Foreign relations of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan joined the Commonwealth of Independent States in December 1991. However, it is opposed to reintegration and withdrew from the CIS collective security arrangement in 1999. Since that time, Uzbekistan has participated in the CIS peacekeeping force in Tajikistan and in United Nations-organized groups to help solve the Tajik and Afghan conflicts, both of which it sees as posing threats to its own stability. Uzbekistan is an active supporter of U.S. efforts against worldwide terrorism and joined the coalitions which have dealt with both Afghanistan and Iraq (although, in 2005, relations with the U.S. were strained after the May 2005 unrest and Uzbekistan demanded that the U.S. leave Karshi-Khanabad). It is a member of the United Nations, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Partnership for Peace, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It belongs to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Economic Cooperation Organization, which comprises 7 Central Asian countries: Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It is a founding member of and remains involved in the Central Asian Union, formed with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, joined in March 1998 by Tajikistan.

In 1999, Uzbekistan joined the GUAM alliance (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova), which was formed in 1997 (temporarily making it GUUAM until Uzbekistan withdrew in 2005). Uzbekistan is also a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and hosts the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent. Uzbekistan is also candidate state of the new Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). It is a founding member of and remains involved in the Central Asian Union, formed with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, joined in March 1998 by Tajikistan.

Turunen visit to Uzbekistan

Antti Turunen, the head of the Finnish Foreign Ministry's Eastern European and Central Asian department, led a European Union fact-finding mission to Tashkent, Uzbekistan on August 29, 2006. The Uzbek deputy foreign minister indicated that the Uzbek government was interested in talks with the EU during a visit to Helsinki, Finland in June 2006, just before Finland assumed the EU presidency. Radio Free Europe journalists spoke to Turunen on September 1. Turunen said the visit was inconclusive, but promising enough for the EU to "analyze" to see if the sanctions imposed on Uzbekistan could be lifted. Turunen's visit to Uzbekistan was the first EU visit since October, when sanctions were imposed after the Uzbek government refused to allow an international investigation into the Andijan massacre.^[1]

The diplomatic sanctions consisted of a ban on political contacts, aid cuts, and visa bans on officials held responsible for the events in Andijan and their cover-up. Turunen said, "There are many, many open cases on human rights, and we have to now carefully look into what has really been done and what recommendations of [the] international community have been implemented. They indicated [then] that there would be possibilities to again resume ministerial level dialogue, that they might be willing to again discuss all aspects of EU-Uzbek relations, including the events in Andijan. That will be part of the assessment of the sanctions regime and on the basis of that assessment a decision on the fate of the sanctions will be made by mid-November."^[1]

 

Embassy of Uzbekistan in Washington, D.C.

Turunen said that the visit went "smoothly" and that Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov offered a "warm reception." The EU delegation met with officials from the Justice Ministry, the Attorney General's office, and Uzbek parliament members in a "rather good" atmosphere. He stressed that "the real issue" for the EU is the Uzbek government's response to the Andijan massacre and human rights abuses. "Well, it seems that at the moment the issue with the international inquiry is not on the agenda as such. They are to a certain extent open to discuss on expert level the events that took place in Andijan and we have to now see what this amounts to, what concrete steps towards that direction could be taken. The other issue is they are now willing to engage on human rights, to establish some kind of human rights dialogue or regular meetings on human rights issues which, in itself, is a positive signal."^[1]

Although he was unsure what prompted the invitation to EU officials, he said Uzbekistan is trying to overcome its isolation. He said Russia-Uzbek relations and possible EU development of Uzbek energy reserves were not "directly" discussed but that "one might assume in the longer run they look forward to EU investment in this area." If the sanctions are lifted, a "Cooperation Council" meeting with Foreign Minister Norov will take place in Brussels later this autumn.^[1]

Legal agreements with the Persian Gulf states

On 31 March 2009, Uzbekistan and the Sultanate of Oman agreed upon a legal framework that protects Omani investments in central Asia and guarantees trade from both nations is free from double taxation. The Sultanate's government has been pursuing economic diversification and privatisation policies for nearly a decade, having signed similar agreement with thirty of its other trading partners.^[2]

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Uzbekistan maintains diplomatic relations with:

