Uzbekistan requests to join US-led initiative, ambassador says

Uzbekistan’s ambassador to the US, Furqat Sidikov, said Tashkent had formally notified the US State Department in a diplomatic note last week requesting to join the US-led initiative.

“Now, the US should confirm. We are ready to sign,” he said in Washington on Thursday.

Sidikov added that countries should have a “chance to be part of any kind of international cooperation”, and that drawing red lines around participation would be “counterproductive”.

“This gives us opportunities, and it’s good competition,” he said.