U.S.-Uzbekistan relations

While Beijing holds another presidential summit with Central Asia, Washington continues to discuss how to engage the region.

Whether Trump 2.0 becomes a turning point or a missed chance will rest on Central Asia’s willingness to lead, adapt, and forge partnerships on its own terms in an increasingly complex and multipolar world.

A recent presidential decree instructs the Foreign Ministry to explore the possibility of a visa-free regime for U.S. citizens, paired with an easing of visa requirements for Uzbek citizens seeking to enter the United States.

As the new administration charts its foreign policy course, a stronger Central Asia-U.S. partnership can serve as a model for mutually beneficial cooperation.

The messages provide a glimpse as to what the Central Asian states wish to see from the next U.S. administration and how they aim to position themselves.

Newly announced funding for several initiatives has the potential to support sustainable growth, improved healthcare, and effective governance in Uzbekistan. 

Tashkent offers Washington a window through which to engage with the Taliban indirectly in their ongoing fight against the rising influence of the ISKP in the region.

Russian and Chinese influence in the region will never go away. But the United States now has a rare and valuable window of opportunity.

Senators Murphy and Young stress that the time is ripe to drop the “outdated” restrictions of Jackson-Vanik and “redefine” the U.S. relationship with Central Asia.

Uzbekistan is a bedrock U.S. partner in a dynamic region.

The U.S. has an opportunity to offer Central Asia a strategic alternative to China and Russia based on partnership rather than exploitation. The Jackson-Vanik amendment stands in the way.

A group of U.S. Senators have asked the Biden administration to center human rights in the upcoming Strategic Partnership Dialogue with Uzbekistan.