Testimony of Uzbek Ambassador before the
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
October 18, 1999
Washington, DC


Mr. Chairmen, Honorable Senators and House members, Ladies and Gentlemen:

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for this opportunity to speak before such a distinguished forum. I fully realize the extent of both the honor accorded to me and my responsibilities in testifying at a hearing of your Commission - a body which not only has moral standards second to none, but one which aspires to raise moral principles throughout the entire world by promoting freedom, democracy, human rights, civil society. Its role has a special significance in regard to the newly independent states, which have gone through - and continue to experience - often complicated, sometimes dramatic and tragic, but always-exciting processes of transformation. Uzbekistan, of course, is among them.

On the one hand, my country used to be a part of the most rigid totalitarian state, where the natural aspirations of the people were ruthlessly oppressed. On the other hand, Uzbeks today face the numerous challenges of building a ... democracy and opposing the threats of religious fundamentalism and political extremism. The country's government fully realizes that the relevant response to those challenges can only be a strengthening the institutions of democracy and civil society. There is no other way to secure accord and stability, independence and reforms. One of the most important leverages in obtaining this goal is maintaining an international dialogue over this issue and we consider this hearings today as part of it.

I will not bore you with an extensive listing of the facts indicating how dramatically the situation in regard to democracy, human rights and religious freedom has changed in Uzbekistan. You can see this information quite plainly in your handouts. My task as I see it is to share with you all today some ideas which will allow you to have a more comprehensive understanding of our principles, the challenges we face, and the hopes that encourage us.

Main tendencies in the recent development of Uzbek society

For properly evaluating the current situation in Uzbekistan it is very important to comprehend the main tendencies on its development. I also think that it would be relevant for me today to mention the major accomplishments of my country. It would be relevant not only because of my ambassadorial responsibilities, which I am, as you understand, certainly eager to implement. It should also be done because Uzbekistan has a bunch of undeniably sound successes, and it is important at these hearings to have a complete and unbiased overview. I am quite sure that the other invited participants will do their utmost to give the other side of the picture.

I believe that the main achievement of Uzbekistan during the short period of its independence was that it has managed to avoid altogether the disintegration of society, economic collapse, country's chaos. Uzbekistan, unlike a lot of Eurasian states, hasn't experienced the tragedy of sudden mass impoverishment, civil bloodshed and the plight of hundreds of thousands of refugees. It also has been able so far effectively to combat both reactionary religious fundamentalism and communist orthodoxy.

However, these threats in the case of Uzbekistan have been and still are very real. Moreover, at the end of the 1980's many very influential Western political analysts predicted that Uzbekistan in particular would be the primary site of the most devastating social explosion within the so-called "zone of instability" of Eurasia. And there were all reasons for such a prediction. Economic and social contradictions reached a critical point. Tension in inter-ethnic relations was growing. The scent of social disaster was on the air. If the government did not take the most carefully considered steps, the nation's worst fears might very well have been confirmed.

Lord Bryce once said, "perhaps no form of government needs great leadership as much as democracy". This axiom is even more true for a young democracy. Uzbekistan has been criticized for having an excessively too strong executive power in relation to the other branches of the civil government. I believe, however, that in a time of great transformation and in a country with such a grave legacy, which Uzbekistan got from Soviet past, people rather understand the excess of executive power than forgive its shortage. According to a survey done by the Washington based International Foundation for Election Systems, 76% of the population in Uzbekistan is satisfied with government's job. Such appreciation is not groundless. People compare their life with both life in the past and life in the neighboring countries. And what they see?

They see that all institution of statehood and government are functioning and providing them whatever the state should provide to its citizens. Salaries and pensions are being paid, hospitals and schools are working, the rate of crime (29 cases per 10,000) is one of the lowest in the world. One can say that all this is of no concern of today's agenda. Yes, it is of concern since we are speaking about one of the most essential human rights - to be guarded by the state from lawlessness and uncertainty.

The people also see that they have been freed from the shackles of state economy. Almost all-agricultural production, two-third of the GNP comes today from the non-governmental sector, where 73% of the total Uzbek labor force works. Despite the IMF critiques the Uzbek economy has shown an astonishing resilience. The last IMF report was dedicated to explaining what it called, "the puzzle of the Uzbek economy" which according to theory must have collapsed a long time ago. But it did not. Moreover, it managed to preserve its industrial output, whereas the output in other NIS economies fell by more then 50%. In contrast, this is the forth year in a row that Uzbekistan's economy has achieved a substantial growth of GNP.

The people also see that now, at last, for the first time this century, they are genuinely free to travel abroad. All legislative restrictions for making foreign trips - legacy of old system - have been abolished. As one experienced American diplomat told me the visa regime between our countries is the freest of all CIS countries. It should be mentioned that Uzbeks have today not only "theoretical" opportunities to open up the world for themselves. Uzbekistan is among the few countries of the former Soviet Union with both the vision and resources to purchase "Boeings". Its national airline currently flies to 30 countries including three flights each week to New York.

Both individuals and ethnic groups are free to leave country, should they so desire. However, the vast majority of citizens prefer to travel abroad and than return back to Uzbekistan. For instance, Uzbekistan's 250-thousand large Korean community has no intention to re-emigrate back to the Peninsula. Perhaps, the reason for this is that Koreans, as well the other ethnic groups, find the existing life's conditions and system of protection of their rights in Uzbekistan - freedom of forming own association, access to education and publication on native language and etc.- as good.

The situation in the sphere of religious minorities' rights also has changed dramatically. As a beautiful embodiment of this process, right in the center of Tashkent stands splendid Lutheran Church, which has again resumed its service after long dark years of Soviet state-atheism. Once I had the honor to accompany the First Lady of the US to the Synagogue in Bukhara, perhaps oldest in the entire region, with a 500 year-old history. Along with other visitors I saw the obvious evidences of its true renaissance in the recent years. I hope you have been able to look through the data tables in Embassy's Fact-sheet, which contain very eloquent data about the growth of non-Muslim religious groups in Uzbekistan. Equally eloquent are the quotes from an interview done with the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexis II, a man who never wastes his words. He said unequivocally: "I was glad to see that in Uzbekistan people of different nationalities and religions are working together for creating a spiritually strong and morally healthy society. The good and fruitful interaction between the government and religious faiths in Uzbekistan gives a wonderful example for other new independent countries".

Another obvious accomplishment of Uzbek society has been promoting and securing the rights of women. Possibly it hasn't been among most complicated tasks of government. One Harvard professor, a prominent scholar of the region, always teases me asking why Uzbek women are clearlv more vigorous then the Uzbek men. Well, I don't know the correct answer. But I also noticed that very often the majority and almost always the most active and vocal elements of Uzbek delegations coming to Washington are women - entrepreneurs, leaders of NGOS, etc. who undoubtedly know very well their rights.

I can continue to speak about the other elements of Uzbekistan's evolving democracy. For instance about such unique institution of civil society as the makhallya - non-goverrunental body of local self-governing. But perhaps I should stop listing accomplishments and switch to the problems since unfortunately very agenda of this hearing shows that history of country's independence hasn't been one of only successes. However, in conclusion of this part of my presentation I'd like to state although Uzbekistan is not fully democratic in the sense that the West understands it, although mistakes have been done, although plenty of shortcomings still exist, it is certainly the freest system under which Uzbeks have ever lived. And nation is firmly committed to the further strengthening of ... democracy and free market.

Current Challenges

But the question arises: why I have been summoned before the Helsinki Commission and why am I standing here anticipating your tough comments? What caused certain limitations for full-fledged democracy in Uzbekistan, which undeniably exist? Candid answer is: Uzbekistan has faced both internal and external challenges. During the first years of freedom main challenge used to be threats to independence, attempts of certain countries once again subdue Uzbekistan in one way or another. Nowadays, the names of main threats are political extremism, radical Islam and international terrorism. And the problem is that there are the questions in regard to the way that the Uzbek government has handled these menaces. All three mentioned threats are not made-up. Each and every of them separately presents a terrible danger to young democracy. The combined magnitude of the peril multiplies much more than three times when there is a mixture of them enhanced by heavy presence of drug trafficking. Regrettably, today Central Asia does have such a dreadful combination.

It is clear today more than at any time in the past that the menace of the religious extremism in Central Asia as a whole and in Uzbekistan in particular is not a hypothetical one at all and it is not a bugaboo, used by the government for curtailing democracy. It is an existing reality.

Some annalists say that the emergence of the radical Islam in Uzbekistan was caused by wrong policy of its government. I think it would be simplified presumption. The rise of radical Islam is a result of deep rooted, longstanding social and economic processes in the society. These processes are similar to those, which occurred once in Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, etc. Recently, the radical Islam has been dangerously growing stronger in Russia and Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey - the countries with quite different level of the democratic development, governmental systems and way of handling the religious issues.

I am referring now to the process of transforming of traditional society and problems caused by it. Knowing that, from the first day of independence, the Uzbek government has concentrated on this issue. On the one hand, it implements vigorous social policy, trying to help those who are in especially vulnerable situation. Suffice it to say that 48% of state annual budget goes to welfare programs and education. On the other hand, Tashkent focuses on the issues of restoring and strengthening such important institutions of traditional Uzbek society as makhallya and mosques,

Allegations about the confrontation between Uzbek government and Muslim community of the country are largely fallacious. It would be suicidal to the leadership to seek confrontation with 90% of population faithful to the religion of the Prophet. After all, President Karimov, whose parents were courageous enough to name him Islam amidst the height of the most brutal Stalinist purges against everything Islamic, fully realizes the creative potential of religion. In his speech delivered last month on the founding of Islamic University in Tashkent - first in Central Asia - he stated: "it is impossible to imagine our nation without the holy religion of our ancestors".

During the long decades of Soviet state-atheism, only 86 believers from Uzbekistan were able to make a hadj. In the first seven years of Independence 42 thousand people made pilgrimage fulfilling one of the five primary duties of every Muslim. In the Soviet period, a country with more than 20 mln. population had only about 30 mosques. Nowadays, there are more than 1,5 thousand registered Moslem organizations, several periodicals, educational centers, etc.

