In Tashkent, the 3rd Uzbekistan–Russia Media Forum was held in cooperation with the National News Agency of Uzbekistan (UzA) and Russia's TASS news agency. It was attended by over 200 participants representing government agencies, media holdings, the IT sector, and the creative industry.
At the forum, Presidential Press Secretary Sherzod Asadov delivered a speech, focusing on challenges in the modern information space, changes in Uzbekistan's media sector, and prospects for cooperation between the two states.
According to him, today information has become not only a means of delivering news but also a strategic factor influencing state development and trust in the international arena.
Asadov noted that nearly 2.7 thousand mass media outlets operate in the country, with 67 percent belonging to the private sector. He also stated that internet coverage has reached 94 percent, and the number of active content consumers has exceeded 32.7 million.
Drawing attention to the increase in fakes and deepfakes following the development of artificial intelligence, he emphasized that fighting disinformation is a common task:
«No national media system can fight such a challenge alone. [...] Speech should be a source of mutual understanding, not conflict».
Sherzod Asadov also listed four priority areas of media cooperation between Uzbekistan and Russia. These are — exchanging journalists' experience and training personnel, joint combat against disinformation, cooperation on artificial intelligence and digital technologies, and developing direct contacts between editorial offices, journalists, and bloggers.
«In a world where lies spread faster than the truth, defending facts together is a matter of our common sovereignty in the information space», said the Presidential Press Secretary.
He concluded his speech with the wisdom of Alisher Navoi: «Whoever finds a friend has found a treasure».
