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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Uzbekistan
Index
The United States recognized Uzbekistan as an independent state in
December 1991; diplomatic relations were established in February 1992,
following a visit by Secretary of State James Baker to the republic, and
the United States opened an embassy in Tashkent the following month.
During 1992, a variety of United States aid programs were launched.
Operation Provide Hope delivered an estimated US$6 million of food and
medical supplies for emergency relief of civilians affected by the Tajik
civil war; the Peace Corps sent its first group of about fifty volunteers
to Uzbekistan; an agreement with the Overseas Private Investment
Corporation (OPIC) began encouraging United States private investment in
Uzbekistan by providing direct loans and loan guarantees and helping to
match projects with potential investors; and humanitarian and technical
assistance began to move to a wide range of recipients. In 1993 the United
States granted Uzbekistan most-favored-nation trade status, which went
into force in January 1994. In March 1994, a bilateral assistance
agreement and an open lands agreement were signed. In 1995 a variety of
investment and other treaties were under discussion, and several United
States non-governmental organizations were initiating joint projects
throughout Uzbekistan.
In the first two years of Uzbekistan's independence, the United States
provided roughly US$17 million in humanitarian assistance andUS$13 million
in technical assistance. For a time, continued human rights violations in
Uzbekistan led to significant restrictions in the bilateral relationship,
and Uzbekistan received significantly less United States assistance than
many of the other former Soviet republics. Because Uzbekistan was slow to
adopt fundamental economic reforms, nonhumanitarian United States
assistance was largely restricted to programs that support the building of
democratic institutions and market reform. By the end of 1995, however,
United States-Uzbekistan relations were improving, and significantly more
bilateral economic activity was expected in 1996.
Data as of March 1996
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