The activity of Uzbekistan in the development of economic ties with its closest neighbors, as well as with other friendly countries, is associated with the desire to develop its own economy at a faster pace.
The question of Uzbekistan’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has been standing for a long time – the country has long received observer status in the organization. Ravshan Nazarov, a senior researcher at the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, an expert at the International Institute of Central Asia, spoke about the opportunities and difficulties arising from this in the full entry of Uzbekistan into the Economic Union.
In his opinion, to obtain a full-fledged status of a member of the Union, Uzbekistan may need a couple more years. Although against the backdrop of serious geopolitical changes in the world and under positive domestic conditions, this may happen as early as 2023. The expert said that membership in the EAEU will give Uzbekistan ensuring the country’s global and long-term interests. “In addition, a significant aspect of international cooperation at present is the coupling of projects of the EAEU and the SCO, which is also very important for Uzbekistan as one of the key states of the SCO”, Nazarov stressed.
Regarding the protection of national interests, Nazarov recognized the importance of the principle of decision-making by agreed consensus – this is one of the important points in favor of the full membership of Uzbekistan in the EAEU. “Opponents of the integration in the republic and beyond very often appeal to the factor of national interests, which supposedly will not observed and taken into account when the republic joins this organization,” the expert said. He added that Uzbekistan will always be able to defend its positions and national interests in an organization in which the principle of consensus operates from the very beginning.
At the same time, the expert stressed that national interests are most often understood as the selfish goals of very narrow groups of elites in the republic, who are afraid of losing monopoly control over the market of Uzbekistan.Because joining the EAEU means the emergence of better and cheaper products from the EAEU countries on the republic’s market, which is very beneficial for ordinary consumers and completely unprofitable for monopolists. In addition, Uzbekistan is one of the main suppliers of labor migrants to Russia and Kazakhstan. It is these countries that play an important role in the EAEU. This will also enable migrants from Uzbekistan to facilitate their stay within the EAEU.
The EAEU includes five countries – Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. The Economic Union was established in 2014, Uzbekistan received observer status in the Organization in 2016.
inozPRESS.kg,
August 25, 2022