diff --git a/package/yast2-country.changes b/package/yast2-country.changes
index 7690ce73..cbb0ca36 100644
--- a/package/yast2-country.changes
+++ b/package/yast2-country.changes
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+Tue Aug  3 16:38:40 UTC 2021 - José Iván López González <jlopez@suse.com>
+
+- AutoYaST: allow empty /profile/timezone/timezone setting,
+  meaning to keep the UTC default (bsc#1188406).
+- 4.2.22
+
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 Tue Jun 15 09:17:24 UTC 2021 - Imobach Gonzalez Sosa <igonzalezsosa@suse.com>
 
@@ -3448,4 +3455,3 @@ Fri Jun 28 14:38:44 CEST 2002 - fehr@suse.de
 Mon Jun 24 10:38:11 CEST 2002 - kkaempf@suse.de
 
 - Initial version, merge console, keyboard, language, and timezone.
-
diff --git a/package/yast2-country.spec b/package/yast2-country.spec
index 1f8a8c93..b1cb865f 100644
--- a/package/yast2-country.spec
+++ b/package/yast2-country.spec
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 
 
 Name:           yast2-country
-Version:        4.2.21
+Version:        4.2.22
 Release:        0
 Summary:        YaST2 - Country Settings (Language, Keyboard, and Timezone)
 License:        GPL-2.0-only
diff --git a/timezone/src/modules/Timezone.rb b/timezone/src/modules/Timezone.rb
index 25ebde68..4c151475 100644
--- a/timezone/src/modules/Timezone.rb
+++ b/timezone/src/modules/Timezone.rb
@@ -837,27 +837,7 @@ def Save
         return
       end
 
-      cmd = if Stage.initial
-        # do use --root option, running in chroot does not work
-        "/usr/bin/systemd-firstboot --root '#{Installation.destdir}' --timezone '#{@timezone}'"
-      else
-        # this sets both the locale (see "man localectl")
-        "/usr/bin/timedatectl set-timezone #{@timezone}"
-      end
-      log.info "Making timezone setting persistent: #{cmd}"
-      result = if Stage.initial
-        WFM.Execute(path(".local.bash_output"), cmd)
-      else
-        SCR.Execute(path(".target.bash_output"), cmd)
-      end
-      if result["exit"] != 0
-        log.error "Timezone configuration not written. Failed to execute '#{cmd}'"
-        log.error "output: #{result.inspect}"
-        # TRANSLATORS: the "%s" is replaced by the executed command
-        Report.Error(_("Could not save the timezone setting, the command\n%s\nfailed.") % cmd)
-      else
-        log.info "output: #{result.inspect}"
-      end
+      write_timezone
 
       SCR.Write(path(".sysconfig.clock.DEFAULT_TIMEZONE"), @default_timezone)
 
@@ -1125,6 +1105,40 @@ def windows_architecture?
     def disk_analyzer
       Y2Storage::StorageManager.instance.probed_disk_analyzer
     end
+
+    # Writes the timezone configuration
+    def write_timezone
+      if @timezone.nil? || @timezone.strip.empty?
+        log.warn("Timezone configuration not written. No value was given.")
+        return
+      end
+
+      cmd = if Stage.initial
+        # do use --root option, running in chroot does not work
+        "/usr/bin/systemd-firstboot --root '#{Installation.destdir}' --timezone '#{@timezone}'"
+      else
+        # this sets both the locale (see "man localectl")
+        "/usr/bin/timedatectl set-timezone #{@timezone}"
+      end
+
+      log.info "Making timezone setting persistent: #{cmd}"
+
+      result = if Stage.initial
+        WFM.Execute(path(".local.bash_output"), cmd)
+      else
+        SCR.Execute(path(".target.bash_output"), cmd)
+      end
+
+      if result["exit"] != 0
+        log.error "Timezone configuration not written. Failed to execute '#{cmd}'"
+        log.error "output: #{result.inspect}"
+
+        # TRANSLATORS: the "%s" is replaced by the executed command
+        Report.Error(_("Could not save the timezone setting, the command\n%s\nfailed.") % cmd)
+      else
+        log.info "output: #{result.inspect}"
+      end
+    end
   end
 
   Timezone = TimezoneClass.new
diff --git a/timezone/test/Timezone_test.rb b/timezone/test/Timezone_test.rb
index d6698475..5008b24b 100755
--- a/timezone/test/Timezone_test.rb
+++ b/timezone/test/Timezone_test.rb
@@ -541,4 +541,75 @@
       expect(subject.UpdateTimezone("US/Pacific")).to eq "America/Los_Angeles"
     end
   end
+
+  describe "#Save" do
+    before do
+      allow(Yast::SCR).to receive(:Write)
+
+      allow(Yast::Mode).to receive(:mode).and_return(mode)
+    end
+
+    context "when the system is being updated" do
+      let(:mode) { "update" }
+
+      it "does not write the timezone" do
+        expect(Yast::WFM).to_not receive(:Execute)
+        expect(Yast::SCR).to_not receive(:Execute)
+
+        subject.Save
+      end
+    end
+
+    context "when the system is not being updated" do
+      let(:mode) { "autoinstallation" }
+
+      before do
+        allow(Yast::SCR).to receive(:Write)
+
+        allow(subject).to receive(:ReadAdjTime).and_return(nil)
+
+        allow(subject).to receive(:CallMkinitrd)
+
+        subject.Import(settings)
+      end
+
+
+      context "and no timezone value is given" do
+        let(:settings) { { "hwclock" => "UTC", "timezone" => "" } }
+
+        it "does not write the timezone" do
+          expect(Yast::WFM).to_not receive(:Execute)
+          expect(Yast::SCR).to_not receive(:Execute)
+
+          subject.Save
+        end
+      end
+
+      context "and a timezone value is given" do
+        let(:settings) { {"hwclock" => "UTC", "timezone" => "US/Pacific"} }
+
+        context "and it is running in the initial stage" do
+          let(:initial) { true }
+
+          it "uses systemd-firstboot command to set the timezone" do
+            expect(Yast::WFM).to receive(:Execute).with(anything, /systemd-firstboot/)
+              .and_return("exit" => 0)
+
+            subject.Save
+          end
+        end
+
+        context "and it is not running in the initial stage" do
+          let(:initial) { false }
+
+          it "uses timedatectl command to set the timezone" do
+            expect(Yast::SCR).to receive(:Execute).with(anything, /timedatectl/)
+              .and_return("exit" => 0)
+
+            subject.Save
+          end
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
 end