On January 23 in Tashkent, Presidents Dmitry Medvedev of Russia and Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan firmed up bilateral agreements that strengthen Russia’s monopoly on Uzbek exports of natural gas. Their quid-pro-quo involves a steep increase in Gazprom’s purchase price for Uzbek gas in return for... MORE

Uzbekistan’s recent decision to leave the Moscow-orchestrated Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) hardly surprised anyone in the Kazakh Foreign Ministry who was familiar with Uzbek President Islom Karimov’s constantly changing attitudes toward political and economic structures within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and his deep... MORE

The Uzbek government's decision to withdraw from the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) is yet another example of Uzbekistan's determination to remain focused on what has come to be known as the "Uzbek Path." The EAEC website announced on November 12 that it had received a... MORE

In the midst of the evolving new “Great Game” between the U.S. and Russia for control of Central Asia and its energy and mineralogical riches, an interesting but largely overlooked collateral development is the deepening parallel bilateral relations between regional states. One of the most... MORE

The Kremlin has moved to strengthen ties with Uzbekistan, Central Asia's most populous nation, through the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) as well as major energy projects. CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha was in Tashkent from April 27 to 29 to meet top Uzbekistan... MORE

Initiatives from NATO’s Partners for Peace (PFP) during the NATO summit in Bucharest from April 2 to 4 tended to be eclipsed by the alliance’s preoccupation with enlargement. Afghanistan was, and will remain for some time, the critical test for the long-term credibility of NATO... MORE

More than two years after being forced to evacuate its facility at Karshi-Khanabad (K-2), the U.S. Air Force once again has access to Uzbek air assets, as Tashkent has agreed to allow U.S. military aircraft to use aerial facilities at Termez on a “case by... MORE

Robert Simmons, the NATO secretary-general's special representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia, told a news conference in Moscow on March 5 that the Alliance welcomed Uzbekistan's willingness to provide its military base at “Khanabad” for use by some NATO states. The confusion over... MORE

Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov made an official visit to Moscow on February 6, responding to an earlier invitation from President Vladimir Putin. This was Karimov’s first trip abroad since his re-election in December 2007. The cordial atmosphere was well publicized and consistent with the continuing... MORE

As Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov was formally inaugurated for another term as the country’s leader on January 16, his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, lost little time extending his congratulations. "Your authority, energy, and determination will guarantee the further social and economic development of Uzbekistan," Putin... MORE