Daniel Rosenblum, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Uzbekistan, will complete his three-year mission in Uzbekistan in September this year. The effective work of the Ambassador in the comprehensive development of multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, and strengthening friendship and solidarity between the peoples was duly rewarded. By the decree of the President of Uzbekistan of August 2022, the American diplomat was awarded the honorary state award of Uzbekistan – Dustlik (Friendship) Order.
–Dear Ambassador, your three-year mission in Tashkent is coming to an end. How did American – Uzbekistan relations develop during this period?
– Both countries consider relations right now to be better than they have ever been in 30 years. That is due 100 percent to the policies instituted by President Mirziyoyev since he came to office in 2016, and to the constant efforts of officials in his government and their counterparts on the U.S. side to find new ways to expand and deepen our cooperation.
Since I arrived in Tashkent three years ago, I’ve seen the fruits of our increased bilateral cooperation on a daily basis. It is noticeable across all areas of our engagement. We see great cooperation on regional security issues, like Afghanistan, as well as building strong collaboration between our militaries and law enforcement agencies. We see increased economic engagement, through bilateral trade and growing interest by American companies in making investments here. And we see a lot more positive interaction on the whole range of issues concerning Uzbekistan’s economic, political, and social reforms, whether it’s in the education, health or judicial sectors, or the development of media, civil society and human rights protections.
One of the keys to the progress in our relationship has been the attitude and approach of the government of Uzbekistan. We can discuss any topic because there’s openness, willingness to listen to criticism, and shared values and goals.
It’s also notable that there’s been a steady stream of high-level visitors between our two countries over the last few years. This has practical significance, but it’s also a symbol of our strategic partnership. I expect this trend to continue.
–It is known that your long-term activity is inextricably linked not only with Uzbekistan, but also with entire Central Asia and Eurasian regions. Based on your experience, please tell us about the approaches of the U.S. foreign policy in Central Asia.
– Since 1991 there have been two pillars of U.S. policy in Central Asia.
One has been support for stable development. It is clearly not in U.S. interests to have instability in this region, which can lead to it becoming a source of threats, such as terrorism, which directly affect our own national security. We learned that lesson well from what happened in Afghanistan in the 1990s and do not want to repeat that experience.
And so we view all our engagement with the countries of the region through the lens of how we can help bolster stability, based always on their requests for various kinds of political, economic and security-related assistance.
The second pillar of our policy has been to support the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of all five Central Asian states. That policy continues today. And we know that the countries of Central Asia consider their sovereignty and independence to be precious.
The issue of security is central to our foreign policy in Central Asia. We hold frequent dialogues, particularly on Afghanistan, to ensure our policies are synchronized. We also provide training to improve the capacity of security forces.
But security is not our only focus. Since 1991 we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to promote economic development and regional trade, better delivery of vital social services like health care and education, and more effective and accountable governance. In Uzbekistan and across Central Asia, we have also worked with governments and civil society organizations to expand protections for basic human rights.
The countries of the region have made clear that they want many partners - they don’t want to depend on just one country. More cooperation at the regional level is good for everyone. I would point to the C5+1 format as a prime example. Since we started this mechanism, there have been regular meetings with experts, which have resulted in increased cooperation on trade and transport, ultimately paying off in the region with more jobs and prosperity. This allows each country to be stronger in its relationships with the rest of the world, and we’ve encouraged that trend.
–What are the priorities of the U.S. foreign policy in Uzbekistan?
– Central Asia has undergone a great deal of change in the past few years, and Uzbekistan has been at the center of this transformation. President Mirziyoyev’s reforms, efforts to improve relationships with Uzbekistan’s neighbors, and leadership in promoting connectivity, particularly with Afghanistan, have fundamentally changed the region.
The U.S. government, both in our embassy in Tashkent and in Washington, remains committed to working with our Uzbekistani counterparts to advance our mutual interests. We are especially interested in supporting President Mirziyoyev’s reforms aimed at modernizing Uzbekistan’s economy, creating jobs and opportunities for its citizens, and improving the accountability and efficiency of its social and political institutions.
To that end, many of our efforts in Uzbekistan are centered around improving education, which is key to the long-term success of every country. We work closely with the Ministry of Public Education and the Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education on English language instruction. For example, we are in our final year of a three-year project to raise the skills of more than 15,000 English teachers.
Through our Agency for International Development, USAID, we also support the Ministry of Public Education’s systemic reforms to improve the quality of education in the country’s public school system. Under USAID’s bilateral, million agreement with the Ministry, we have seen the foundations laid for improved and modern approaches to English, Math, literacy and ICT instruction, and we are thrilled to see new improved curricula and educational materials rolling out nationwide this year to 6.5 million children and tens of thousands of teachers.
In addition, we are committed to assisting Uzbekistan’s economic reform agenda. We are doing a lot working with partners here to improve the investment climate, develop better approaches to government budgeting, debt management and taxation, and increase the competitiveness of key sectors of Uzbekistan’s economy, such as tourism, pharmaceuticals and IT.