#	Country	Date^[3]
1	Australia	26 December 1991
2	China	2 January 1992
3	Vietnam	17 January 1992
4	Egypt	23 January 1992
5	Mongolia	25 January 1992
6	Denmark	25 January 1992
7	Japan	26 January 1992
8	South Korea	29 January 1992
9	North Korea	7 February 1992
10	United Kingdom	18 February 1992
11	United States	19 February 1992
12	Saudi Arabia	20 February 1992
13	Malaysia	21 February 1992
14	Israel	21 February 1992
15	Finland	26 February 1992
16	France	1 March 1992
17	Hungary	3 March 1992
18	Turkey	4 March 1992
19	Germany	6 March 1992
20	Belgium	10 March 1992
21	New Zealand	11 March 1992
22	Greece	16 March 1992
23	Mexico	16 March 1992
24	Spain	17 March 1992
25	India	18 March 1992
26	Poland	19 March 1992
27	Russia	20 March 1992
28	Italy	24 March 1992
29	Austria	25 March 1992
30	Canada	7 April 1992
31	Sweden	8 April 1992
32	Philippines	13 April 1992
33	Oman	22 April 1992
34	Syria	24 April 1992
35	Thailand	6 May 1992
36	Switzerland	7 May 1992
37	Iran	10 May 1992
38	Pakistan	10 May 1992
39	Yemen	25 May 1992
40	Bahrain	29 May 1992
41	Luxembourg	10 June 1992
42	Norway	10 June 1992
43	Indonesia	23 June 1992
44	Algeria	30 June 1992
45	Lithuania	5 August 1992
46	Portugal	12 August 1992
47	South Africa	12 August 1992
48	Ukraine	25 August 1992
49	Nigeria	28 August 1992
50	Laos	10 September 1992
51	Bulgaria	12 September 1992^[4]
52	Afghanistan	13 October 1992
53	Bangladesh	15 October 1992
—	Holy See	17 October 1992
54	Tajikistan	20 October 1992
55	Kazakhstan	23 October 1992
56	United Arab Emirates	25 October 1992
57	Latvia	3 November 1992
58	Netherlands	24 November 1992
59	Tunisia	26 November 1992
60	Czech Republic	1 January 1993
61	Slovakia	1 January 1993
62	Turkmenistan	8 January 1993
63	Belarus	21 January 1993
64	Jordan	15 February 1993
65	Kyrgyzstan	16 February 1993
66	Malta	25 February 1993
67	Brazil	30 April 1993
68	Iraq	19 June 1993
69	Guinea	24 June 1993
70	Argentina	9 September 1993
71	Morocco	11 October 1993
72	Ghana	28 October 1993
73	Albania	23 November 1993
74	Zambia	1 February 1994
75	Kuwait	8 July 1994
76	Chad	16 August 1994
77	Georgia	19 August 1994
78	Moldova	23 August 1994
79	Chile	15 September 1994
—	State of Palestine	25 September 1994
80	Estonia	25 November 1994
81	Maldives	7 December 1994
82	North Macedonia	31 December 1994
83	Slovenia	16 January 1995
84	Serbia	18 January 1995
85	Croatia	6 February 1995
86	Cambodia	7 September 1995
87	Azerbaijan	2 October 1995
88	Romania	6 October 1995
89	Senegal	6 October 1995
90	Armenia	27 October 1995
91	Venezuela	26 April 1996
92	Bosnia and Herzegovina	14 May 1996
93	Brunei	20 June 1996
94	Ethiopia	15 July 1996
95	Jamaica	8 August 1996
96	Mali	13 February 1997
97	Singapore	8 April 1997
98	Cyprus	30 May 1997
99	Iceland	25 September 1997
100	Ireland	7 November 1997
101	Qatar	27 November 1997
102	Uruguay	25 May 1998
103	Lebanon	22 October 1998
104	Mauritius	4 August 1999
105	Namibia	30 August 1999
106	Sri Lanka	11 October 1999
107	Peru	22 December 1999
108	Myanmar	8 February 2001
109	Costa Rica	7 June 2001
110	Paraguay	27 August 2001
111	Angola	31 May 2002
112	Sudan	6 January 2005
113	Comoros	21 May 2005
114	Benin	17 August 2005
115	Cuba	13 March 2006
116	Montenegro	19 December 2006
117	Guatemala	9 February 2007
118	Nicaragua	23 February 2007
119	Honduras	26 April 2007
120	Dominican Republic	28 September 2007
121	Zimbabwe	18 January 2008
122	Mauritania	2 July 2008
123	Andorra	1 December 2009
124	Fiji	16 June 2010
125	Libya	27 October 2010
126	Ecuador	17 July 2011
127	Colombia	2 October 2012
128	Bolivia	28 November 2012
129	Monaco	29 November 2013
130	El Salvador	3 December 2014
131	Nepal	26 January 2018
132	Grenada	11 October 2019
133	San Marino	3 February 2021
134	Dominica	14 May 2021
135	Panama	29 November 2021
136	Saint Kitts and Nevis	9 March 2022
137	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	10 May 2022
138	Antigua and Barbuda	13 June 2022
139	Guyana	10 October 2022
140	Sierra Leone	28 April 2023
141	Trinidad and Tobago	15 June 2023
142	Uganda	18 January 2024
143	Belize	5 March 2024
144	Liechtenstein	5 March 2024

