Uzbekistan-Russia relations

Central Asia might actually be interested in Russian gas, but please don’t call it a “union.”

Uzbekistan has both financial and political reasons to pump the brakes, even if Tashkent has no intention of scrapping the project.

Moscow denies that Central Asians are being conscripted into the Russian military, but the risk is real.

The warning came after a video surfaced of a migrant leader in the Russian city of Perm urging compatriots form a “volunteer battalion.”

Tomato pests, quickly forgotten, suggest the brief ban on some Uzbek imports was of a political nature.

Uzbek President Mirziyoyev endorsed constitutional changes in Russia that will likely keep Putin in power for years to come, with serious implications for Central Asia.

Tashkent is reopening its negotiations to join the WTO and considering Eurasian Economic Union membership. Russia and the West are watching.

America’s goal should be to ensure the Uzbeks have alternative options to dealing with Russia and China.