ABSTRACT
The 25-year relationship between Uzbekistan and Russia endured constant cycles of conflict and cooperation. Shortly after independence, Tashkent was sceptical of Russia's attempts to regain influence in the former Soviet space and especially in Central Asia. Karimov was well aware of this, long admitting that Russia and Uzbekistan had more in common than often presupposed: It is important to respect and understand every nation's own sacred traditions, spiritual and ethical values. Karimov therefore favoured the maintenance of a common currency on the condition that Moscow refrained from keeping total control over monetary policy. Self-reliance became, in effect, Uzbekistan's international role. The gradual shift in Russian foreign policy could in theory have been compatible with Uzbekistani self-reliance. Karimov continued to criticise economic integration, remonstrating against the creation of the Eurasian Economic Community in October 2000. CSTO and Eurasec were both multilateral organisations, intent on pooling sovereignty and on fostering deep economic and security cooperation.