Relations by country

Country	Formal relations began	Notes
Afghanistan		See Afghanistan–Uzbekistan relations
Albania	1993	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 23 November 1993.^[5]
Armenia	1995	The countries established diplomatic relations on 27 October 1995 by protocol.^[5]^[6] Uzbekistan is represented in Armenia through its embassy in Moscow, Russia.^[7] Both countries are members of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Commonwealth of Independent States Free Trade Area.
Azerbaijan	1995	The countries established diplomatic relations on 2 October 1995 by protocol.^[8] Azerbaijan has an embassy in Tashkent.^[8] Uzbekistan has an embassy in Baku.^[8]
Belarus	1992	Belarus has an embassy in Tashkent.^[9] Uzbekistan has an embassy in Minsk. Both countries are full members of the Eurasian Economic Community, of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and of the Commonwealth of Independent States
Bulgaria	1992-09-12	See Bulgaria–Uzbekistan relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Tashkent.^[10] Uzbekistan is represented in Bulgaria through a non resident ambassador based in Tashkent (in the Foreign Ministry.)^[11]
Burkina Faso	1992	Burkina Faso recognized the independence of Uzbekistan on January 25, 1992.^[12]
China	3 January 1992^[13]	See China–Uzbekistan relations Uzbekistan has an embassy in Beijing and two consulate-generals in Guangzhou and Shanghai. China has an embassy in Tashkent.
Comoros	2005	Both countries established diplomatic relations on May 21, 2005.^[14] Both countries are full members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Cuba	2006	Both countries established diplomatic relations on March 13, 2006.^[15] Uzbekistan is accredited to Cuba from its embassy in the United States. Cuba is accredited to Uzbekistan from its embassy in Azerbaijan. In May 1963, Fidel Castro visited the Uzbek SSR on an official visit, being bosted by the Uzbek Communist First Secretary Sharof Rashidov.^[16] In 2016, Cuba became the only country in the world (other than Uzbekistan itself) that declared an official period of mourning in connection with the death of President Islam Karimov, with many speculating that this was because of Castro's reported liking towards the late Uzbek leader.^[17]^[18]^[19]
Djibouti	1992	Djibouti recognized the independence of Uzbekistan on January 6, 1992. However both countries have not yet established diplomatic relations.^[14]
Germany	1992	See Germany–Uzbekistan relations Germany has an embassy in Tashkent. Uzbekistan has an embassy in Berlin and a consulate general in Frankfurt.
India	18 March 1992	See India–Uzbekistan relations India has an embassy in Tashkent. Uzbekistan has an embassy in New Delhi.
Indonesia	23 June 1992	See Indonesia–Uzbekistan relations Indonesia has an embassy in Tashkent that is also accredited to Tajikistan. Uzbekistan has an embassy in Jakarta.
Iran	1991	The two countries have deep cultural and historical ties, and Uzbekistan is considered as a part of Greater Iran. Iran has been especially active in pursuing economic projects and social, cultural, and diplomatic initiatives in Uzbekistan. The two nations have also worked on overland links and other joint ventures. The countries' conflicting political set-ups (Iran's Islamic theocracy versus Uzbekistan's secular republic) does not appear to have deterred efforts to improve relations.^[20]
Japan	26 January 1992^[21]	Japan opened an embassy in Tashkent in January 1993. Uzbekistan opened an embassy in Tokyo in February 1996 Ministerial level visits are frequent between the two countries.
Kyrgyzstan		See Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan relations Uzbekistan dominates southern Kyrgyzstan both economically and politically, based on the large Uzbek population in that region of Kyrgyzstan and on economic and geographic conditions.^[22]
Malaysia	1992^[23]	See Malaysia–Uzbekistan relations Malaysia has an embassy in Tashkent. Uzbekistan has an embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Mexico	14 January 1992	Mexico is accredited to Uzbekistan from its embassy in Tehran, Iran.^[24] Uzbekistan is accredited to Mexico from its Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City, United States.^[25]
