On October 19th 2016 Uzbekistan’s foreign minister Abdulaziz Komilov  surprised the international community by declaring the full support of Uzbekistan for Palestine and Al-Quds Ash-Shareef (Jerusalem) during a press conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Tashkent. Moreover, Komilov began his speech, for the first time in the country’s history, in line with the Islamic tradition with the words “In the name of Allah” (Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem). Under Karimov’s rule, it would be unthinkable to make such a statement, as Uzbekistan always tried to stay ideologically neutral to avoid getting involved in international disputes. Even during the Ukraine crisis, which directly concerns Uzbekistan, the late president decided not to express his support for either side.

Last Saturday, on September 3rd 2016, people in Tashkent woke up earlier than usual to pay a last farewell to Uzbekistan’s first president – Islam Karimov. He was in power for exactly 25 years, since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The national holiday to celebrate the independence of the country was set for September 1st, and on September 2nd 2016, the president suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage.