Uzbekistan’s Foreign Policy: Building Partnerships in Central Asia and Beyond

With the largest population and sharing borders with all four neighboring Central Asian states, Uzbekistan serves as a linchpin of the region. Since reformist President Shavkat Mirziyoyev assumed office in December 2016, the country’s engagement with its neighbors and the rest of the world has become increasingly dynamic, cooperative, and influential.

On Thursday, April 10, the Center for the National Interest’s Central Asia Connectivity Project hosted a discussion with Ambassador Javlon Vakhabov, Managing Director of the International Institute for Central Asia in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for a comprehensive update on international relations from the perspective of Tashkent.

In addition to his current role at the International Institute for Central Asia, Ambassador Vakhabov is a Senior Lecturer at Westminster International University in Tashkent. He previously served as Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to the United States from 2017 to 2023, and held the positions of First Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2017. His past roles also include Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council and Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan.

Andrew Kuchins, Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, moderated the discussion.