Mauritania	2 July 2008	Both countries established diplomatic relations on July 2, 2008.^[12] Both countries are full members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Pakistan		See Pakistan–Uzbekistan relations Relations between the two states were established when the republic of Uzbekistan became independent following the collapse of the USSR, the relations between the two countries were initially strained by the situation in Afghanistan which both countries border as they supported different Afghan factions.^[26] However relations improved after the fall of the Taliban, both countries seeking to improve relations for the sake of trade, Pakistan wishing to gain access to Central Asian markets and landlocked Uzbekistan to access ports on the Indian Ocean.^[26]
Poland	1992-03-19	See Poland–Uzbekistan relations Poland has an embassy in Tashkent. Uzbekistan has an embassy in Warsaw and an honorary consulate in Poznań.^[27]
Romania	1995-10-06	See Romania–Uzbekistan relations Romania recognized Uzbekistan's independence on December 20, 1991. Romania has an embassy in Tashkent, although Uzbekistan does not have any representation in Romania. Romania sees Uzbekistan as a potentially important partner in Central Asia, where it is trying to increase its standing, while Uzbekistan hopes to receive increased access to technology and European markets via Romania.^[28]
Russia	1992	Main article: Russia–Uzbekistan relations Uzbekistan has an embassy in Moscow Russia has an embassy in Tashkent. Uzbekistan was once a former Soviet Socialist republic. It still has strong ties to Russia and the West. In the aftermath of the May 2005 unrest, Uzbekistan demanded that the United States leave the base at Karshi-Khanabad. In November 2005, both presidents Islam Karimov and Vladimir Putin had signed a mutual cooperation agreement in Moscow.
South Korea	29 January 1992^[29]	See South Korea–Uzbekistan relations Number of Ethnic Koreans living in Uzbekistan: About 180,000 (Largest number among the CIS nations).^[29]
Spain		See Spain–Uzbekistan relations
Tajikistan		Main article: Tajikistan–Uzbekistan relations Tajikistan has an embassy in Tashkent. Uzbekistan has an embassy in Dushanbe. Western analysts say that the two countries are "engaged in an undeclared cold war".^[30] Both countries are full members of the Eurasian Economic Community, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Turkey	March 4, 1992^[31]	See Turkey–Uzbekistan relations Uzbekistan has an embassy in Ankara and a Consulate General in Istanbul Turkey has an embassy in Tashkent and a Consulate General in Samarkand since 7 March 2021^[32] Both countries are members of Asia Cooperation Dialogue, Economic Cooperation Organization, International Organization of Turkic Culture, OIC, TAKM, Turkic Council, TURKPA, OSCE and WTO. Trade volume between the two countries was US$2.3 billion in 2019 (Uzbek exports/imports: 1.14/1.23 billion USD.^[33] Turkey was the first country that recognized Uzbekistan's independence in 1991.
Turkmenistan		Main article: Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan relations
Ukraine	1992	Main article: Ukraine–Uzbekistan relations Inter-parliamentary cooperation with the Republic of Uzbekistan is currently in the making. The deputy group of friendship with the Republic of Uzbekistan was established in the Verkhovna Rada. Uzbekistan has clearly expressed its position on the events in Ukraine: the rejection of force options and the use of political efforts to resolve the problems that have arisen, through negotiations, based on the fundamental norms of international law and the UN Charter. The development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation remains one of the important areas of bilateral relations between Ukraine and the Republic of Uzbekistan. The legal framework in this sphere consists of ten bilateral agreements, the most important of which is the "Agreement between Ukraine and the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of culture." Cooperation between Ukraine and the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of science and education is carried out taking into account the ancient traditions of interaction between scientific and educational institutions, the presence of a large Ukrainian diaspora and the established legal framework.
United States	1992	See United States–Uzbekistan relations The United States recognized the independence of Uzbekistan on December 25, 1991, and opened an embassy in Tashkent in March 1992.

See also

• List of diplomatic missions in Uzbekistan
• List of diplomatic missions of Uzbekistan
• Politics of Uzbekistan

References

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External links

• Uzbekistan To Boost Cooperation With Malaysia
• EU Delegation Visits Uzbekistan