The diplomat also shared his views on the potential areas of cooperation between the countries, the possible impact of joining the EAEU on Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO and reasons for the delay in processing visa applications.

What changes have you observed in Uzbekistan since you have been working as an ambassador here?

A lot of things have changed in the three years I have been here and I think there were even more significant changes in the last five years since President Mirziyoyev came to office. But also, there are a lot of work that needs still to be done. As the President himself has said there is still a lot to do on the reforms. We are about, by the way, to mark the 30 years of relations between the United State and Uzbekistan this year, and I am really pleased to say that the relationship between the two countries has really never been better than it is right now. So that makes my job here fun, it makes it satisfying to see that relationship develop. I have seen positive changes in the economic area, in the relationship between the government and citizens and in the foreign policy of Uzbekistan in terms of the way it relates to neighbors. I know that this was a priority that the President set out at the very beginning of his term to improve relations with the immediate neighbors and I think that’s been largely successful.

Could you please tell us what areas of cooperation with Uzbekistan are considered a priority for the US?

I should note that the cooperation between the countries is both widening and deepening. There are so many areas that it is hard to pick just one but I will give you some examples to illustrate what is happening between Uzbekistan and the US in terms of bilateral cooperation. Earlier this week we delivered another 300,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Uzbekistan through the COVAX facility and that now brings the total amount of vaccine donations that we have made to 5.3 million doses since the summer, starting in July. It is one of the examples of our cooperation in the sphere of healthcare.

Also, recently, a general from the Central Command of the US Armed Forces came to Tashkent to hold talks with Uzbekistan’s military authorities on deepening relations, organizing training for military personnel, helping your country to better respond to terrorist threats and border security threats.

Next week, Uzbekistan and the US will hold the first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Dialogue. Could you comment on that?

As you said, on Monday, we will have the first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Dialogue. We have had similar consultations between our countries before, but we used to call them something different. Now we call it Strategic Partnership Dialogue and it shows that we are reaching a new level in our relationship. The US Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Donald Lu, is coming to Tashkent to hold talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries of your government and discuss the whole range of bilateral relations. While Secretary Lu is here, he will also meet with civil society groups and some business people just to get a sense of what’s happening in the country.

We are really much looking forward to this dialogue. What’s so special about the relationship now is that we can talk frankly about any subject. There is a lot of openness on both sides.

Do you think joining the Eurasian Economic Union will affect bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and the US? Will it affect Uzbekistan’s chances of getting into the World Trade Organization?

I think everyone understands that getting into the World Trade Organization has to be a top priority. It is essential to have the ability to trade with the rest of the world using common standards and a common set of rules. We have been providing all the necessary technical help to Uzbekistan to facilitate its accession to the WTO. What we have consistently said to our partners here in Uzbekistan is that the country itself has to decide whether membership in the EAEU is beneficial for the republic. That assessment will be made by your government and your people and ultimately, you will make the decision that you need to make. But at the same time, we have said that it would be better to get into WTO first. Because we know from the experience of other countries we’ve worked with that if you are already in another trading block like the EAEU, it does complicate your accession process. So our recommendation to the extent it matters is that focus on the WTO accession, put all your efforts into that, get into WTO and then make a choice as you see fit in line with your national interest.

After the US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, there were rumors and reports that it would establish military bases in Uzbekistan? How true is that?

The US never planned to establish military bases here, never discussed the topic with the government of Uzbekistan. So not only was it a rumor, but rather disinformation. There was never a proposal or plan to do that. It really doesn’t make sense from our standpoint to open a military base in Uzbekistan. What we have discussed with the government here is how we can cooperate more effectively on combatting terrorism in the region. We know, for example, ISIS Khorasan is active in Afghanistan. We help Uzbekistan to protect itself from attacks those terrorist groups might carry out. And we are doing the same with other countries in Central Asia, such as Tajikistan.

Could you please comment on the reasons for the delay in processing visa applications?

During the first 18 months of the pandemic, we were not able to have full operation of our consular section. So during that time, we were issuing some visas on an urgent need basis, but in general, we didn’t have normal business going on. The result of that, of course, is that a big backlog of people built up wanting to get visas to visit the United States. We have now resumed something close to normal operation. I say “close to” because we still have to take precautions due to the COVID-19 situation.

All I can is we want to get to everyone who wants to apply for a visa and people will just have to be patient. We are doing the best we can, dealing with the limitations due to the special health precautions that we are taking.