Dear compatriots!
In these exciting moments, I am greatly pleased to express to all of you my sincere respect, congratulate wholeheartedly you on the upcoming New Year, and wish you good health, happiness and prosperity in your families, fulfilment of cherished wishes.
Mentally parting and evaluating events and concerns of outgoing year, we have, I think, every reason to be satisfied with the results of past year.
We cannot but rejoice, as potential of our country, its place in international community is being renewed and expanded, towns and villages are being transfigured and becoming more beautiful, level and quality of our lives, as well as our faith and confidence in future is increasing from year to year.
Here are just a few examples.
Among few countries in the world, despite deepening global economic and financial crisis, the growth rate of our economy in 2015 exceeded the same as in previous ten years – 8 percent, real incomes rose by 9.6 percent, size of wages, pensions, stipends and allowances – by 21.9 percent.
This, above all, is evidence of correctness of our chosen path of development, which is recognized worldwide as Uzbek model, based on a radical reform and democratization of our society, structural transformation, diversification and modernization of economy, and achievement of our high goal – to reach the level of developed democratic states in the world.
In this wonderful New Year’s Eve, it gives me great joy to bring the words of gratitude for selfless, decent work and New Year greetings to all workers in the sphere of industry, construction, transport, communications, business and entrepreneurship.
I offer my sincere respect, gratitude and New Year’s greetings to all who work in agricultural sector, rural workers, heroic work of whom has provided in past year more than 7.5 million tons of grain, 3.35 million tons of cotton, about 14.5 million tons of vegetables and cucurbitaceous cultures, 4.3 million tons of horticultural products, which in turn was a major contribution to abundance and price stability in our markets.
I bring special feeling of appreciation, gratitude and New Year greetings to scientists, all teachers, educators, doctors and nurses, all representatives of humanitarian work for their valuable and noble work in the name of spiritual, physical health and intellectual wealth of our people.
My sincere wishes and New Year greetings to our glorious army soldiers, border guards, interior, security service, emergency and law enforcement agencies, who reliably protect the security of our borders, the peaceful labor of our people.
Dear friends!
Obviously there is no need to talk today about how rapidly the times are changing, and with it we are changing too, as well as our world outlook, our attitude to surrounding world and our own labor, our political and civic consciousness grows. We all for a long time are not the same people that we were in the 90s, in the early years of our independence. The most important thing that we acquire every day – is an experience, it is realization that all that we have achieved over past years, all of our achievements and successes – is, first of all, our work, work of our citizens regardless of their nationality, faith and beliefs.
Summing up what has been made, without any exaggeration I must say – our greatest achievement in the past year – is peace and stability, interethnic and civil accord that we strengthen everywhere, atmosphere of mutual respect and kindness that reigns in our common home.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to reiterate once more. The children, our youth dear to all of us – are our confidence in the future, our support and hope. The more we pay attention, once again attention and resources to prepare the younger generation, who meet modern requirements, young people, who are independent-minded, intellectually rich and devoted to their Motherland, there is no doubt that thus we approximate the goal set before us.
Dear friends!
In these exciting moments we are all are looking forward to the New Year. We want upcoming year to bring health, prosperity and happiness in our homes, peace and tranquility in the country.
I am convinced that we have every reason that New 2016th Year to become no less fruitful than the last 2015. To this end, over the past period a powerful and stable base has been created in the country – the foundation for future years, a lot of experience to address and overcome possible problems and difficulties in the coming year has been accumulated.
When we talk about the problems and serious difficulties to be overcome, it is primarily a question of external factors such as continuing global financial and economic crisis, continuing instability and unpredictability in the world markets, growing threat of terrorism and extremism, confrontation and conflicts in different regions – all these pressing problems today place a heavy burden on many countries in the world, including us.
Despite these challenges, our forecasts and estimates, which are at the heart of our plans include in expected year economic growth at a rate of 7.8 percent, real per capita income will increase by 9.5 percent, wages, pensions, stipends and allowances taking into account all sources will increase by 15 percent.
I must say that social spending that covers spending on science, education, health, culture, sports and social welfare, in 2016 provided a greater extent than in 2015, and will account for 59.1 percent of total expenditure.
In upcoming year at the expense of all sources of funding equivalent to 17 billion 310 million dollars of capital investments will be invested into the economy, 23.5 percent of them – a foreign investment, which shows, first of all, growing confidence of foreign capital to development of our economy.
In new year construction of 164 large production facilities to be completed and commissioned, with a total value of 5.5 billion US dollars.
Among them are very important projects such as construction of two steam and gas turbines with a capacity of 450 megawatts each at Talimarjan thermal power plant (TPP), power unit of 150 MW – at Angren TPP, melting furnace capacity of 70 thousand tons of copper – at Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine.
In 2016 construction of a railway tunnel on the pass “Kamchik” to be completed with the help of Chinese partners. Our long-standing dream is being realized – uninterrupted rail link between the main part of our country and the Ferghana Valley. Additionally, in 2016 high-speed railway line Tashkent-Samarkand will be extended to the city of Bukhara.
The joint-stock company “General Motors – Uzbekistan” has planned to master serial production of “T-250″ cars model, the Mubarek Gas Processing Plant to set production of 80 thousand tons of granulated sulfur per year.
In addition, establishment of modern production of tractors, mobile phones of new modification, tablet PCs, laptops, televisions and refrigerators, air conditioners and other household electrical appliances, a wide range of domestic drugs is provided for.
Next year, the fleet of the National Airline Company “Uzbekistan Airways” to be supplemented by two airliners “Boeing-787″ of new generation, which will be an important step in development of civil aviation of our country.
Moreover, these examples are still many.
Our community enthusiastically supported the declaration of 2016 in the country as the Year of maternal and child health. This is clear evidence of how the idea of ”If the mother and baby are healthy – the family is happy – the society prospers”, is in tune with aspirations and interests of our people.
My dear compatriots!
Mentally embracing all of you, once again I cordially congratulate you on the coming New Year 2016.
Let the New Year bring kindness and prosperity, happiness and joy to every family!
Let there be peace and tranquility in our homes, in our blessed land, clear sky above the Motherland!
I wish health, success and good luck to all of us in the New Year!
Happy New Year, dear friends, with new happiness!
Islam Karimov,
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan