The National Leader of Turkmenistan embarked on a regional tour visiting neighbouring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan just shortly after the EU-Central Asia summit in Samarkand. Another indication on who really is the…
Tag: Uzbekistan
Ulugh Beg: a short biography of the astronomer-sultan of Samarkand
A grandson of the feared Amir Timur, a patron of science, a reputed astronomer, and the ruler of the fabled Samarkand. Ulugh Beg is one of Central Asia’s most fascinating characters whose…
Islam Karimov in today’s Uzbekistan
Eight years after his death, Uzbekistan’s first president, Islam Karimov, is still symbolically present in the country. On January 30, Shavkat Mirziyoyev honoured the memory of his predecessor by laying a floral…
The Emir of Qatar’s Central Asian tour
The Emir of Qatar has travelled to four of the five Central Asian republics as part of a trip that highlights the role the Gulf countries can play in the region. The…
ANALYSIS: Uzbekistan’s latest cabinet reshuffle
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reshuffled the Cabinet of Ministers at the end of 2022. A restructuring that saw a reduction of ministries and the emergence of new faces to lead them, while other…
Conscripts in Central Asia, a dangerous obligation
Soldiers in the Central Asian republics have to face worse dangers than enemy bullets or shells. Bullying, hazing, accidents, and psychological pressure are responsible for a large share of deaths and injuries…
Karakalpakstan, unexpected problem in Uzbekistan’s constitutional reform
Uzbekistan is in the process of amending its constitution. The zeroing of presidential terms, allowing incumbent Shavkat Mirziyoyev to remain in power, was expected to be the most contentious change. However, the…
Turkey and Central Asian military cooperation: more than just drones
From arms sales to joint military exercises and cooperation agreements, in the last few years Turkey has stepped up its security links with the Central Asian nations. This has opened new opportunities…
Hard times for Central Asia’s Foreign Ministers
In a matter of days, two of Central Asia’s Foreign Ministers were dismissed. At a time when diplomacy is of utmost importance for the region, with the war in Ukraine far from…
The University of Samarkand gets a new controversial name
Almost two years after being linked to a centenary Timurid past, the University of Samarkand has become once again the focus of historical revisionism by being named after a notorious Soviet Uzbek…
Uzbek president starts second term with controversial appointments
A flurry of appointments and reassignments have taken place in the last days in Uzbekistan following Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s victory in the presidential elections. Ministers, governors, and directors of public entities have changed…
Realising the potential of Uzbek-Turkmen relations
On October 4 Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov landed in Tashkent as part of a two-day visit to Uzbekistan. His counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, greeted him as soon as the Turkmen set foot on the runway….
Coming to terms with history in Uzbekistan
The rehabilitation of over a hundred people that were repressed by the Soviets during the 1920s and 1930s is the latest episode of Uzbekistan’s historical revision. An important initiative sponsored by the…
Central Asian leaders’ meeting yields results even before taking place
On August 5 and 6 the Central Asian presidents are meeting in the Turkmen resort of Avaza to celebrate the Third Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia. A…
The Truth and Progress party, chronicle of a non-registration foretold
As it was expected, the Uzbek authorities have denied registration to an opposition party, paving the way for opposition-free presidential elections this upcoming October. A missed opportunity for president Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s reformist…
Tajik-Uzbek relations, from fists to handshakes
This summer’s visit of Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Tajikistan is the latest development in the neighbours’ bilateral ties. For years, the Tajik and Uzbek governments had probably the worst relations among all…
LGBT rights: Uzbekistan’s self-inflicted PR damage
After years of creating a positive image abroad since the arrival of Shavkat Mirziyoyev to power, Uzbekistan’s ill-treatment of the LGBT community risks bringing down its PR strategy. On March 29, an…
Turkey prioritises Uzbekistan in recent Central Asian tour
The Turkish Foreign Minister’s trip to Central Asia brought him to Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, but it was in the latter where he spent most of his time and where the more…
Uzbek Foreign Minister’s regional tour: the new normal
In a whistle-blow tour, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs visited the neighbouring countries of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan and met with their respective presidents. Years ago, when regional cooperation was hard to…
Uzbek president’s praise of the «Barber of Ferghana» raises concerns
During a trip to Ferghana, the Uzbek president excused the behaviour of the region’s controversial former governor and showed his appreciation for his work. The compliments given by Shavkat Mirziyoyev to his…
Homosexuality in Central Asia: A problem of social mentality?
Members of the LGBTQ community throughout Central Asia suffer unimaginable hardships. Each day they are forced to decide between living openly, which could lead to punishment and death under their oppressive regimes…
Uzbekistan’s historical heritage still at risk
News of damage caused to historical structures in Uzbekistan continue to emerge. Despite the central authority’s effort to protect its heritage, destruction and demolition of historical buildings continues to take place in…
The Barber of Ferghana changes jobs
The former controversial governor of Fergana will abandon his post in the eastern region for a ministerial office in Tashkent. It is still unclear if his new job as Deputy Prime Minister…
Reemphasizing everyday traditions in Central Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic
As most of the world has resigned to staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increased emphasis on rediscovering traditions, customs, and familial connections. The coronavirus has forced humanity to…
Protesting in a wasteland: Uzbekistan’s new demonstration bill
A draft legislation on the regulation of public demonstrations exemplifies the shortcomings of Uzbekistan’s reforms in the last years. While it seems a positive development that such a law might come into…
In the fields of wheat: an authoritarian obsession
The Central Asian republics have been shaped by the personality of their leaders since their independence from the Soviet Union. From Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev to Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev, they all have developed…
Samarkand University, the latest victim of Uzbekistan’s Timurid craze
Samarkand State University in Uzbekistan will soon celebrate its 600th anniversary despite not being even a century old. The higher education institution is the latest example of Uzbekistan’s efforts to identify with…
Border disputes: old and new reactions
As recent border clashes in Central Asia have shown, the old-fashioned blame game is still being used by the parties involved in such events. However, a proactive diplomatic approach spearheaded by Uzbekistan…
Imposing the state language through fines in Uzbekistan
A draft bill in Uzbekistan that introduces fines for those civil servants not using Uzbek is the latest development involving language and nationalism in Central Asia, a region that is still coming…
Uzbekistan’s coronavirus measures disproportionately affecting its at-risk populations
Most of the countries in Central Asia have taken strict and swift measures to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Uzbekistan reported its first cases of the virus on March 15th and responded with…
The growing importance of English in Uzbekistan
As Uzbekistan becomes more open, Uzbeks, especially university students, are embracing the United States and the rest of the Western world. The most effective and beneficial way young Uzbeks are welcoming and…
Del zar a Nazarbáyev: las ciudades de Asia Central y sus nombres
Durante siglos, Londres ha sido Londres, París ha sido París y Roma ha sido Roma. A pesar de revoluciones, guerras y demás convulsiones, los nombres de esas ciudades se han mantenido igual…
What is in a name? The (re)naming of cities in Central Asia
For centuries, London has been London, Paris has been Paris and Rome has been Rome. Despite revolutions, wars and upheavals, the names of those cities have remained the same after evolving naturally…
A majolica façade: Central Asia’s fabricated political parties
In the last weeks, the Uzbek people have gone to the polls to elect their representatives for the Oliy Majlis, the lower house of parliament. The nation was able to choose between…