Uzbekistan Weekly: Uzbekistan deepens EU ties, revamps defense doctrine, reforms energy giant

January 29, 2026 to February 4, 2026

This week's top 10 stories from Uzbekistan, selected from our daily intelligence briefs.

1. Global Order Shifts Toward Regional Frameworks as Central Asia Builds Its Own Rules-Based Architecture

Political scientist Shuhrat Tajiyev argues that the post–Yalta–Potsdam global order is losing stability as power diffuses beyond states to transnational corporations, NGOs and digital platforms, even while the UN Charter remains an important “anchor.” He frames world orders as successive, temporary compromises (Westphalian, Vienna, Versailles–Washington, Yalta–Potsdam) that can fray gradually or via major wars, and identifies contemporary drivers—great‑power competition, AI and space technologies, digital platforms, climate change, asymmetric warfare, and economic fragmentation—undermining existing norms and institutions.

As multilateral institutions falter, Tajiyev sees weight shifting to regional frameworks, with Central Asia developing an open, pragmatic, rules‑based architecture that complements UN efforts. He counsels Uzbekistan to pursue strategic nonalignment and build internal resilience—economic diversification, social cohesion and stronger institutions—while using regional connectivity to preserve autonomy during the ongoing transition from unipolarity to an emergent multipolar system.

Local Coverage: gazeta.uz

From daily brief: 2026-02-04

2. Defense Doctrine Overhaul Advances with Shift to Proactive Security Model

Uzbekistan is overhauling its defense policy to adopt a proactive security model centered on early threat detection, digital command systems and AI-enabled analysis, announcing plans to revise the 2018 Defense Doctrine and the 1997 National Security Concept to align with modern warfare where speed of decision-making, information dominance and precision technologies are decisive. The update explicitly retains non‑alignment — emphasizing independence from military blocs — and prioritizes prevention, cost efficiency and institutional continuity rather than reactive crisis responses.

Practical reforms include introducing 3–6 month vocational training programs for conscripts that provide digital skills and certification to improve labor‑market readiness and reduce external dependencies, while strengthening social protections and civil‑military ties as resilience pillars. For international professionals, the shift signals Uzbekistan’s intent to modernize defense capabilities via domestic scientific and human capital, increasing emphasis on C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and AI integration without altering its non‑aligned foreign policy stance.

Local Coverage: uza.uz

From daily brief: 2026-02-03

3. EU, Tashkent Seal Enhanced Partnership Deal Following Presidential Visit to Belgium

During President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to Brussels, Uzbekistan and the European Union signed an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) — an upgrade of a 1996 framework negotiated through 2022 — comprising nine sections, 356 articles and 14 annexes. The EPCA establishes a legal basis for deeper EU‑Uzbek ties across trade and investment, sustainable development, science and education, innovation and high tech, environment and climate, and strengthens investor protections intended to spur bilateral economic engagement.

Analyst Durbek Sayfullayev noted that the visit combined political outreach to Belgian and EU institutions with targeted engagement of European firms and banks on four priority areas: value‑added processing of strategic minerals, the green economy and chemicals, transport and logistics modernization, and cooperation in AI and cybersecurity. A joint statement also advanced Uzbekistan’s World Trade Organization accession talks, signaling continuity of domestic reforms and a decade‑long alignment of national standards with EU norms — a development likely to reshape regional investment flows and regulatory convergence.

Local Coverage: uza.uz

From daily brief: 2026-02-03

4. President Orders Overhaul at Uzbekneftegaz After Output Miss and Data Discrepancies

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has ordered a comprehensive overhaul of state oil and gas producer Uzbekneftegaz after 2025 gas output reached 25.2 bcm—1.3 bcm below plan—prompting his second review of the company in a month. Management reported drilling 56 new wells and overhauling 29 in 2025, and has scheduled more than 300 geological-technical measures in 2026–27 to stabilize production. The president’s directives prioritize expanded exploration and reserve replenishment, deeper processing to shift toward higher‑value products, divestment of non‑core assets, elimination of sponsorship payments, aggressive cost cuts, and accelerated digitization and AI adoption.

