Latest Articles about Uzbekistan
UZBEKISTAN: EXIT AMERICA
Tashkent's now-official switch of alliances completes the reversal of a cycle that had begun with Uzbekistan's attendance at NATO's 1999 Washington summit, its abandonment of the CIS Collective Security Treaty that same year, and accession to the U.S.-supported GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova) group. Uzbekistan... MORE
PUTIN PLEDGES TO BACK UP KARIMOV IN A CRISIS
Russia and Uzbekistan have formally signed a new military alliance agreement with far-reaching consequences for bilateral relations between the two states and for Central Asia. Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Uzbek President Islam Karimov to Moscow in order to sign the treaty on November 14.... MORE
RUSSIA’S WARMING TOWARD UZBEKISTAN MAY DAMAGE RELATIONS WITH THE WEST
As the Kremlin inked an alliance with Uzbekistan this week, the European Union banned arms sales to Tashkent and imposed visa restrictions on top Uzbek officials. While Russia may have scored a geopolitical victory in the short term, it will likely lose in the long... MORE
TAJIKISTAN BRANDS “BAYAT” A TERRORIST, RELIGIOUS, EXTREMIST, ORGANIZATION
Tajik Interior Minister Khumiddin Sharipov has declared that the extremist religious organization "Bayat" remains active in Tajikistan. "We have once again received reports that Bayat remains active. Not all of its members have been tracked down," the minister told a news conference in Dushanbe on... MORE
YULDASHEV TESTIMONY PLAYED AT ANDIJAN TRIAL
As the trial of Akramiya members entered its fifth week in Tashkent, the court heard testimony from Akram Yuldashev, the "spiritual force" allegedly behind the May uprising in Andijan. The testimony came via an amateurish videotape with poor sound quality that was reportedly made on... MORE
LAVROV IN TASHKENT: RUSSIA AND UZBEKISTAN SEARCH FOR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently visited Central Asia in a round of intensive diplomacy taking him to Ashgabat and Tashkent. In recent years such missions have been stressful affairs raising issues about Moscow's once dominant influence in the region and the need for improved... MORE
REBUFF FROM EU PUSHES KARIMOV FURTHER INTO MOSCOW’S ARMS
Meeting October 3 Luxembourg, the European Union Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs voted to impose sanctions against Uzbekistan. They banned the sale of weapons and military equipment to Tashkent, specifically anything that the army could use for "internal repressions," and sought to also reduce... MORE
ANDIJAN TRIAL OPENS IN TASHKENT WITH SHAKY GOVERNMENT CASE
The trial of 12 Uzbek citizens and three Kyrgyz citizens accused of organizing the May uprising in Andijan, Uzbekistan, opened in Tashkent on September 15. The 15 defendants are accused of terrorism, murder, taking hostages, trying to organize an anti-constitutional coup, and receiving $200,000 from... MORE
CHANCE MISSED TO SAVE KARSHI-KHANABAD
On September 27-28, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried headed an interagency delegation to Tashkent on the first leg of a Central Asian tour. A hoped-for Uzbek consent to continued American use of the irreplaceable Karshi-Khanabad (K-2) air base did not materialize during this... MORE
UNPRECEDENTED UZBEK-RUSSIAN JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE HELD
On September 21-23, for the first time since 1991, Uzbekistan hosted a joint military exercise with Russian troops on its territory. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Islam Karimov ordered the holding of the exercise in their capacity as commanders-in-chief, and Defense Ministers Sergei Ivanov and Kadyr... MORE