Uzbek analyst: US lost Uzbekistan as strategic partner

REGNUM November 17 Uzbek analyst Sobir Turdiyev believes that the USA by paying a part of its debt to Uzbekistan is trying to justify the trust that has been shaken recently. Turdiyev expressed his opinion on the situation at a news conference on November 17, reports a REGNUM correspondent. The analyst thinks that the Pentagon by paying a part of expenditures to the Uzbek party for maintenance of the Khanabad airbase (Uzbekistan paid $167 million for it) tries to justify the trust of Kyrgyzstan, which from the lips of representatives of non-governmental organizations posed a question last week about inexpediency of the American base remaining in the territory of Kyrgyzstan. "Besides, in The New York Times and The Financial Times newspapers a statement by Kyrgyz Ambassador in the USA Sydykova was published about refusal of the Pentagon to pay about $80 million to compensate the country the revenues to the budget that the budget was due to receive during the four years of the base's deployment in the country," noted the expert. According to him, the budget received only $8 million, although the US announced loudly that it would annually pay $40 million. Sobir Turdiyev does not rule out that the Pentagon trying to present itself as a brave gentleman who always pays the bill, despite the US Senate decisions to hold back payments to Uzbekistan, hopes for a positive decision on signing the agreement on the Manas military base which is the last US hope for maintaining any military presence in the Central Asian region. "Moreover, political circles of the Central Asian countries have come to understand that partnership with the USA brings more troubles than profit," said the analyst. "During the deployment of the American base in the country, Uzbekistan as a member of the anti-terror coalition has been subsequently subjected to attacks of numerous terror organizations mostly because of its help to the United States in this struggle," said Turdiyev. "Washington in response to the Tashkent's support instead of a real assistance in economic development and improving living standards only presents claims about alleged violations of human rights and lack of democratic reforms. In many respects, it stipulated losing Uzbekistan as a strategic partner by the US," believes Turdiyev.