On 4 October 2023, the Alisher Navoi Center for Uzbek Language and Culture was officially established at Osh State University in the Kyrgyz Republic. The main objective of the center is to promote the history, culture, traditions, customs, and values of the Uzbek people in Kyrgyzstan through the organization of Uzbek language courses, as well as to foster closer cultural ties between the peoples of the two countries. In addition, the center serves as a platform for lectures on topical issues, including socio-economic reforms being implemented in the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as for conferences, seminars, and Uzbekistan Culture Days.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Republic of Uzbekistan M. Zhamanbayev, the Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Kyrgyz Republic Kh. M. Mirzakhidov, representatives of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic U. A. Useev, Rector of the Alisher Navoi Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature, Academician Shuhrat Sirojiddinov, Rector of Osh State University K. Kozhobekov, and other distinguished guests.

It is noteworthy that ethnic Uzbeks make up nearly 48 percent of the population of Osh Region. While members of the Uzbek community are generally well acquainted with the Uzbek language and literature, the establishment of the center aims to provide broader opportunities for their further development and to meet the growing interest in Uzbek language and culture among the region’s intellectual community.

The key mission of the center is to enhance the prestige of the Uzbek language and culture and to strengthen intercultural dialogue between the Uzbek and Kyrgyz peoples on the basis of mutual respect, tolerance, and fraternal relations.

Another important task of the center is to improve the professional and linguistic skills of citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic who wish to communicate fluently in Uzbek. To this end, the center focuses on:

organizing Uzbek language education programmes for Kyrgyz citizens;

developing curricula and academic programmes;

providing textbooks and educational literature in Uzbek;

producing Uzbek language teaching materials for foreign learners;

organizing traditional national celebrations of the Uzbek people.

It is expected that such initiatives will contribute to the further development of cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the fields of education, science, and culture, as well as to the harmonization of shared traditions and values.

Activities Organized by the Center

On 26 October 2023, in cooperation with the Consulate General of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Osh, an event entitled “If the Language Lives, the Nation Lives” was held. The event was opened with a welcoming address by Shuhrat Sirojiddinov, Rector of the Alisher Navoi Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature. Among the participants were Vice-Rector for International Relations of Osh State University K. Sh. Attokurov, Vice-Consul of Uzbekistan in Osh F. M. Usmanov, Deputy Head of the Uzbek National Cultural Center of southern Kyrgyzstan A. Y. Atazhanov, and others. Students performed poetry, songs, and musical pieces in both Uzbek and Kyrgyz.

On 8 February 2024, as part of the 85th anniversary celebrations of Osh State University, a literary and cultural evening titled “Alisher Navoi and Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur as Ambassadors of Interethnic Friendship and Culture” was held. The event highlighted the outstanding legacy of the two great poets, with performances of ghazals, music, and songs based on their works.

On 12 December 2024, at the initiative of the Kyrgyz Language and Culture Center established at the Alisher Navoi Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature, a literary evening was organized to mark the 95th anniversary of the birth of the prominent writer and public figure Chingiz Aitmatov.

On 24 April 2024, the Chingiz Aitmatov Kyrgyz Language and Culture Center at the Alisher Navoi Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature, in cooperation with Osh State University, organized an event titled “A Center of Friendship, Culture, and Literary Relations.”