The overhaul includes strengthened internal controls and compliance as a wide audit is underway at the State Assets Management Agency and Uzbekneftegaz following reports of large‑scale embezzlement. The State Statistics Agency also acknowledged revisions to 2024 gas figures—a 3.3 bcm discrepancy between preliminary and updated data—highlighting material transparency and data‑quality risks for investors and regional energy planners.

Local Coverage: uzdaily.uz, gazeta.uz, uza.uz

From daily brief: 2026-01-31

5. Rosatom Proposes Nuclear “Innovation Cluster” in Forish with Mixed-Reactor Plant Advancing

Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has proposed a large “nuclear innovation cluster” in Forish district, Uzbekistan, expanding the project beyond a conventional power-plant township to include nuclear medicine, radiology for agriculture and healthcare, materials science, a data center and digital-industry capacity. Rosatom frames the site as a first-of-its-kind installation combining two 1,000 MW VVER‑1000 reactors with two 55 MW RITM‑200N small modular reactors for a total station capacity of 2,110 MW and a planned 60‑year lifecycle; concrete works are targeted to begin in H1 2026 and first units are slated between 2029 and 2035. A research reactor and a purpose-built town for at least 30,000 residents are also under consideration.

For international professionals, the proposal signals a broadening of civil‑nuclear projects into cross‑sector innovation hubs, potentially accelerating technology transfer in medical and agricultural radiology as well as digital and materials research. Key near‑term items to watch are Uzbekistan’s confirmation of Rosatom’s milestones, the timeline for construction commencement, regulatory and financing arrangements, and how the novel mix of large VVER units with RITM‑200N SMRs will be licensed and integrated on a single site.

Local Coverage: spot.uz, gazeta.uz

From daily brief: 2026-01-30

6. Bilateral pacts span health, transport corridors, mining and nuclear safety

A broad package of bilateral agreements was signed, consolidating recent talks into sector-specific deals covering healthcare (including military medicine), education, economic and financial cooperation, and joint work in the mining sector. The accords also establish plans for international transport corridors to improve trade and logistics, and include measures on special economic zones, migration support and repatriation, and nuclear safety and radiation protection with information‑sharing provisions.

Institutional and programmatic arrangements were expanded to provide medium‑term frameworks: an intergovernmental agreement between the Committee on Religious Affairs and Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs, a foreign‑ministry cooperation programme for 2026–2027, a protocol between the Light Industry Development Agency and Turkey’s Council of Higher Education, and a 2026–2027 cultural cooperation plan. Collectively, the pacts signal structured sectoral engagement and coordinated planning likely to deepen economic integration and regulatory alignment between the two sides.

Local Coverage: uza.uz

From daily brief: 2026-01-31

7. Ankara and Tashkent Agree to Digitize Transit and Ease Cross-Border Freight via Middle Corridor

Uzbekistan and Turkey deepened a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s state visit to Ankara (Jan 29–30), signing a package of agreements at the fourth High‑Level Strategic Cooperation Council to accelerate digitization and simplify freight along the “Middle Corridor.” Key transport measures target the Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan–Iran–Turkey axis and Mediterranean ports (notably Mersin), including plans to launch container trains on the Iran–Turkey route and expand electronic cross‑border permits pioneered by both countries to reduce bottlenecks and speed export–import flows to new markets (Transport Minister Ilhom Mahkamov; Amir Sultonov, Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

The pact pairs transport and trade objectives with broader institutional and sectoral cooperation: 13 bilateral documents cover health (annual quotas for Uzbek access to Turkish hospitals), defense medicine, finance, SEZs, nuclear safety, and migration; permanent joint committees and a joint roadmap were established to implement projects. Economic targets include raising bilateral trade to USD 5 billion (from USD 3.02 billion in 2025, and USD 3.4 billion in 2021) and leveraging roughly USD 9 billion in project pipeline and some 2,200 joint ventures and USD 5 billion of Turkish investment in Uzbekistan to deepen regional integration and commercial connectivity.

