Uzbekistan: Top EU Official Visits Tashkent

Pierre Morel, the European Union Special Representative for Central Asia, arrived in Uzbekistan on December 1 for discussions designed to boost political and economic relations.

A series of EU dignitaries have visited Tashkent over the past eight weeks, including the presidents of Latvia and Bulgaria, and foreign ministers of Hungary and Romania. It is perhaps not a coincidence that all four states are former members of the Soviet bloc. Regional experts say officials from these newer EU member states have an easier rapport with Uzbek officials, and thus have played an important role in accelerating a rapprochement between Brussels and Tashkent.

"When the Latvian president gives Karimov an [state] medal, it flatters Karimov and opens him for cooperation," said a Tashkent-based analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity.