By Toir Obidov

Copyright qalampir

High praise from Donald Trump, lucrative deals with American companies, a speech delivered from the UN podium addressing today’s Central Asia, the Aral Sea crisis, Afghanistan, Gaza, and proposals to expand the UN Security Council. Meetings with presidents, monarchs, and the UN Secretary-General. How is the phenomenal visit of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the United States, within the framework of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, unfolding? Today, we will take a closer look.

Master of making deals with Trump

US President Donald Trump has in many ways become a challenge for almost the entire world. His policies in trade and other areas are felt by nearly every country. And for the next three and a half years, the world has little choice but to pay attention to him. Unless some dramatic turn of events occurs, he will remain in the White House until January 20, 2029. The problem is that many states are struggling to find common ground with him. However, on September 22–23, Shavkat Mirziyoyev demonstrated a complete master class on how to reach an agreement with Trump for the coming years.

Mirziyoyev began his New York visit with multibillion-dollar contracts, immediately gaining Trump’s recognition. Uzbekistan’s purchase of 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliners for \$8 billion delighted Trump. He quickly took to his social media platform to post a lengthy message praising Mirziyoyev, describing him as a man of his word and stressing that they would continue to work together on many issues. Trump also reminded followers that he had spoken with Mirziyoyev by phone earlier this month.

“Earlier this month, I spoke with the esteemed President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Today, I congratulate President Mirziyoyev on the signing of a huge deal with Boeing! Uzbekistan Airways will purchase 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliners for more than $8 billion. This will create over 35,000 jobs in the United States,” Trump wrote.

This makes it clear that pleasing Trump requires giving him exactly what his mindset demands: a good deal, investment into America, buying American products, and contributing—even modestly—to job creation. Negotiations with entrepreneurs and US companies create a very favorable picture in Trump’s eyes. Uzbekistan’s leader made the right moves here as well. On September 22, in the presence of Trump’s special envoy, Tashkent-born Sergio Gor, a ceremony of exchanging bilateral agreements took place. Documents were signed on trade, economic, and investment cooperation. These included a long-term cooperation deal between the Ministry of Transport and Boeing, the establishment of a joint venture for mining equipment production, a partnership agreement between Centrum Air and Oppenheimer investment company, agreements on geological exploration in prospective fields, and many other deals.

On the same day, as part of his business program in New York, President Mirziyoyev held a roundtable meeting with executives of leading US companies, investment funds, and financial institutions. The meeting was attended by Sergio Gor, the US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia; Paolo Zampolli, Special Representative for Global Partnerships; and top managers of companies such as Franklin Templeton, Citigroup, BNY Mellon, NASDAQ, Boeing, Mastercard, Visa, General Motors, Nvidia, Oppenheimer, Jefferies, Air Products, GoGreen Partners, Cleveland Clinic, and Cargill, as well as heads of major Uzbek companies. It is worth noting that in recent years, cooperation between Uzbekistan and the US has grown significantly. Trade turnover has quadrupled over the past eight years, and more than 300 American companies have invested in Uzbekistan.

Face-to-face with Trump

On September 23, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Donald Trump met again after a seven-year break. This time, not at the White House, but at the UN headquarters in New York. The leaders discussed in detail the urgent issues and priority directions of expanding the Uzbekistan–US strategic partnership. At the start of the meeting, Mirziyoyev congratulated Trump on his achievements in implementing domestic and foreign policy. He also said that Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for his role in mediating peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia and in other conflicts.

In turn, Trump called Mirziyoyev a great leader and highly valued the reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan. In Trump’s simple definition, Uzbekistan is a country rich in both oil and money. But what pleased him most that day was the fact that deals worth $105 billion were reached between Uzbek and American companies. For comparison, during Mirziyoyev’s historic visit to the White House in 2018, the figure was only about $20 billion. This time, it was five times greater. At the end of the talks, Mirziyoyev invited Trump to pay an official visit to Uzbekistan at a convenient time, saying he hoped to host him in Samarkand. Trump thanked him for the invitation and said he would consider it.

