“Before the war, Uzbekistan was one step closer to joining the Eurasian Economic Union and Mirziyoyev [Shavkat Mirziyoyev] even participated in a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. [But] I think that now Uzbekistan will try to distance itself from Moscow. I think that Usmanov [Uzbek-born Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov] is thinking about his own future. His business was mostly possible to prosper in the previous Russia, now everything has changed because of the sanctions. He probably looks for an opportunity to change his main location, and turn from a Russian oligarch with Uzbek roots into an Uzbek oligarch. The way Central Asia thinks about Russia has changed. While before, Russia was seen as a source of stability, it now seems that its presence in a very sensitive security dimension has become a weakness for the regional stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity. I think that Central Asian governments will seek to minimise the influence of Russia, which will be difficult to do, but they have no choice since it has become an unpredictable power.”
25 Mar 2022
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