According to Abdulaziz Kamilov, the right to use force in the event of external aggression is an undeniable phenomenon and an integral part of the national security concepts of most countries and the doctrines of various associations.
“Uzbekistan has always supported and will continue to support the peaceful settlement of all issues, especially the conflict in Afghanistan, which has been a source of concern for all neighboring countries for many decades. We have always stressed that there is no military way to solve the Afghan problem. Many in the world community today are sympathetic to this point of view. The withdrawal of international coalition troops from Afghanistan also showed that our approach is correct.
We have repeatedly stated that in accordance with the national legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, including the Concept of Foreign Policy and the Doctrine of Defense, our country will not participate in military blocs. In addition, it is very important in practice that today our country has sufficient potential to ensure its national security. Reforms in the field of military construction in Uzbekistan are progressing successfully, the military-technical base of the national army is being strengthened,” the minister said.
Kamilov also noted that certain threats and dangers can be countered through military alliances and organizations.
“However, when faced with security threats, choosing the path of military force will not always yield the expected results. After all, in many cases, there are other tools that are just as effective in countering security threats. One such tool is diplomacy.
Preventive diplomacy has proven its usefulness many times in the past, and is still proving its practical strength in its approach to the new situation in Afghanistan. It’s not just about bilateral diplomacy. At the international level, a comprehensive system of political and diplomatic mechanisms has been established and is constantly evolving to be aware of any threats to national and regional security at the multilateral level,” the FM said.
Abdulaziz Kamilov also noted that in Central Asia there are “5+1” forms of dialogue with major partners of the region, platforms in relations with Russia, the United States, the European Union, China, India, the Republic of Korea and Japan.
“At the same time, in addition to the CSTO, there are organizations in the region, such as the CIS and SCO, which discuss topical issues, in particular, regional security, as well as the Afghan problem,” Kamilov added.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization is a militarized regional international organization established under an international agreement signed on May 15, 1992 in Tashkent. It included nine republics of the former Soviet Union. Currently, only Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan are its members. Uzbekistan first withdrew from the organization on April 2, 1999. Later, on August 16, 2006, after the cooling of relations with the United States and the West, Uzbekistan’s membership in the CSTO was fully restored.
On June 28, 2012, Uzbekistan withdrew from the organization again and did not rejoin. The Foreign Ministry did not disclose the reasons for Uzbekistan’s withdrawal.
According to the Law “On approval of the Concept of foreign policy of the Republic of Uzbekistan” adopted in 2012, Uzbekistan’s membership in military-political blocs is prohibited, and this concept is currently in force.
