Uzbekistan refuses to join economic union with Russia

Uzbekistan has refused to join an economic union with Russia, just as Kazakhstan announced its refusal to join the BRICS.

Source: Russian online newspaper The Moscow Times

Details: Akmal Saidov, first deputy speaker of the Legislative Chamber of Uzbekistan's parliament, reported that Tashkent has no plans to join the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which consists of Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Tashkent in August to persuade Uzbek officials to join the EEU, which Vladimir Putin called the new "centre of the multipolar world".

Following his meeting with Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Mishustin promised "business benefits", "new markets", and "fair competition" for Tashkent.

However, Saidov stressed that a parliamentary commission that studied about a thousand of the EEU's founding documents "did not find any benefits for Uzbekistan".

Saidov stated that Kazakhstan has not gained significantly from its participation in the EEU and suggested it would be "optimal" for Uzbekistan to remain an observer, preserving its independence and sovereignty.

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