Russian foreign minister in Uzbekistan for talks
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is starting an official
two-day visit to Uzbekistan to discuss security and trade, Radio
L;iberty reported.
Lavrov's agenda on Monday includes a meeting with his Uzbek
counterpart, Abdulaziz Kamilov.
The two are expected to discuss the situation in Afghanistan,
Uzbekistan's neighbor to the south, and how the planned withdrawal
of the bulk of foreign forces in Afghanistan by the end of 2014
could impact security and stability in Central Asia.
Russian media say Lavrov may meet with Uzbek President Islam
Karimov but the reports did not say that meeting was certain.
Russian ties with Uzbekistan have been weakening recently as
Tashkent has been improving its ties with Western countries
involved in Afghanistan.
In June, Uzbekistan pulled out of the Russian-led CIS Collective
Security Treaty Organization.
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