Uzbek cultural show at N-Day do

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NO Uzbek do is ever complete without its famed traditional and cultural performances.

And this was the case at the republic’s National Day reception held at the Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Uzbek Ambassador Shukur Sabitov went to great pains to ensure that his invited guests had an enjoyable and entertaining evening, which was filled with a “cultural expose” of his country.

Twirling away: A Uzbek woman performing a traditional dance at the Uzbek National Day reception

The special guest was Deputy Human Resources Minister Senator Datuk Maznah Mazlan, who came to extend the Malaysian Government’s felicitations to the government and people of Uzbekistan which emerged as a sovereign country in 1991 after more than a century of Russian rule — first as part of the Russian empire and then as a component of the Soviet Union.

Uzbekistan, positioned on the ancient Great Silk Road between Europe and Asia, is one of the world’s biggest producers of cotton and is rich in natural resources such as oil, gas and gold.

Among the guests present were Election Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar and Shearn Delamore legal consultant S. Radhakrishnan, who were both observers at the Uzbek presidential elections in December 2007.

Uzbek finery: Donaplus Tours & Travel business development director Gulnora Khamidova (right) and her daughter, Rozalia, admiring an Uzbek traditional costume at the reception.

“Uzbekistan is certainly a very lovely country to visit. Its majestic cities such as Bukhara and Samarkand are famed for their architectural opulence.

“Malaysians should take advantage of the direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and the Uzbek capital of Tashkent to go and experience the country,’’ said Radhakrishnan, who will visit Tashkent again in December on another official mission.

A group of Uzbek nationals also turned up at the event.

Among them were Donaplus Tours & Travel business development director Gulnora Khamidova and her daughter Rozaila, a student at an international school in Kuala Lumpur.