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Revision as of 21:56, 27 September 2005 by Wknight94 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Uzbekistan joined the Commonwealth of Independent States in December 1991. However, it is opposed to reintegration and withdrew from the CIS collective security arrangement in 1999. Since that time, Uzbekistan has participated in the CIS peacekeeping force in Tajikistan and in UN-organized groups to help resolve the Tajik and Afghan conflicts, both of which it sees as posing threats to its own stability. Uzbekistan is an active supporter of U.S. efforts against worldwide terrorism and joined the coalitions which have dealt with both Afghanistan and Iraq (although, in 2005, relations with the U.S. were strained after the May 2005 unrest and Uzbekistan demanded that the U.S. leave Karshi-Khanabad). It is a member of the United Nations, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Partnership for Peace, and the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It belongs to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Economic Cooperation Organization, which is comprised of five Central Asian countries: Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It is a founding member of and remains involved in the Central Asian Union, formed with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, joined in March 1998 by Tajikstan.
In 1999, Uzbekistan joined the GUAM alliance (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova), which was formed in 1997 (making it GUUAM). Uzbekistan is also a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and hosts the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent. Uzbekistan also joined the new Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO) in 2002. The CACO consists of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It is a founding member of and remains involved in the Central Asian Union, formed with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, joined in March 1998 by Tajikstan.
Illicit Drugs
The limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and very small amounts of opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption, has been almost entirely eradicated by an effective government eradication program. Uzbekistan is increasingly used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs from Afghanistan to Russia and Western Europe and for acetic anhydride destined for Afghanistan.
Border Disputes
- Cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan has created disagreements on the sharing of water resources among the countries bordering on the Amu Darya river.
- Disputes over border delimitation with Kazakhstan have been settled, with demarcation in progress.
- With Kyrgyzstan, but serious disputes remain concerning minor enclaves of Uzbekistan territory completed surrounded by Kyrgyzstan.
- Negotiations continue with Tajikistan to delimit border areas more clearly, and to remove minefields