USAID has projects across a wide range of sectors, including water, energy, trade, business development, and agriculture. To take just a few concrete examples: in agriculture, our programs provide training and co-financing to agribusinesses producing value-added commodities and are introducing new technologies and management practices across the entire value chain. Most recently, we allocated .4 million to create training leading to meaningful employment for rural women who have been disproportionately impacted by both the Covid-19 pandemic and the Aral Sea environmental disaster.
–What do you think about the reforms that you have witnessed during your time here? What other aspects do you think the Uzbek society should pay attention to in order to ensure the success of these reforms?
– Political commitment from the highest levels of the government of course is key to the sustainability of reforms. When President Mirziyoyev refers to the reforms as being “irreversible” he is expressing that political commitment.
But to ensure the reforms are carried out – that they don’t remain just plans on paper but are actually implemented into life – requires that you have well-trained, competent and honest public servants. That’s why the recently enacted civil service reform is so important.
Sustainable reform also requires overcoming opposition from various people and institutions that like things the way they are and do not want to change. It might be because they are benefiting from the current system and would lose something with the reforms. Or it might be simply because this is human nature: change is hard and inertia is a very powerful force. But whatever the reason, this opposition must be overcome.
Sustainable reform will also require a change in mindset and outlook among the citizens. The President refers to this when he says that citizens need to expect that “the state exists to serve the people – and not the other way around”. In other words, citizens must demand that their government be responsive and accountable.
Citizens, as well as government officials, also need to be open to the outside world, embracing what it has to offer that can benefit Uzbekistan, rather than being fearful and close-minded. That is the way the President has approached the world, in my opinion: he has chosen the path of openness. Unfortunately, it is not always the case with some officials, who seem to believe that contact with new ideas and technologies is more of a threat than an opportunity. I think that’s wrong. From what I have seen, the people of Uzbekistan have a strong sense of values, are closely connected to their traditions and cultural heritage, rely on their families for support. They can decide for themselves how to adapt the experience of other nations for the benefit of their homeland. They do not need someone who “knows better” to decide for them.
And as I mentioned already, when instituting reforms, it’s important to take a self-critical approach: if something isn’t going right, correct it. It’s also crucial to be open to advice and technical assistance from the international community. As long as this approach continues, the chances of Uzbekistan’s reforms succeeding are great – although it will take time to realize such a comprehensive and complex reform program.
–When talking about reforms, we should also touch upon the issue of making changes to the Constitution, an important process currently underway in our country. In your opinion, which aspects are important and should be paid more attention to in the implementation of the new constitutional reform?
– We support Uzbekistan’s efforts to implement democratic reforms, and we want to see them succeed. There is no doubt it’s important to have a solid foundation for a country’s governance and the protection of citizens’ rights in its Constitution. And it is not a bad idea to periodically reexamine the Constitution and make necessary adjustments to ensure it keeps up with changes in society.
Every country approaches its Constitution in its own way. The people of Uzbekistan should decide what changes are needed from the existing one. The Constitution should clearly state the rights of the country’s citizens, which hopefully will be consistent with internationally recognized rights, such as those in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
– How do you assess Uzbekistan’s efforts to join the World Trade Organization and our chances in this regard?
– We very much want Uzbekistan’s efforts to join the World Trade Organization to succeed, and in fact we are providing technical assistance to support the accession effort. Once Uzbekistan joins the WTO, some of the barriers to trade that exist today will be resolved and Uzbekistan will be a more attractive trade partner, not only for the United States but for many other countries around the world.
Uzbekistan has many characteristics that make it appealing to potential investors. It has the largest population in Central Asia – a dynamic, literate, and entrepreneurial population. President Mirziyoyev’s reforms have opened up significant new opportunities, and the private sector has great growth potential, particularly once the privatization program announced in late 2020 gains momentum. We hope to see more progress on the privatization program soon.
– As you know, the “Cotton Campaign” coalition canceled the boycott of Uzbek cotton. What do you think will be the positive impact of this development in terms of mutual cooperation?
– The lifting of the so-called cotton “pledge” is a credit to hard work done over many years by the government of Uzbekistan, international organizations such as the International Labor Organization, and non-governmental organizations involved in monitoring labor conditions. First eliminating child labor and then virtually eliminating forced labor in general from the annual cotton harvest was a huge accomplishment.
I am confident this will, over time, have a positive impact on the U.S.-Uzbekistan economic relationship. More work remains to be done to ensure that U.S. companies in the textile and apparel sector are interested in Uzbekistan’s cotton, cotton thread, fabric, and finished apparel. Consistent government enforcement of the new labor code, the widespread introduction of mechanization in the agricultural sector, and using geotagging to certify that products have been sourced from farms certified to not employ forced labor – steps like these will ensure buyers from America and elsewhere purchase more of Uzbekistan’s cotton, silk, and other products.
We will continue to support the development of this sector, by providing U.S. companies with information about sourcing opportunities, as well as by direct support to the local textile sector. Through USAID, we are assisting four local textile companies to attract investments and loans, have supported the first Ferghana Valley Fashion Week, and funded a trip for 12 Uzbekistani businessmen to participate in a textile exhibition in Frankfurt this June.
Interviewed by Guzal Sattorova, UzA
