In 2016, Shavkat Mirziyoyev assumed the presidency of Uzbekistan from the late Islam Karimov, a long-time authoritarian ruler. Immediately after gaining power, Mirziyoyev launched a national development strategy aiming to reform all areas of state and society. In foreign policy, Mirziyoyev abandoned Karimov’s isolationist approach and began strengthening bilateral relations with the country’s Central Asian neighbours and enhancing cooperation with international organizations and major regional actors.
Uzbekistan borders all four of the other Central Asian states and Afghanistan, and it is the region’s most populous country. Changes in Uzbekistan’s foreign policy have therefore potential for shaping the Central Asian region as a whole. FIIA is organizing a webinar to analyse recent developments in Uzbekistan’s relations with its immediate neighbours, Russia, China, and the West, and discuss their implications for the future.
Registration to Maija Salonen, maija.salonen@fiia.fi by Thursday 26 November.