Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova commented on the statements of Russian historian Mikhail Smolin that the Uzbek nation did not exist before the revolution.

Russian historian Mikhail Smolin, speaking in a program on NTV, said that before the 1917 revolution, Uzbeks did not exist as a nation.

He gave examples of other regions, such as Kazakhstan, and argued that nationalities such as the Uzbeks and Azerbaijanis were created after the revolution from several Central Asian peoples.

Zakharova emphasized that these statements are subjective and have no relation to historical realities.

“The mentioned odious statements are purely subjective in nature, having nothing to do with the realities that were just mentioned, and remain entirely on the conscience of the author,” Zakharova noted.

She also emphasized the close historical, human and humanitarian ties between Russia and the Central Asian republics.