EMBODIMENT OF FREEDOM, WELLBEING AND THE GREAT FUTURE

In accordance with the Decree signed by President Islam Karimov on 5 September 1991, the principal square of the capital Tashkent was named Mustaqillik Maydoni (Independence Square).

Marked on the model of the globe, the map of our country, the image of a happy mother looking with love at her baby, and the cranes ready to fly... These symbols of the Mustaqillik Square are imbued with the spirit of the Motherland, independence, national pride, peace, harmony, maternal tenderness, stability, wellbeing, and the great future.

Indeed, the Mustaqillik Square plays an immense role in the life of our nation and people. It is a reflection of the greatest, most precious heritage – independence, dreamed of by our ancestors for centuries and thanks to which the current generation lives happily. It is an incarnation of noble and earnest aspirations of a powerful, strong-willed people, overcoming currently the high frontiers on the way of building a great nation.

As a result of the tremendous creative works carried out in Tashkent during independence years under the leadership of President Islam Karimov, the capital city has changed beyond recognition. Majestic squares and buildings constructed in accordance with national characteristics and modern requirements, as well as shady parks, broad and smooth roads, bridges, social infrastructure create the fine-looking and unique image of the city.

With the idea and under the guidance of the head of our state, extensive construction and improvement works have been undertaken at the Independence Square. Today, it constitutes an integrated architectural ensemble. This has changed not only the appearance, but also the significance of the square.

Amazing are the chestnuts, pine trees, junipers, oaks, birches as well as various shrubs and flowers, which facilitate the cleansing the air and saturation of it with oxygen – and all this creates an atmosphere of peace and tranquility in the area.

An integral part of the unique complex of the square is the Arch of Good and Noble Aspirations. The cranes decorating it and ready for takeoff are a symbol of strong will and determination of our people.

Passing through the archway, you experience a sense of harmony and serenity. However, one thinks of the fact how the current peaceful life, wellbeing and clean the sky over our country have been achieved through thorny trials and difficulties.

“My youth passed along the banks of the Anhor, nearby this square,” says Erkin-ota Rasulov. “In those days, we all used to regret the fact that this square had to bear the name of a person who had never been in our country, the “genius” who had no relation to our history and values. The military vehicles of the time, passing through the area, used to cause a feeling of fear. Now, this majestic square houses a monument to the mother and child, epitomizing our future.”

Indeed, on the initiative of the President of our country, a majestic Monument of Happy Mother was erected on 28 December 2005 near the Monument of Independence and Humanism. It is as if we see our own mothers, serene childhood, and the comprehensively advanced generation in the image of the Happy Mother, gently pressing the child against her chest and looking at it with love. This monument is the epitome of boundless respect for women in the country that has been building a democratic state and a free civil society, and which proclaimed human rights and interests as the priority.

In our society, reverence for women, boosting maternal and child health became a major focus of public policy. As President Islam Karimov used to put it, a criterion that shows the spiritual perfection of a nation and a people is attitude towards women and respect for them in the society. In this sense, built in the center of the square, the Monument to the Happy Mother is a striking embodiment of the attention and esteem to women – the keeper of the family hearth.

Every compatriot of ours feels a great sense of pride looking at the relief map of Uzbekistan on the model of the globe, set on a high pedestal. This monument reflects the fact that among the many countries of the world there is only one called Uzbekistan that it takes its rightful place in the international community and with a growing international standing.

This complex, which reflects the most cherished dreams and noble aspirations of our people, serves for the formation of generations of true patriots, was named the Monument of Independence and Humanism on the proposal of the head of our state.

Human beings live with memory, and value it. The Memory Square, which has become an integral part of the Independence Square, is a reflection of the deep respect for the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the current bright days. The eternal flame in the center of the square, the Monument of the Sorrowful Mother, installed metal plates bearinbg the names and surnames of soldiers from Uzbekistan who died in World War II, show that in our country, the person is dear, the memory is sacred, and calls on everyone to cherish like the apple of the eye our greatest wealth – peace, concord, compassion, mutual respect and interethnic harmony.

Today, the central square of our Motherland has become a favorite shrine and a place of festivities for our people. It has become a tradition to lay flowers to the Monument of Independence and Humanism, a symbol of freedom, bright future and noble aspirations, in honor of national holidays, during other ceremonies, prior to major international competitions for our athletes. Arriving in our country, heads of state and government, members of delegations of international organizations, lay wreath at the foot of the Monument, pay tribute to our independent Motherland.

UzA