The event was dedicated to mark several significant dates in the United Kingdom, including 21 April which was the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II; 23 April to commemorate the patron saint of England; St George’s Day, and 23 April, Shakespeare’s birthday and the 400th anniversary of his death.

The Embassy organized different competitions and quizzes for the visitors to the Library in order for them to become acquainted with the culture, traditions and literary heritage of the United Kingdom. Over fifty people participated in the event and the most active participants received prizes from the Embassy. The event was hosted by the Director of the Library, Mr. Asadjon Khodjaev, Her Majesty’s Ambassador Chris Allan and Deputy Head of Mission Ms Fiona Maxton.

In her opening speech Deputy Head of Mission Ms Fiona Maxton noted: “We are happy to be celebrating the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, St George’s Day and Shakespeare’s birthday here at the National Library. The UK is a country with a long and great history and traditions. Shakespeare the greatest English poet and playwright, made a tremendous contribution to the development of the English language, similarly to Alisher Navoi, after whom this library is named”.

In his closing remarks, Her Majesty’s Ambassador Chris Allan commented on efforts being made by Uzbek people to learn English language and culture, traditions and the literary heritage of the UK. He also expressed his desire to continue good relations with the National Library of Uzbekistan to organise more cultural and educational events in future.