Ricardo Ruiz de la Serna
Professor of Modern World History / CEU-San Pablo University
Uzbekistan has been undergoing profound political, economic and social reforms for seven years now. In 2016, the heart of Central Asia embarked on a process of modernisation led by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. One of the major themes of his second presidential term, which began in 2021, is constitutional reform.
Following the referendum of 30 April, in which most of the amendments to the constitutional text were approved, early presidential elections will be held on 9 July as the culmination of the profound transformation the country is undergoing.
This reform cycle is placing the country in a position of international leadership. The Uzbek model of international relations is based on the promotion of peace and respect for international law, which is reflected in Articles 17 and 18 of the Constitution, which recognise the equality of states on the basis of sovereignty and respect for their territorial integrity and condemn the threat and use of force. From this point on, Uzbekistan claims peaceful resolution of disputes and the principle of non-interference in the affairs of other states. Rising geopolitical tensions in both East and West Eurasia make these principles enshrined in the constitution all the more important.
Mirziyoyev’s arrival in the presidential office ushered in a period of normalisation of relations with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and channelled numerous problems such as border disputes, cooperation on water use and development, and transport and visa policy. The changes in Uzbekistan are transforming the entire region. A privileged instrument in this cycle of regional modernisation is the consultative meetings between Central Asian heads of state. Four have been held between 2018 and 2022 and have led to the signing of political agreements and ‘roadmaps’ for cooperation, for example on environmental issues. Thus, in Central Asia, a real ‘security community’ is being built around Uzbekistan, which could in the future reach as far as Afghanistan.
In fact, all roads pass through Uzbekistan, which is becoming an important meeting point. In 2022, Samarkand hosted the 22nd annual summit of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in September and the 9th summit of the Organisation of Turkic States in November. The capital of Tamerlane’s empire is already one of the must-visit stops in the cycle of international meetings. The Tashkent International Investment Forum has established itself as a business event in Central Asia. As I write these lines, the Uzbek capital is holding the 3rd International Legal Forum ‘Tashkent Legal Spring’, chaired by the Uzbek Minister of Justice and attended by his counterparts from Singapore, Qatar, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan, among others.
Peter Frankopan recounts in ‘The New Silk Roads. Present and Future of the World’ (Crítica, 2019) that “the new government headed by Mirziyoyev has brought further winds of change to Uzbekistan, including steps towards long-awaited improvements in human rights, press freedom and other indices”. All these transformations are bearing fruit. Today the country is leading initiatives for the preservation and rescue of the Aral Sea. Already in 2017, President Mirziyoyev told the UN General Assembly that “the problems of water, peace and security are inextricably linked”. In all three fields Uzbekistan is excelling today.
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