Mirziyoyev tells the world Central Asia has changed

On September 23, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev addressed the 80th jubilee session of the United Nations General Assembly. In his speech, he touched on several issues, including the situation in Gaza, assistance to Afghanistan, the importance of not forgetting the Aral Sea, and, most notably, the need to expand the membership of the UN Security Council.

“We support transforming the UN Security Council and expanding its membership in order to effectively counter modern threats and protect the interests of developing countries,” Mirziyoyev said.

He also emphasized that Uzbekistan had reduced its poverty rate from 35 percent to 6.6 percent in recent years. This was achieved through improvements in education and science, the establishment of innovative sectors and technological industries, the modernization of green energy and transport infrastructure, the comprehensive development of small business, and the creation of millions of jobs.

Even at the UN podium, Mirziyoyev spoke about the importance of teachers in Uzbekistan.

“In our country, preschool education coverage has increased from 27 percent to 78 percent, while higher education coverage among young people has grown from 9 percent to 42 percent. Most importantly, we consider raising the prestige and status of the teaching profession as a decisive priority. To facilitate knowledge and experience exchange among educators, we propose holding a World Professional Education Summit in Uzbekistan,” the President said.

The head of state also noted that by 2030 Uzbekistan aims to join the ranks of upper-middle-income countries and is pursuing an open and pragmatic policy toward this goal. His words about Central Asia, however, likely served as an important signal to the world. He recalled that eight years ago, from the same UN podium, Uzbekistan announced its determination to turn Central Asia into a region of peace, good neighborliness, and partnership—and now, this strategic goal had been achieved. He stressed that closed borders, unresolved disputes, and conflicts in the region were now a thing of the past.

“In recent years, trade, investment, and transport flows within our region have increased up to fivefold. Consultative meetings of Central Asian leaders have become an effective mechanism for deepening regional integration, which we consider a common achievement. I can state with full confidence that today the process of shaping a New Central Asia has begun. Our region, with its unity, stability, and unique character, is increasingly securing a distinct place in the system of international relations,” Mirziyoyev said.

At the same time, he proposed adopting two important UN resolutions: one to support efforts of Central Asian countries to strengthen regional partnership and economic integration, and another on the development of international transport and energy corridors through Afghanistan.

“When speaking of global and regional security and sustainable development, it is impossible not to mention Afghanistan. To support the Afghan people’s aspirations for a peaceful life, the international community must unite its efforts. I want to stress that it is critically important to prevent the isolation of this country. We intend to implement major economic and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. We propose that the UN adopt a special resolution on the development of international transport and energy corridors through this country,” Mirziyoyev said.

The President of Uzbekistan also spoke about Gaza and Ukraine, reiterating the country’s position on resolving these conflicts.

“The deepening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip cannot be ignored. We call for an immediate ceasefire and the continuation of political negotiations. We firmly support the implementation of the two-state solution in accordance with UN resolutions. The situation around Ukraine also deeply concerns us. We welcome the launch of high-level diplomatic talks aimed at resolving this issue,” Mirziyoyev said.

He also highlighted the urgent issue of climate change, citing the Aral Sea disaster as a striking example. According to him, Uzbekistan has been consistently working to restore the Aral Sea region’s ecosystem. In recent years, salt-resistant desert plants have been planted on 2 million hectares of the dried seabed, and by 2030, 80 percent of the territory will be covered with green vegetation.

“Ladies and gentlemen! New Uzbekistan supports solidarity, open dialogue, and close partnership with all states. We are always ready to contribute to strengthening dialogue among nations, cultures, and civilizations, and to achieving universal goals. Thank you for your attention,” he concluded.

During his visit to New York, President Mirziyoyev maintained a busy schedule, meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Albanian President Bajram Begaj, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Czech President Petr Pavel, and others.

In conclusion, receiving praise from the US President on the very first day of the visit, signing major contracts, calling for UN Security Council reform from the UN podium, and holding high-level meetings—this visit will undoubtedly remain one of the most significant political events in Uzbekistan’s history.