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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Uzbekistan
Index
Because of Uzbekistan's long historical and cultural ties to the
Persian, Turkish, and Arab worlds, its immediate neighbors to the
south--Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey--were the natural direction for expanded
foreign relations. Although cultural relations with formerly dominant Iran
and Turkey ended with the Soviet Revolution in 1917, Uzbekistan's
relations with its southern neighbors increased dramatically after
independence. Iran and Turkey have been especially active in pursuing
economic projects and social, cultural, and diplomatic initiatives in
Uzbekistan. Turkey was the first country to recognize Uzbekistan and among
the first to open an embassy in Tashkent. The Turks made early commitments
for expansion of trade and cooperation, including the promise to fund
2,000 scholarships for Uzbek students to study in Turkey. Uzbekistan also
has been the recipient of most of the US$700 million in credits that
Turkey has given the new Central Asian states.
Although initially apprehensive about the spread of an Iranian-style
Islamic fundamentalist movement in Central Asia, Uzbekistan also has found
mutual economic interests with Iran, and the two have pursued overland
links and other joint ventures. Relations with Pakistan have followed
suit, with particular commercial interest in hydroelectric power, gas
pipelines, and other projects. And a meeting of the heads of state of
Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey in Turkmenistan in early 1995 underscored the
continuing interest of those countries in the Central Asian region as a
whole.
One forum that has emerged as a potentially important structure for
cooperation among these countries has been the Economic Cooperation
Organization (ECO--see Glossary), a loose regional economic organization
to foster trade and cooperation among its members in the Middle East and
South Asia. Although during its almost two decades of existence ECO has
achieved little concrete economic cooperation, in November 1992 the
inclusion of the five new Central Asian states, Afghanistan, and
Azerbaijan brought significant efforts to reinvigorate the organization.
At a meeting in Quetta, Pakistan, in February 1993, an ambitious plan was
announced to create a new regional economic bloc among ECO's members by
the year 2000. The plan calls for expanding ties in all economic sectors,
in training, and in tourism; setting up an effective transportation
infrastructure; and ultimately abolishing restrictions limiting the free
flow of people and commodities. Energy trade also is to be expanded
through the laying of oil and gas pipelines and power transmission lines
throughout the region. Given ECO's past performance, however, in 1996 the
potential for fulfillment of such plans was quite unclear.
Trade and cooperation agreements have also been signed with Saudi
Arabia, Jordan, and other Middle Eastern states. The pragmatic rather than
religious background of such endeavors is underscored by Uzbekistan's
rapidly expanding ties with Israel, a nation that shares none of the
history and culture of Uzbekistan. Following a visit of Israeli Foreign
Minister Shimon Peres to Uzbekistan in July 1994, Israel and Uzbekistan
signed agreements expanding commercial relations, protecting foreign
investments and the development of business ties, aviation links, and
tourism. In the early 1990s, Israel's long participation in Uzbekistani
irrigation projects has been supplemented by aid projects in health care,
industry, and the two countries' common battle against radical Islamic
groups.
Data as of March 1996
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