JAKARTA, May 25. /Dunyo IA/.  The official opening ceremony of the Alisher Navoi Uzbek Language and Culture Center took place at Gunadarma University in Indonesia, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

The event was attended by the university leadership, faculty members, and students, alongside key officials from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of Indonesia, and representatives of the nation’s academic and cultural communities.

Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Eko Sri Margianti, Rector of Gunadarma University, emphasized that the establishment of the Uzbek Language and Culture Center marks another significant step toward further developing cooperation between Indonesia and Uzbekistan in the fields of education and culture.

He noted that the Indonesian public's interest in Uzbekistan, its language, and its culture is steadily growing. It was particularly emphasized that the peoples of Uzbekistan and Indonesia share deep historical and cultural ties, a common heritage of Islamic civilization, and shared spiritual values. Furthermore, confidence was expressed that the Alisher Navoi Center would serve as an important platform for public diplomacy between the two nations, paving the way for long-term cooperation in language, literature, science, culture and tourism.

Rector Eko Sri Margianti noted that the Uzbek language is the state language of a country where such great scholars, thinkers, and theologians as Al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina, Imam Al-Bukhari, and Bahauddin Naqshband lived and worked. He also stated that today, the Uzbek language is spoken by more than 50 million people in nearly 20 countries worldwide.

Rector of the university informed that the Uzbek language will be included in the academic schedule as an elective discipline for students of the faculties of philology and tourism. Within the framework of the event, special video messages were demonstrated from the Rector of the Uzbekistan State University of World Languages, Professor Ilkhomjon Tukhtasinov, as well as the Dean of the Faculty of Philology of the Urgench State Pedagogical Institute, Feruza Radjapova.

In their speeches, they noted that the opening of this center is of paramount importance for strengthening academic ties between the higher education institutions of Uzbekistan and Indonesia, promoting student and faculty exchanges, and implementing joint educational programs. The event culminated in a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially inaugurate the Alisher Navoi Uzbek Language and Culture Center.

Furthermore, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Embassy and Gunadarma University to organize and develop the Center's activities. The Center's bookshelves were enriched with masterpieces from the golden fund of Uzbek literature, educational manuals, explanatory and orthographic dictionaries of the Uzbek language, as well as country study textbooks. Within the framework of the event, a collection of selected works by the National Poet of Uzbekistan, Erkin Vakhidov, was presented to the Center's library.

The core activities of the Center will focus on teaching the Uzbek language to university students and learners, popularizing Uzbek literature and culture, and studying the legacy of Alisher Navoi through the regular hosting of "Navoi Readings." Additionally, the Center will organize events dedicated to the history of Uzbekistan, as well as the country's national traditions and cultural heritage. The participants of the event noted that the opening of the Alisher Navoi Center will occupy an important place in the development of cultural and humanitarian ties between Uzbekistan and Indonesia. It was emphasized that the Center's activities will contribute to intensifying educational exchanges, implementing joint projects, and introducing the Indonesian public more broadly to the rich history and culture of Uzbekistan.

An agreement was also reached to regularly host "Uzbek Language Days" "Navoi Readings" literary and cultural evenings, film screenings and scientific-practical conferences at the Center, as well as to implement joint educational projects.