Old Hand Drafted in to Beef Up Uzbek Foreign Policy

Uzbekistan has appointed a veteran diplomat with Middle Eastern experience as its new foreign minister, in a move that observers say may be intended to help shield the country from unrest similar to the Arab Spring.

Abdulaziz Komilov, 63, was appointed on January 13. He has already served as foreign minister, between 1994 and 2003, before going to the United States as Uzbekistan’s ambassador.

Analysts say the appointment suggests Uzbekistan’s authoritarian government may fear Middle Eastern-style unrest, and has chosen someone with the sophistication and diplomatic experience to help prevent it.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Komilov served as a diplomat in Lebanon and Syria and worked in the Soviet foreign ministry’s Middle East department.

"The return of Komilov may stem from a desire to understand the workings of the Arab revolutions and to pursue a foreign policy designed to would prevent similar events in Uzbekistan," a member of the upper house of the Uzbek parliament said on condition of anonymity.

Farhod Tolipov, an independent political analyst, said the veteran’s diplomat’s return would help steer foreign policy if Uzbekistan "encounters problems related to international and regional events".

Sevara Sharapova, a political scientist based in the capital Tashkent, agreed that with the Middle East in turmoil, it was crucial to have someone with shrewd political instincts running foreign policy.

Komilov replaces Elyor Ghaniev, who becomes minister of foreign economic ties, investment and trade.

This article was produced as part of IWPR's News Briefing Central Asia output, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy.

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