On May 18, Oliy Majlis Senate approved the law ratifying the agreement between the Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense on measures to protect classified military information, which was signed in Washington on 9 June 2023, Gazeta.uz correspondent reports.
Ravshanbek Alimov, chairperson of the Committee on International Relations, Foreign Economic Relations, Foreign Investments and Tourism, noted that the U.S. was among the first to recognize Uzbekistan’s independence and has been one of the country’s important partners over the past years.
Military-technical cooperation is among the crucial areas of partnership between the two countries, the senator said.
“The military and political situation in the world and the region, the existing military threats necessitate the development of military-technical cooperation of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan with developed countries, including the United States. From this point of view, the matter of ratification of the agreement between the Ministry of Defense of Uzbekistan and the US Department of Defense on measures to protect classified military information is a logical continuation of efforts to develop bilateral relations,” he said.
Ravshanbek Alimov stated that ratification of the agreement would ensure guarantees of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the United States, as well as the country’s security and defense capabilities. He noted that it will also create the necessary conditions for mutually beneficial exchange of classified military information “on relevant issues”.
The agreement, prepared in Uzbek and English, consists of a preamble and 25 articles. Its ratification will not require any changes in legislation or the additional budget allocation, the senator commented.
Senate chairperson Tanzila Narbayeva called the document “a good law” that covers the mutually beneficial exchange of information, receipt of gratuitous military-technical assistance to ensure national security, training sessions on the operation of military equipment by Ministry of Defense units, and other related matters.
The Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis passed this law at the end of December 2023.
