize that to live with people's concerns will continue to be our main criterion and the most important task for us.
After all, people want to see the results of positive changes not in the distant future, but today, to use these benefits now.
The fulfillment of such demands of the people should become the duty of every leader.

Fourthly, the focus is on raising the activity of the parliament and such important institutions of civil society as political parties and public organizations to a new level.

In particular, it should be noted that the implementation of recent decrees and decisions of the President on improving the activities of the Mahalla and Nuroniy funds, the Women's Committee, the youth organization gives the first results.

In order to fully ensure the rights and interests of the younger generation, the Union of Youth of Uzbekistan was established. In this regard, I would like to dwell on the ongoing work to enhance its role and authority in the life of our society, to provide the organization of new benefits and opportunities.

Education of a healthy and harmoniously developed generation, a purposeful and energetic youth, able to take responsibility for the destiny and the future of the Motherland, to direct all its knowledge and potential to this is a vital and vital issue for us.

We are sure that the Union of Youth of Uzbekistan by its activities will certainly justify our hopes, especially of the younger generation.

Taking into account the requirements of the time and the needs of our society, fundamental reforms in the sphere of science and education are also being carried out. The system of school education is fundamentally changing, 11-year secondary general education is being restored. In a number of regions of the country new higher educational institutions, scientific and creative centers are being organized. The quotas for admission to higher educational institutions have been increased. Forms of correspondence and evening education in the system of higher education are being restored.

Also one of the most exciting questions is solved - the system of preschool education is thoroughly reformed.

We set ourselves the task in the coming 3-4 years to completely cover all the children of the kindergarten age of our country by educating them in these educational institutions and we will definitely achieve this. Currently, a special state program is being developed.

Fifth, in our country, on the basis of new approaches, purposeful work is carried out to strengthen peace and stability, interethnic and civic harmony in society, and to prevent the threats of extremism and terrorism.

We attach great importance to the return to a healthy life of those who have strayed from the right path, by ignorance and not having life experience came under the influence of destructive ideas and trends.

We should never forget one vital truth: if we do not show magnanimity to such people, considering them "bad", we will not give them a helping hand, they will remain pariahs of society.

To prevent this, in order to strengthen a healthy atmosphere in our society, we must develop spiritual life, conduct active work to educate youth, and protect it from various negative influences.

I think you are well aware of the practical measures we are taking to improve the effectiveness of spiritual and educational work, the further development of the activities of cultural and art organizations, creative unions and the media, and the stimulation of the work of their employees.

At the same time, we are aware that the enormous work we are doing in all these areas is just the beginning of a qualitatively new stage of reforms.

To achieve real results, we must all work in good faith, without sparing our strength and knowledge, and take the initiative.

The scale and depth of the tasks that we are setting for ourselves today require us to mobilize all our capabilities and potential in the next two years. Our people expect this from us.

At the center of our attention will always be the consolidation of peace and tranquility in society, the atmosphere of mutual respect and harmony, the further strengthening of our Armed Forces.

Dear friends!

Today, when we use new methods and approaches to work on comprehensive modernization of our country, deepening structural reforms and democratic reforms, further strengthening the independence of our Motherland, we are well aware that the success of our transformations also depends on external factors.

In this regard, the development of friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation with the states of the distant and near abroad, first of all with the Central Asian countries, will remain the most important direction in Uzbekistan's foreign policy.

 Taking this opportunity, allow me, on behalf of our entire nation, to express gratitude to the ambassadors of foreign countries, representatives of international organizations in Uzbekistan and foreign guests participating in today's celebrations to convey sincere greetings and congratulations to the peoples of all countries of the world.

Dear compatriots!

Today, along with the Independence Day, our people are also greeted with great joy by the sacred Kurban-hayit.

In coincidence of these two bright holidays there is a special symbolic meaning.

I take this opportunity once again to sincerely congratulate you, my dear people, on this wonderful holiday.

From this high rostrum I bow to our courageous and noble people, the creator and creator of all our successes, our great future.

I want to express my deepest and most sincere wishes:

Let peace and prosperity reign in every family, in every house, in our beautiful country!

May our native Uzbekistan always flourish! Let our Independence be eternal!