Uzbekistan is chairing a meeting of the five Central Asian nations with Japan, the state news site gazeta.ru reported. This is the first such meeting of Central Asian foreign ministers with Japan's foreign minister since 2004. The meeting's agenda includes discussions on regional security and advancement of various economic programs.
The inter-ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan is posing a political challenge for Uzbekistan. The Influx of tens of thousands of ethnic Uzbek refugees into Uzbekistan is straining the country’s infrastructure. Meanwhile, Tashkent so far has been unusually reticent in its diplomatic dealings with Kyrgyzstan’s provisional government.
