Uzbek President Islam Karimov gestures speaking at a news conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Photo: AP
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The Anti-Community Behavior
Uzbekistan has applied for suspending membership in the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). Sources with Russia’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday Tashkent submitted the required documents a month ago, i.e. in three days after the EU lifted the sanctions imposed on Uzbekistan in the wake of the Andijan bloodshed. According to Russia’s diplomats, Tashkent has been long displeased with cooperation with Moscow, in particularly with the Customs Union created between Russia and Kazakhstan.
It was Regnum news agency that reported yesterday about Uzbekistan’s withdrawal from the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). Uzbek Foreign Ministry submitted a formal note to the EurAsEC secretariat far back October 16 or 17, Regnum specified with reference to the sources in leadership of one of the Central Asian states.
A top-ranked diplomat of the RF Foreign Ministry confirmed on condition of anonymity the suspension of Uzbekistan’s membership. “In mid-October, Tashkent notified about suspending its membership in the organization. They gave no reasons, but I can say Uzbek leaders have often criticized EurAsEC, regarding it inefficient. Karimov even suggested merging it with CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization],” the source said.
Besides, the diplomat made clear, Uzbekistan hasn’t been particularly pleased with creation of Customs Union within EurAsEC by Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.
The history of Russia’s relations with Uzbekistan within EurAsEC has never been very smooth. This state wasn’t amid the EurAsEC founders, targeting instead at the West in its foreign policy. The situation changed after the Andijan bloodshed of May of 2005, when the West imposed sanctions on Tashkent.
This year, however, the West has headed for normalizing the relations with Uzbekistan and the EU foreign ministers resolved October 13 to lift the sanctions. Tashkent submitted the documents for the EurAsEC withdrawal in three days after that decision.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 12, 2008
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