TASHKENT (TCA) — In August 2016, United States Embassy to Uzbekistan’s Deputy Chief of Mission Lesslie Viguerie attended the opening ceremonies for a new Uzbekistan border post located along the border with Tajikistan, the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent said on August 22.
The event was hosted by General-Major Rustam Eminjanov, commander of the Uzbekistan Border Guards, and showcased the outpost’s new facilities and capabilities. The United States Central Command provided the funding for the project, while an Uzbek company was responsible for completing all the construction. This successful joint Uzbek-American project serves the interests of both countries in meeting the international goal of combating the flow of illegal persons and contraband across national borders. The United States was proud to support this bilateral effort, the Embassy said.
The United States established diplomatic relations with Uzbekistan in 1992 following its independence from the Soviet Union. Since then, the United States and Uzbekistan have developed a broad-based relationship, cooperating in such areas as border and regional security programs, economic relations, political and civil society issues, and English language training. Uzbekistan is important to U.S. interests in ensuring stability, prosperity, and security in the broader Central Asian region, and the U.S. has provided security assistance to the country to further these goals, the U.S. Department of State said. Regional threats include illegal narcotics, trafficking in persons, terrorism, and extremism. Uzbekistan is a key partner supporting international efforts in Afghanistan, primarily through provision of electricity, development of rail infrastructure connecting Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, and support to the Northern Distribution Network logistics system serving North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops in Afghanistan.
