Uzbekistan has broken ranks among its Central Asian peers, who have pointedly refrained from adopting explicit positions on Russia’s war, by stating that it recognizes Ukraine’s territorial integrity and that it will not recognize the independence of the breakaway self-styled republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. Speaking in the Senate on March 17, Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov urged both sides in the conflict to reach a diplomatic solution. “The situation around Ukraine is a cause of deep concern for Uzbekistan,” Komilov said. “We support pursuing a peaceful solution for this situation and to settle this conflict by political and diplomatic means. For that to happen, it is necessary first to bring an end to the military activities and aggression.” The statement stops short of categorically assigning blame to either side for initiating the conflict, but the fact that it has been made at all is notable in light of the […]