Reaffirming United States-Uzbekistan relations.

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 415 Reaffirming United States-Uzbekistan relations. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 19, 2021 Mr. KELLY of Mississippi (for himself and Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Reaffirming United States-Uzbekistan relations. Whereas the Republic of Uzbekistan declared its independ- ence from the Soviet Union on September 1, 1991; Whereas the United States established diplomatic relations with Uzbekistan in 1992, and has developed a strong strategic partnership since then; Whereas the Declaration on the Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Framework between the United States and the Republic of Uzbekistan, signed in July 2002, estab- lished a principled framework for mutually beneficial re- lations in the political, economic, military, military-tech- nical, humanitarian, and other areas and recognized the importance of consistent implementation of democratic and market reforms in Uzbekistan; VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:13 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR415.IH HR415 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 415 IH Whereas Uzbekistan’s ongoing regional initiatives aimed at strengthening stability and economic cooperation over the past 5 years in Central Asia contribute greatly to the sta- bility of the region; Whereas Uzbekistan’s ‘‘National Development Action Strat- egy on Five Priority Areas 2017–2021’’ laid out an ambi- tious plan to promote good governance, judicial reform and rule of law, economic liberalization, social develop- ment, religious tolerance and interethnic accord, and a balanced and constructive foreign policy; Whereas the official visit of President Mirziyoyev to the United States in May 2018, launched a new era of stra- tegic partnership between the United States and Uzbek- istan; Whereas the November 2020, Annual Bilateral Consultations held in the District of Columbia resulted in a wide range of agreements to further develop bilateral cooperation, in- cluding on issues such as combating international ter- rorism, regional security including Afghanistan, bilateral trade and investment, education, health, cybersecurity, and promote further reform in Uzbekistan on human rights, combating trafficking in persons, religious free- dom, civil society, and independent media; Whereas United States assistance to Uzbekistan is aimed at improving livelihoods of citizens through support to en- hancing overall economic conditions, addressing the threats of infectious disease and transnational crime, in- creasing citizens’ access to justice and input into govern- ment decision making, promoting the rule of law, public education reform, defense cooperation, and encouraging government efforts that ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:13 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR415.IH HR415 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 415 IH Whereas the creation of the Congressional Uzbekistan Caucus in the House of Representatives has led to burgeoning dialogue between American and Uzbekistani political leadership; Whereas the deepening of ties between the State of Mis- sissippi and Uzbekistan through the National Guard’s State Partnership Program has led to increased levels of military cooperation; Whereas the Government of Uzbekistan provided support to the United States in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and was a key part- ner in supporting international efforts in Afghanistan and providing critical access and support to drive al- Qaida terrorists from Afghanistan; and Whereas Uzbekistan has demonstrated a willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation with the United States, share burdens, and address regional issues, including sta- bility in Afghanistan, and thereby has fostered an envi- ronment of political and economic cooperation: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) reaffirms the enduring commitment of the 2 United States to the independence, territorial integ- 3 rity, and sovereignty of Uzbekistan; 4 (2) recognizes the progress that Uzbekistan has 5 made in recent years on important political, eco- 6 nomic, democratic, and social reforms; 7 (3) recognizes the election of Uzbekistan to the 8 United Nations Human Rights Council for the pe- 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:13 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR415.IH HR415 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 415 IH riod of 2021 through 2023, the first time in the 1 country’s history, and encourages the Government of 2 Uzbekistan to use this position to actively promote 3 human rights and hold accountable those who do not 4 respect them; 5 (4) welcomes the elevation in December 2020, 6 of the United States-Uzbekistan Annual Bilateral 7 Consultations to a Strategic Partnership Dialogue; 8 (5) recognizes the efforts of the Government of 9 Uzbekistan to strengthen regional dialogue and co- 10 operation, opening new possibilities for intraregional 11 commerce and cooperative approaches to challenges 12 in Central Asia, including by means of the Food and 13 Agricultural Organization Regional Conference for 14 Europe, held virtually on November 2, 2020, and the 15 ‘‘Uzbekistan in the Context of Regional Security and 16 Global Changes’’ conference held in Tashkent on 17 November 7, 2019; 18 (6) welcomes the ambitious reform program of 19 the Government of Uzbekistan aimed at improving 20 the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, advancing 21 anticorruption measures and increasing transparency 22 in the judicial system, strengthening the account- 23 ability of public servants, promoting freedom of ex- 24 pression and freedom of the media, eliminating traf- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:13 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR415.IH HR415 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 415 IH ficking in persons including forced and child labor in 1 the cotton harvest, and ensuring religious freedom; 2 (7) calls for deeper economic cooperation be- 3 tween the United States and Uzbekistan that will in- 4 crease trade and create new business opportunities 5 in the fields of agriculture, energy, financial services, 6 tourism, health, and digital innovation; 7 (8) supports the establishment of Webster Uni- 8 versity Tashkent, the first American university in 9 Uzbekistan, as well as the accreditation of the Amer- 10 ican Councils for International Education in Uzbek- 11 istan, and encourages the further development of 12 educational cooperation between the two countries, 13 including through fostering academic and research 14 partnerships between United States and Uzbekistan 15 universities and through expanding English lan- 16 guage training and STEM programs in public edu- 17 cation in Uzbekistan; 18 (9) underscores the importance of cooperation 19 between the United States and Uzbekistan in multi- 20 lateral formats in Central Asia, including the C5+1 21 regional format; 22 (10) underlines the emerging role of Uzbekistan 23 as an economic leader in Central Asia as dem- 24 onstrated by its hosting of the Central Asia Trade 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:13 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR415.IH HR415 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 415 IH Forum and the United States-Central Asia Trade 1 and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA); 2 (11) appreciates the efforts of the Government 3 of Uzbekistan to support the peace process and so- 4 cial and economic development in Afghanistan in- 5 cluding through the Afghan-led peace and reconcili- 6 ation process, supporting railway and electricity in- 7 frastructure development in Afghanistan, educating 8 Afghan youth, and partnering with the United 9 States to address illicit drug trafficking and weapon 10 smuggling; and 11 (12) looks forward to the continued develop- 12 ment of strong bilateral relations between the United 13 States and Uzbekistan, as well as to further demo- 14 cratic, political, economic, and social reforms in Uz- 15 bekistan. 16 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:13 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR415.IH HR415 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS