Azerbaijan, Baku, October 28 / Trend News V. Zhavoronkova /
Full abolition of EU sanctions against Uzbekistan testifies serious failure of the West, Russian expert on Central Asia, Arkady Dubnov, said.
"Abolition of sanctions means a serious failure for the West to create a partner convenient in communicating and predictable in actions on the post-Soviet East, " Vremya Novostei observer, Dubnov, told Trend News via e-mail.
Foreign ministers of 27 EU countries have decided to lift the embargo on arms supplies to Uzbekistan.
They took this decision at a meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday.
Sanctions against Uzbek leadership have been imposed by the EU in May 2005 after mass riots in Andijan. About 200 people died during these disorders.
The EU called on the international investigation. The Uzbek authorities refused to make this action. In response, the sanctions have been imposed in the form of visa restrictions and embargo on arms supplies.
The reason for the failure of the West is understandable. It is the lack of common values between Christian Europe and post-Soviet Asia, politician said.
Dubnov said that celebration of EU Central Asian strategy, formed in 2007 during presidency of Germany's former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is obvious.
"He said that the strategy is based on two major points: Central Asia is a huge market for the EU and a major source of energy resources. We should add that the rest is the material of which the tools to achieve the main goals are made," Dubnov said.
The result of imposed sanctions is ambiguous, expert said.
Uzbekistan's certain progress on the "humanization" of legislation is obvious, such as the abolition of the death penalty, he said.
"However, if sanctions must be imposed on it due to the actions taken by the state, why sanctions are not imposed on the U.S.A. Death penalty has not been abolished in several states," Dubnov said.
Therefore, Tashkent's actions must not be ground for lifting the sanctions imposed on other reasons, he said.
The answer to the question whether Uzbekistan fulfilled EU basic requirement, such as permission to conduct independent international investigation of events in Andijan in May 2005 is the criterion, Dubnov said.
"The answer is obvious. It is negative. The results of the so-called investigation that were submitted by the Uzbek authorities to the EU, are not the same. Brussels does not try to argue," expert said.
Hence, the reason for lifting sanctions is a purely market-determined one", Dubnov said.
"Europe is tired to argue with Tashkent about human rights, after it convinced of the futility of Uzbekistan's modification in this sphere," he said.
