The University of Westminster welcomed H E Ravshan Usmanov, the Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United Kingdom on 12 February.
The visit was not the first by Ambassador Usmanov, as he has previously studied at the University and was part of the original delegation which visited Westminster over 20 years ago to discuss the establishment of Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT).
Ambassador Usmanov met with President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Bonfield, Professor Dibyesh Anand, Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Employability and Global Engagement, and Stephen Wallis, Director of Transnational Education. In addition to discussing the substantial impact that WIUT and their graduates have made both within Uzbekistan and the wider region, the Ambassador emphasised Uzbekistan’s ambitions to be a regional hub for education and the central role WIUT will play in this.
The Vice-Chancellor highlighted the second Uzbekistan – UK Education Forum which will take place between 4-5 March 2024 in Tashkent. It is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovations of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the British Council in Uzbekistan, the University of Westminster and Westminster International University in Tashkent. It is set to address core priorities for higher education in Uzbekistan and the UK and highlight key ways in which they are delivered, including through transnational collaborations.
Professor Anand briefed the Ambassador on the Global Uzbekistan Festival that Westminster plans to hold in May and discussed the Embassy’s participation. The possibility of a visit to the Uzbekistan Embassy by the student led Global Diplomacy Initiative Society was also discussed.
Following the meeting with the Vice-Chancellor and colleagues, the Ambassador had the opportunity to meet with a group of undergraduate and postgraduate students from Uzbekistan and learn more about their experiences at the University.
After the visit Professor Bonfield said: “It was a great pleasure to welcome Ambassador Usmanov back to the University and to have the opportunity to discuss the exciting developments that continue to happen in Uzbekistan and the University’s ongoing commitment to supporting these developments.”
Professor Anand added: “While we are a global University with links all around the world, Uzbekistan holds a special place due to our long-term partnership via Westminster International University Tashkent. We are keen to build on our history and links to strengthen British-Uzbek relations in arenas of education, culture, research and knowledge exchange and the visit of HE Usmanov reinforced our commitment. We look forward to Global Uzbekistan Festival (7-10 May) next.”
Find out more about the Global Partner Network of the University of Westminster.