The question may be raised: why internationally coordinated efforts of Islamic fundamentalists are concentrated now toward Uzbekistan, against its current government? The answer is that Uzbekistan is not just one of many.other Muslim countries. It has played, does and probably will play a very special role in Islamic world. Once in the past, a powerful Islamic message was sent to the Siberia, the Urals, the Indian subcontinent, and Western China from Samarkand and Bukhara. That is why the systematic attempts to convert particularly Uzbekistan into fundamentalist Islamic country are not accidental.

The terrorist attack on February 16, 1999, which took place in center of Tashkent, as well as the current crisis in southern Kyrgyzstan, are links in a mutually connected chain of happenings. What we have are systematic attempts to destabilize the situation in Central Asia and particularly in Uzbekistan. Just recently, T.Uyldosh, J.Namangony and other leaders of "Islamic movement of Uzbekistan" declaredjihad - Holy War - against President Karimov. There must be no mistake, it is a part of the jihad declared by Osama bin Laden and other terrorists against all those who share ... Western values. Just yesterday Munawar Hasan, a spokesman of Pakistan's right wing party Jamaat-e-Islami said: "Bin Laden is not just a name, but a phenomena that embodies the J'Ihads being fought throughout this region from Central Asia to Kashmir". Let me give you another example. Last month the "Islamic movement of Uzbekistan " spread leaflets stating that President Islam Karimov is a Jew and that is why he pursues pro-US, pro-Israel policy.

T. Uyldosh the leader of the "Islamic movement of Uzbekistan " in his interview with the BBC (June 9, 1999) publicly declared his aspirations to continue the armed struggle with the ... government of Uzbekistan. He also acknowledges his contacts with M. Solikh, former presidential candidate in Uzbekistan. In his interview with the Voice of America on 21 September 1999, T. Uyldosh stated "I hope that leaders of "Erk " and "Birlik " (who claim to be a democratic ... opposition) will keep their promise given to me and join a coming uprising". Unfortunately the leaders of mentioned "democratic parties" have not yet disassociated themselves from this statement. Neither they condemned terrorist actions of "Islamic movement of Uzbekistan " in southern Kyrgyzstan.

The system of imposing of radical political Islam in Uzbekistan has an obvious international character. It is well organized, financed and equipped. As everywhere in the world, terrorists in Central Asia are decisive and merciless. The compromise is not in their agenda. Sometimes the Uzbek government has been accused of not being willing to talk to Islamists. Let me give you just one example to the contrary. Last May the government declared an amnesty for all Islamists who would lay down their an-ns. Seventeen members of the Islamic movement of Uzbekistan responded to this appeal, and decided to return back to their homes. All of them were ruthlessly massacred by Islamists near the Tajlk village Hisorak I was in Tashkent and I remember well how horrified were people in Uzbekistan by this barbarous act. Yes, Islamists and collaborators have declared Jihad against the Uzbek government. While having an Islamic appearance it non-the less has no relation to the philosophy of our great faith. As the Holy Kor'an emphasizes, true Jihad is individual's fight against his own imperfection, not against a political or religious rival.

In conclusion let me point out a very important moment. There is no panic in Uzbekistan. There are any visitor's reports about some sort of tensions in the society. People are calm and quiet; the government is confident and firm. The President has just completed his visits to the South Korea and Ukraine, spending a week abroad. The election campaign is unfolding and all political parties in Uzbekistan are getting ready to full-fledged fight for the seats in the country's parliament. The foreign companies are looking for new projects in Uzbekistan. A few days ago the President of American-Uzbek Chamber of Commerce, senior-vice President of Newmont Mining m-r L.Kurlander visited my country. There he met with the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan m-r U. Sultanov and discussed with him perspectives of new long-ten-n investments into Uzbek economy. All these facts speak for themselves. So, life in Uzbekistan is normal. But it doesn't mean that there is no ground for worry. We all - here in the West and there in Central Asia - should be alarmed by recent raise of the new threats to stability in Eurasia. Nations and governments should join their efforts and combat together against them. The role of the United States and its Congress in obtaining this goal is crucial. The government and parliament of Uzbekistan clearly committed themselves to the cooperation with US Congress in all spheres, especially in strengthening of Helsinki process in Central Asia.

Ladies and gentlemen, when I accompanied the delegation of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to Uzbekistan, we visited the tomb of the Old Testament prophet St. Daniel, located not far from Samarkand. It was opened to the public only recently, after being closed for a long time. There we witnessed a scene that characterized Uzbekistan better than any book or report. Representatives of three religions - Islam, Christianity and Judaism, all prayed together at his grave. They were referring to St. Daniel in different ways, but for all of them, he was a prophet who taught piety, goodness, kindness and benevolence. In different languages, they all asked for the same thing from God; what all people everywhere in this world pray for - prosperity for their home, happiness for their children, and peace for their country. I in turn wish the same to all of you.