Zakharova comments on Uzbekistan’s relations with Azerbaijan and Ukraine

Commenting on Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s recent statements regarding Kyiv and Baku, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova emphasized that Uzbekistan is a sovereign state. She made the remarks at a briefing on August 29.

“I would like to recall that the Republic of Uzbekistan is a sovereign state. It independently determines and pursues its foreign policy, aimed, among other things, at comprehensively strengthening and developing good-neighborly and constructive relations with its near and distant neighbors,” Zakharova said.

She added that Russia values its relations with Uzbekistan, including cooperation within the CIS, SCO, UN, and EAEU. According to Zakharova, relations between the two countries are friendly, mutually beneficial, and hold the status of a comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance.

Speaking at the high-level meeting “Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Europe: Cooperation for Common Development” on August 18, President Mirziyoyev described Azerbaijan as a strategic bridge connecting Central Asia and Europe. He also noted that Uzbekistan’s relations with Europe are entering a new phase of development, expressing high appreciation for Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s readiness to engage in new pan-regional initiatives and efforts to strengthen cooperation between the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

On August 24, Mirziyoyev congratulated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Ukraine’s Independence Day. Zelensky later published the congratulatory letter from the Uzbek leader on his official account on the social media platform X.