At a briefing, the spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry  Maria Zakharova commented on the process of discussion in Uzbekistan of a draft bill envisioning fines for civil servants failing to produce official documentation exclusively in Uzbek. 

In this regard, we would like to draw attention to several aspects:

Firstly, the regulation of relations in the use of a particular language on the territory of a sovereign state is a matter of the domestic policy. How correct is it for an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry to speak out about the advisability on the state language in Uzbekistan?

Secondly, work on a joint program of teaching the Russian language in Uzbekistan is an indicator that our country respects the languages   of the nations and nationalities living in the republic, and conditions are created for the development of these languages. However, the official language of the Republic of Uzbekistan is the Uzbek language, and record-keeping in state bodies in the state language is a requirement of the law.

Thirdly, on what facts is the statement of M. Zakharova based on? How did she reveal the fact that supporters of the bill are in the minority, and the Russian language preserved in full in official use?

Fourthly, conducting office work in the state language in state bodies of Uzbekistan cannot affect the dynamics of bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation. Is it proper for officials of the Russian Federation to talk about what meets or does not meet the interests of citizens of Uzbekistan and our country as a whole?