Other areas of practical cooperation include education, training of personnel, civil emergency planning and science. Agreement was reached in 2008 on the launch of a project for the reconversion of stocks of toxic “melange” in Uzbekistan.
Framework for cooperation
Dialogue takes place within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). The NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, Ambassador Robert F. Simmons, conducts high-level political dialogue with Uzbek authorities through regular visits to the country. The NATO Liaison Officer in Central Asia also visits Tashkent regularly and reviews cooperation with the government.
Under the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme, NATO and Uzbekistan are developing practical cooperation in a number of areas through the country’s Individual Partnership Programme (IPP) and the Planning and Review Process (PARP).
Key areas of cooperation
Security cooperation
From 2002 onwards Uzbekistan played a key role in supporting Allied operations in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan permitted Germany the use of its airfield at Termez. Uzbekistan also allowed overflight and transit permission for Allied forces and supplies. Uzbekistan continues to be a main transit route for humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan, the majority of which is delivered via the Hairaton bridge. Specialists from Uzbekistan have assisted in implementing tangible infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, including the reconstruction of ten bridges connecting the northern part of the country with Kabul.
Defence and security sector reform
NATO supports the democratic and institutional reform processes in Uzbekistan. Specifically in the area of defence and security sector reform, NATO and individual Allies have considerable expertise that Uzbekistan can draw upon.
Uzbekistan’s participation in the PfP Planning and Review Process (PARP) since 2002 aims at attaining interoperability between elements of its armed forces and those of NATO Allies. Joint work started on development of a peacekeeping battalion to work alongside NATO Allies.
Uzbekistan continues to participate in seminars and workshops on defence policy and strategy within the PfP framework, as well as military education of Uzbek officers, with an emphasis on English language training.
Civil emergency planning
Civil emergency planning and disaster-relief coordination are significant areas of cooperation. Uzbekistan hosted the first EAPC exercise held in Central Asia in April 2003. Exercise “Ferghana 2003” simulated an international response to a major earthquake in the region.
NATO and Uzbekistan are continuing cooperation in this area today. Uzbekistan is developing its civil response capacity for natural and man-made emergency situations in consultation with the Allies. This includes updating planning procedures and organization methods for rescue operations.
Science and environment
Under the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme, Uzbekistan has received grant awards for over 50 projects for scientific and environmental collaboration. These include studies into radiological risks in Central Asia, solar water supply and desalination for the Aral Sea region population, and a modelling project to assess environmental security in Khorezm.
Uzbekistan participates in the Virtual Silk Highway project, which aims to improve internet access for academic and research communities in countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia through a satellite-based network. In 2008, NATO and Uzbekistan agreed to a project on the reconversion of toxic “melange” rocket fuel near Samarkand; the project is expected to start in the first half of 2009.
Evolution of relations
NATO-Uzbekistan relations began in 1992, when Uzbekistan joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (later replaced by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997). Relations further developed in 1995, when Uzbekistan signed up to the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme, and in 2002, when the country acceded to the Planning and Review Process (PARP).
The process of supporting Uzbekistan’s domestic reforms intensified, and the country’s role in PfP activities continued to increase. While Uzbekistan-NATO relations declined to some extent following the events in Andijan in 2005, currently NATO and Uzbekistan engage in regular dialogue through the EAPC, and are actively developing cooperation in a number of specific fields.
Key milestones
| 1992 | Uzbekistan joins the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, renamed the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997. |
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| 1995 | Uzbekistan joins the Partnership for Peace. |
| Uzbekistan signs a security agreement with NATO. | |
| 1996 | Uzbekistan and NATO agree on the country's first IPP. |
| Uzbekistan signs the PfP SOFA agreement with the Allies. | |
| 2002 | Uzbekistan is connected to the Virtual Silk Highway. |
| Uzbekistan joins the PfP Planning and Review Process (PARP). | |
| 2003 | NATO and Partner countries complete a major disaster response exercise in Uzbekistan. |
| 2005 | NATO’s Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, calls for an independent investigation into the events at Andijan in May; the NATO Parliamentary assembly adopts a declaration also recommending an independent investigation into these events. |
| 2008 | Uzbekistan signs an agreement to carry out a Science for Peace and Security project aimed at the destruction of the country’s stocks of mélange, a very toxic substance. |