Ziroat[a] Mirziyoyeva, also widely referred to by her maiden name Hoshimova,[b] (born 4 December 1964) is the wife of the president of Uzbekistan and first lady of Uzbekistan (since 2016).
Ziroat Mirziyoyeva | |
|---|---|
Зироат Мирзиёева | |
 Mirziyoyeva in 2022 | |
| First Lady of Uzbekistan | |
| Assumed role 14 December 2016 | |
| President | Shavkat Mirziyoyev |
| Preceded by | Tatyana Karimova |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ziroat Hoshimova 4 December 1964 Fergana Region, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union |
| Spouse | Shavkat Mirziyoyev |
| Children | 3 |
Biography
editEarly years and education
editZiroat Mirziyoyeva was born Ziroat Hoshimova in the Uzbek city of Kokand into an influential and religious family. Her father was head of the Central Asian railway's supply department, which managed the 'Dorrestoran' catering and dining cars. Due to his access to deficit goods, Makhmudjon Khoshimov was a very influential and wealthy man in the Ferghana Valley. According to some reports, he owned 10 refrigerator wagons that were used to ship fruit and vegetables from the Uzbek SSR to other Soviet Union republics and to bring back manufactured goods.[6]
Mirziyoyeva enrolled at TIIAME, where she met Shavkat Mirziyoyev, an employee of the university and its Komsomol secretary. Her family initially opposed their relationship, but eventually approved the marriage.[6] When she was still a student, Mirziyoyeva had a daughter, Saida.[7] Mirziyoyeva graduated in 1986 with a degree in economics engineering. She speaks Uzbek, Russian and English.[8]
Public and political activity
editHer husband Shavkat Mirziyoyev became a deputy of the 12th convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR in 1990, then he was a khokim of one of the districts of Tashkent, a member of two convocations of the Oliy Majlis, the 3rd khokim of Jizzakh Region, the 4th khokim of Samarkand Region. After that, he was appointed Prime Minister of Uzbekistan in 2003 and retained this position until 2016.[9]
During presidency of Islam Karimov, Mirziyoyeva, as well as all her family members, lived a private life and did not participate in official events for fear of possible persecution by the president. The first mention of Ziroat Mirziyoyeva appeared in Shavkat Mirziyoyev's official biography only in November 2016, when he became a presidential candidate after Karimov's death.[6]
Later, as the wife of the president, she began to appear regularly in public and accompany Shavkat Mirziyoyev on international visits.[10] According to Radio Ozodlik, Mirziyoyeva influences appointments in the Uzbek government, with her power is particularly strong in the Ministry of Health and the pharmaceutical sector.[10]
Mirziyoyeva is the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the 'Zamin' International Public Foundation, established in 2020. The foundation leads chariy projects as well as health care, education and inclusive environment initiatives in Uzbekistan. The first project of the foundation was the provision of material assistance to 5 thousand women in the amount of 5 billion sums.[8][11]
Family
editZiroat Mirziyoyeva has three children and six grandchildren.[12] Her daughter Saida Mirziyoyeva (born 1984) has been Assistant to the President since August 2023 and thus holds the second most important post in Uzbekistan; her second daughter Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva is First Deputy Director of the National Social Security Agency. Her son Miralisher was born in 2009.[13][10][7]
Mirziyoyeva's sons-in-law Oybek Tursunov and Otabek Umarov are major businessmen who became rich after being related to the Mirziyoyev family.[10]
Mirziyoyeva has a sister Saiyora Hoshimova and a brother Muhammad Hoshimov, who became co-owner of a number of large industrial enterprises during the reign of Shavkat Mirziyoyev.[14] Saiyora's daughter Diora (Diyora) was married to the nephew of billionaire Alisher Usmanov, Babur Usmanov. A few years after his death in a road accident in 2013, Diora married Batyr Rakhimov, one of the richest men in Uzbekistan.[15]
Notes
edit- ^ A large number of sources add the honorific suffix "-xon" to her first name, spelling it Ziroatxon. However, the official website of the President of Uzbekistan spells her first name simply as Ziroat.[1] Ziroatxon is sometimes Romanized as Ziroatkhon through the Russian language.[2]
- ^ While many sources use her maiden surname, the official website of the President of Uzbekistan refers to her as Mirziyoyeva.[1] Mainstream Uzbek publications also refer to her as Ziroat Mirziyoyeva.[3][4] Her maiden last name is sometimes Romanzied as Khoshimova through Russian.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "Reception in honor of the visit". Official web-site of the President of Uzbekistan. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ "President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his wife Ziroatkhon Mirziyoyeva have got familiarized with the master plan of the city of Fuzuli". President. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ "Ziroat Mirziyoyeva calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza Strip". Kun. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ "Ziroat Mirziyoyeva plants trees together with eco-activists (with photos)". Daryo. 10 March 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ "Presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan present flowers to first ladies". Akipress. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Bakozoda, Hiromon (2017-09-12). "Первая леди Узбекистана выходит из тени?" [Is Uzbekistan's First Lady Stepping Out of the Shadows?] (in Russian). Radio Ozodi. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ a b Azat Akhunov (2023-08-20). "«Новая узбекская принцесса»: дочь президента Мирзиёева готова занять пост номер два в стране" ["New Uzbek princess": President Mirziyoyev's daughter ready to take the second highest office in the country]. Business Online (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2023-09-05. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ a b "Зироат Мирзиёева приняла участие в Международном саммите" [Ziroat Mirziyoyeva to participate in the International Summit]. Kun.uz (in Russian). 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "Shavkat Mirziyoyev bio (in rus)" (in Russian). Azattyk Radio. 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
- ^ a b c d Rickleton, Chris (16 July 2023). "It's Great To Be Us! Nepotism Runs Deep Within Uzbekistan's Powerful And Wealthy Ruling Family". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Фонд, возглавляемый Зироат Мирзиёевой начал свою работу с оказания материальной помощи 5 тысячам женщин" [The Foundation, headed by Ziroat Mirziyoyeva, began its work by providing material assistance to 5,000 women]. Kun.uz (in Russian). 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "Biography". president.uz. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "Саида – помощник, Алламжонов – руководитель департамента. Утвержден новый состав Администрации президента" [Saida - Assistant, Allamjonov - Head of Department. The new structure of the Presidential Administration was approved] (in Russian). Ozodlik Radio. 2023-08-26. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "Большая семья Мирзиёева: как разбогатели близкие и дальние родственники президента Узбекистана. Расследование" [Mirziyoyev's big family: how the Uzbek president's close and distant relatives got rich. Investigation] (in Russian). Current Time. 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "Возвращение «Батыра алюминия» в Узбекистан. Не только бизнес, но и политика" [Return of "Batyr Aluminium" to Uzbekistan. Not only business, but also politics] (in Russian). Ozodlik Radio. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2024-02-16.