Local Coverage: gazeta.uz, uza.uz, qalampir.uz, uzdaily.uz

From daily briefs: 2026-01-30, 2026-01-31, 2026-02-03, 2026-02-04

8. Tashkent–Astana Talks Target $10 Billion Trade by 2030 with New Regional Forums and Exhibitions Planned

Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov met Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Beibut Atamkulov in Tashkent to review bilateral trade, investment and transport cooperation and reaffirm a joint program to raise mutual trade to $10 billion by 2030. Bilateral turnover reached $4.97 billion in 2025 (up 11.4% year‑on‑year), with Uzbek exports of $1.55 billion (+1.2%) and imports from Kazakhstan of $3.4 billion (+16.6%), underscoring a persistent trade imbalance but clear momentum in cross‑border commerce.

Officials agreed to practical steps to deepen integration, including convening the first Council of Regional Leaders in 2026 and staging “Made in Uzbekistan” and “Made in Kazakhstan” industrial exhibitions to broaden supply chains and B2B ties. The emphasis on expanded investment cooperation, transport links and regular high‑level dialogue signals a calibrated, state‑led push to scale industrial integration and move toward the $10 billion target—an outcome that will depend on translating planned forums and exhibitions into sustained commercial deals and improved trade facilitation.

Local Coverage: uzdaily.uz

From daily brief: 2026-02-01

9. Suma Chakrabarti Highlights WTO Accession Drive and Legal Reforms as Investment Catalysts

Former EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti praised Uzbekistan’s “Uzbekistan–2030” reform agenda, arguing that the government’s WTO accession drive has become a strategic lever for deeper, system‑wide market reforms and steady growth. Speaking after a successful London investor roadshow, Chakrabarti highlighted the Presidential Delivery Unit’s measurable gains in women’s health, water supply and education infrastructure as a scalable model and called for broader investor outreach with follow‑up events planned in the UAE and other regions.

Chakrabarti stressed that international investors now prioritize robust legal safeguards and credible dispute resolution, and endorsed the planned Tashkent International Commercial Court as a confidence‑building measure to accelerate capital inflows and support sustained investment. His remarks frame WTO accession and legal reform—notably the new commercial court—as central to unlocking private finance for Uzbekistan’s 2030 development objectives.

Local Coverage: uza.uz

From daily brief: 2026-01-30

10. Tashkent, Beijing Deepen Parliamentary and Research Ties with Focus on Anti-Corruption and Green Economy

Uzbekistan’s lower house leaders met a delegation led by Gao Xiang, member of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, to deepen inter-parliamentary and academic cooperation focused on anti-corruption and the green/digital economy. Uzbek officials briefed the delegation on recent constitutional reforms and the “Uzbekistan–2030” strategy, and both sides proposed expanding collaboration under China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and the outcomes of the CCP 20th Congress Fourth Plenum, with priority areas including party-to-party dialogue, anti-poverty and anti-corruption measures, and knowledge-sharing on digitalization and low-carbon growth.

The two sides signalled intent to broaden engagement in multilateral fora — notably the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the “China–Central Asia” platform — and agreed to sustain momentum following Uzbekistan’s hosting of the second Dialogue of Political Parties in November 2025. For international stakeholders, the talks indicate a calibrated strengthening of Sino‑Uzbek ties that combines legislative exchange, research collaboration and development cooperation, with potential implications for regional governance norms, anti-corruption frameworks and green-economy cooperation in Central Asia.

Local Coverage: uzdaily.uz

From daily brief: 2026-01-30

About This Weekly Digest

The stories above represent the most significant developments from Uzbekistan this week, selected through our AI-powered analysis of hundreds of local news articles.

Stories are drawn from our daily intelligence briefs, which synthesize reporting from Uzbekistan's leading news sources to provide comprehensive situational awareness for international decision-makers.