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Uzbekistan
The Middle East and Pakistan
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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