Uzbekistan: German Delegation Visit Fans Debate over Democratization Strategy

The recent visit to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan by a large German trade delegation is fanning a long-standing debate over the best strategy to promote civil society in repressive states. While activists for Human Rights Watch and other rights groups have criticized the visit for placing profits above principle, many Western-oriented Uzbeks in Tashkent have applauded the mission, arguing that engagement tends to produce better results than ostracism.

Over the past year, the European Union, of which Germany is a leading member, and the United States have been persistently strived to repair their fractured relationship with Uzbekistan. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. They have also aggressively courted Turkmenistan's leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Human rights abuses have constituted the main stumbling bloc in the EU-US efforts to build better relations with Ashgabat and Tashkent. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The German mission, which visited Ashgabat and Tashkent from February 25-27, is just the latest of several recent indicators that the EU and United States have decided to surmount the human rights obstacle by simply setting it aside. The main factor guiding EU and US policy decisions is geopolitical considerations -- namely the fact that Turkmenistan (and to a far lesser extent Uzbekistan) possesses abundant reserves of energy.

German Economics Minister Michael Glos, the leader of the 100-member trade mission, stated that human rights issues, as well as the overall democratization process, were part of his discussions with Uzbek officials, including Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev and Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, Investment and Trade Elyor Ganiyev. But Glos left a clear impression that his main objective was deal-making.

"I met with [Uzbekistan's] prime minister