NATO’s relations with Uzbekistan
Left - Foreign Minister Saidkasimov signing the Partnership for Peace Framework Document.
Dialogue between NATO and Uzbekistan is continuing, with a view to overcoming recent difficulties. The Alliance welcomes the country’s attendance at Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council meetings and its engagement in discussions with Allies and Partners. While cooperative activities with Uzbekistan had been promising, progress has slowed since 2005. Nevertheless, practical cooperation continues in areas such as education and training of personnel and civil emergency planning.
Uzbekistan joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace in 1995 and relations should be understood in the context of the Partnership for Peace Framework Document. The values and principles of NATO’s Partnership for Peace are clear: they include a commitment to the promotion of democratic societies, freedom from coercion and intimidation, and an adherence to the rule of law.
NATO called for a full independent international investigation following the May 2005 events in Andijan, Uzbekistan. Following these events, the Allies have pursued a twin-track approach: keeping open channels of communication, practical cooperation and dialogue; while also enhancing efforts to promote democracy and foster defence reform in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan also has the potential to play an important role as a neighbour of Afghanistan.
How does cooperation work in practice?
The belief that there is value in communication and practical cooperation is put into practice in several ways. Dialogue takes place within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). The NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, Ambassador Robert F. Simmons, conducts high-level political dialogue with Uzbek authorities through regular visits to the country. The NATO Liaison Officer in Central Asia also visits Tashkent regularly and reviews cooperation with the government.
NATO and Uzbekistan are developing practical cooperation in a number of areas through the country’s Individual Partnership Programme (IPP).
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How did relations with Uzbekistan evolve?
NATO-Uzbekistan relations began in 1992, when Uzbekistan joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (later replaced by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997). Relations further developed in 1995, when Uzbekistan signed up to the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme, and in 2002, when the country acceded to the Planning and Review Process (PARP).
The process of supporting Uzbekistan’s domestic reforms intensified, and the country’s role in PfP activities continued to increase until 2005, when cooperation slowed. For a period Uzbekistan had not participated in EAPC meetings, but now NATO and Uzbekistan engage in regular dialogue through the EAPC, and cooperate in a number of specific fields.
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