Uzbekistan Reform Pace Questioned as Presidential Election Approaches

TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN - When Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Washington three years ago, he renewed a strategic partnership agreement with the United States and pledged to intensify a broad range of systemic reforms while opening his country to a multi-dimensional relationship with the United States.

Mirziyoyev’s first term in office is now winding down, with a presidential election set for October 24, and his success in fulfilling those and other promises is being assessed, both in Washington and at home. For the U.S. State Department, the verdict is mixed. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month welcomed “Uzbekistan’s progress on its reform agenda, including when it comes to combatting trafficking in persons, protecting religious freedom and expanding space for civil society,” in a conversation with Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov.