 Dear IOM Director-General, your Excellencies, participants at the session, on behalf of the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, let me please express the high appreciation for having been invited and having this opportunity to participate in this event. It should be noted in recent years that the government of our country has paid special attention to the migratory processes in Uzbekistan, currently ensuring the safety of migrants who remain in other countries, including labour migrants from the Republic of Uzbekistan, has been set as a priority in this direction. In 2018, a number of government resolutions were adopted, aimed at creating legal frameworks on improving the migration sphere. On 5 March 2018, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan adopted a resolution on measures to ensure safety of the citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan, being abroad from the Republic, with a view to being temporarily engaged in labour activities. On 28 May 2018, another resolution was adopted, a resolution adopted by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, on establishing foreign representative offices of the agency for the external labour migration, under the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations. On 5 July 2018, the President adopted a resolution on additional measures in the Republic of Uzbekistan, on further improvement of the system of external labour migration. On 12 September 2018, the Covenant of Ministers adopted another resolution, on measures on further improvement and fundamental revision of the system of employment of the citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan abroad. On 16 October 2018, a law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on private recruitment agencies came into force. This is designed to implement a number of activities, designed to ensure wider engagement in activities to protect the rights of workers, migrants in particular. In fact, those of the citizens of Uzbekistan, the government of the country is cooperating with international organisations in this regard. In particular, we have active cooperation with the international organisation for migration. The main thrusts of our cooperation with IOM are served as a basis for the plan of practical activities, or roadmap, on developing cooperation with IOM in 2018-2019. This was approved by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan on 27 June 2018, and it became a logical continuation of the Uzbekistan UN Roadmap, already approved. The protocol of the roadmap between Uzbekistan and IOM serves as a basis for Uzbekistan's accession to IOM, as well as for opening a representative office of the organisation in the Republic. Your Excellency Antonio Vittorino, dear IOM member states and participants, ladies and gentlemen, in line with the application of the government of Uzbekistan of 5 November 2018, with the intention to join IOM as a member state, we have accomplished internal procedures on administrative formalities, in line with the clause of the IOM constitution. Once joining IOM as a member state, the Republic of Uzbekistan undertakes the obligation to fulfil the financial contributions to the organisation in accordance with administrative requirements of IOM. The full membership of Uzbekistan in IOM will launch a new era in ensuring the rights of migrants, citizens of the Republic abroad. It will also become a big step towards developing international cooperation in the sphere of migration, not only between Uzbekistan and IOM, but throughout the region. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I thank His Excellency, the Deputy Minister of Uzbekistan for his statement, and now I give the floor to the Director General. You have the floor. To give me the microphone. Of course, the floor and the microphone please. Thank you. Mr. Chair, Excellencies, just in this moment just to welcome the Republic of Uzbekistan. In fact, as the Deputy Minister has just said, this full membership is built upon the very intense and positive cooperation that IOM has developed with the Republic of Uzbekistan even before this crucial moment, and we see it as another step towards the objective of the organisation, which is to become a universal organisation. Even more that Uzbekistan is placed in a region with relevant migratory flows that are a top priority for the work that IOM develops on the ground. Therefore, I would just like to say that we have very much obliged with decision taken by the authorities of the Republic of Uzbekistan to join us. We look forward to the full completion of the necessary proceedings to become a full membership, and we will be there to support Uzbekistan in the management of migratory flows. We thank the trust of the Government of the Republic of Afghanistan, and we thank the endorsement by all IOM member states of the accession of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Thank you so much. Thank you, Director General.