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Asia
With some 28 million inhabitants, Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia. The country has borders with all the other Central Asian countries as well as Afghanistan, and plays a key part in both the economic development and the stability of the region.
Before the sea route to India and China was discovered, Uzbek cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent were major trading centres along the famous Silk Road. In 1860 the entire region was colonised by Russia. After the collapse of the Tsarist empire, Uzbekistan enjoyed a few years of independence. In 1991 Uzbekistan once again became an independent republic, and has since belonged to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) along with other successor states to the Soviet Union.
Islam Karimov has been President of Uzbekistan since independence. During the Soviet era, he already held power as First Secretary of the Communist Party. Although according to the constitution President Karimov is not the head of government, the really important political powers are in his hands. There is no real parliamentary opposition to date. According to election observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the parliamentary elections in December 2009 did not meet democratic standards.
Uzbekistan has been showing solid economic development for several years now. However, only a small part of the population is benefiting from this. There is a great deal of poverty and unemployment, especially in rural areas, which is where two thirds of the country's population live.
Gold, cotton and natural gas are the country's main export products. Large-scale cotton farming is, however, detrimental to the environment; the artificial irrigation of cotton fields is causing the Aral Sea to dry out, resulting in the formation of vast salt flats. The intensive use of pesticides, insecticides and fertilisers is damaging the soil and drinking water in many parts of the country.
Cooperation with Germany
The focus of development cooperation between Uzbekistan and Germany is on sustainable economic development and health. Bilateral development activities have been integrated into an extensive regional programme, the aim of which is to promote and coordinate collaboration in such areas as regional economic cooperation, reform of the legal and justice systems, and sustainable use of natural resources.
Given the sensitive political situation in Uzbekistan, development cooperation activities there are implemented with the help and involvement of civil society, keeping as far away from government circles as possible.
German Embassy

German Embassy in Uzbekistan
Sharaf-Rashidov Ko'chasi 15
Taschkent 100017
Usbekistan
Phone: +998 / 71 / 120 84 40
Fax: +998 / 71 / 120 84 85






