Uzbekistan refuses to deploy US forces on its soil

Tashkent (ST): Uzbekistan confirmed its refusal to deploy US forces on its soil, stressing that this is illegal under the country’s constitution.

“Uzbekistan has not received any request for the deployment of US anti-terror forces on its soil, and we have no plans to implement such a step because it is prohibited by our constitution and it is not in line with the defense doctrine of our country.” The spokesman’s statement came after a report by the American Politico website yesterday, quoting an unidentified source in the US administration and US military officials, who claimed that Tashkent “is implementing a strong campaign to facilitate security cooperation with Washington, including the deployment of US forces to combat terrorism on Uzbek soil to carry out missions in Afghanistan” and that Pentagon officials will visit the country later this month for talks.

Uzbekistan maintains a policy of neutrality and does not allow any foreign forces to be stationed on its territory. 

K.Q.