Uzbekistan has called for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict in Ukraine and said it would not recognise Moscow-backed separatists in the self-proclaimed republics in Luhansk and Donetsk, Reuters reports.
Uzbek foreign minister, Abdulaziz Kamilov, told parliament that while Uzbekistan wanted to maintain good relations with both
Russia and Ukraine, it opposed the war.
Kamilov said:
First, Uzbekistan is seriously concerned by the situation around Ukraine.
Second, we are the proponents of finding a peaceful solution to this situation and resolving the conflict through political and diplomatic means.
But in order to do that, first of all, hostilities and violence must stop immediately.
Uzbekistan’s economy is heavily dependent on exports to Russia as well as remittances from its citizens working in Russia.
Kamilov’s comments signal the strongest anti-war statement to come from Russia’s former Soviet allies so far.
Last week, Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said “all countries must strictly adhere to the norms and principles of the charter of the United Nations” and “new diplomatic opportunities must be sought to resolve the conflict situation peacefully”.