☰ Contents · History of Uzbekistan

The foundations of foreign policy

Lessons 17 · 1 lessons · N. Jo‘rayev, A. Zamonov. History of Uzbekistan (the period of independence): textbook for Grade 11 pupils of secondary schools and for secondary specialised and vocational institutions. 1st edition. G‘afur G‘ulom Publishing and Printing Creative House, Tashkent, 2018
17

The formation of foreign policy and its priorities

Textbook: pp. 109–112
GoalExplain Uzbekistan’s geopolitical position and the legal basis and main principles of its foreign policy.
New words
geopolitical position: how a country’s location shapes its international relations · geosiyosiy holatdiplomatic relations: official ties between states, usually with embassies · diplomatik munosabatlarsovereign equality: all states have equal rights under international law · suveren tenglikmilitary-political bloc: an alliance of states for defence or joint action · harbiy-siyosiy blok
Explanation

Uzbekistan lies in the centre of Central Asia, bordering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan; it has no access to the ocean and neither do its neighbours (it is “doubly landlocked”), so transport corridors and agreement with neighbours matter greatly. Its favourable features are the Silk Road tradition, a central position in the region, natural resources and a large population; the difficulties are distance from the sea, limited water resources, the Aral Sea crisis and the situation in Afghanistan. The legal basis of foreign policy is the Constitution and the Concept of Foreign Policy approved in September 2012, which calls Central Asia the area of Uzbekistan’s vital interests and stresses that the region’s problems should mainly be solved by the region’s own states. The main principles are the sovereign equality of states, inviolability of borders, non-interference in internal affairs, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-use of force, respect for human rights and the priority of international law. The 2012 Concept stated that Uzbekistan would not take part in military-political blocs, would not allow foreign military bases on its territory and would not send its Armed Forces on peacekeeping operations abroad; according to the textbook diplomatic relations had been established with more than 130 states by 2018.

Worked examples
Example: routes through Kazakhstan to Russian ports and through Turkmenistan and Iran towards the sea are important for exports, because the country itself is far from the sea.
Example: the signing of a border treaty with a neighbour is a practical expression of the principle of inviolability of borders.
Class activity

Geopolitical scales: groups mark Uzbekistan’s five neighbours on a map and write one opportunity and one difficulty for cooperation with each.

Practice
1
Which states border Uzbekistan?
2
In which year was the foreign policy Concept approved and what attitude to Central Asia does it express?
3
Why does the lack of sea access affect foreign policy?
4
State three military provisions of the 2012 Concept.