Relationship dossier
United Kingdom
Uzbekistan
Relationship assessment
Practical trade and diplomatic cooperation, alongside a history of human-rights friction
United Kingdom toward Uzbekistan
+25The United Kingdom has maintained bilateral trade arrangements with Uzbekistan, including a post-Brexit trade continuity agreement, and has supported educational links through programs such as Chevening. British governments have also criticized human-rights abuses in Uzbekistan, particularly during the Karimov era.
Uzbekistan toward United Kingdom
+25Uzbekistan has participated in bilateral trade arrangements with the United Kingdom, including the post-Brexit trade continuity agreement, and has pursued diplomatic and educational engagement with the UK. The relationship has had friction over British criticism of Uzbekistan’s human-rights record.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship combines a durable trade framework and continuing diplomatic engagement with a history of human-rights disagreements. Cooperation is practical rather than evidence of an exceptionally close partnership, and the extent of newer cooperation remains uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The United Kingdom and Uzbekistan maintain a practical relationship involving trade and government cooperation. A post-Brexit trade continuity agreement provides a durable framework for commerce, while British engagement has included education and broader diplomatic cooperation. Relations have also faced friction over human rights, including criticism of Uzbekistan’s record during the Karimov era. The scope and implementation of newer cooperation are not fully clear.
Areas of tension
- British criticism of human-rights abuses in Uzbekistan, particularly during the Karimov era
Key developments
The United Kingdom and Uzbekistan signed a trade continuity agreement to maintain preferential trade arrangements after the UK's departure from the European Union.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of newer bilateral partnership arrangements are unclear.
- The current breadth of government cooperation beyond trade and education is uncertain.