The Chief Ideologist Of The Uzbek Defense Ministry Secretly Flew To Belarus?

Uzbek media and the defense ministry make no mention of the visit.

The press service of the Belarusian military department reported about the official visit of the delegation of the Ministry of Defense of Uzbekistan to Belarus on May 10.

It is noted that "within the framework of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory," Deputy Minister of Defense of Uzbekistan for educational and ideological work Khamdam Karshiev visited the memorial complex "Brest Fortress-Hero." It is noteworthy that the photos published by the Belarusian side, in fact, show only Karshiev - in civilian clothes, writes "Pozirk".

According to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, "representatives of the delegation" among other things visited the Republican Center for Patriotic Education of Youth, where they "talked to the leadership and exchanged views on the organization of military-patriotic education of children and youth."

Whether any talks between Karshiev and the military-political leadership of Belarus are planned is not reported. Uzbek media and the defense ministry do not mention the visit at all.

In July 2024, Uzbek Defense Minister Bakhodir Kurbaev visited Belarus. During the visit, he discussed with his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin the current state of bilateral military cooperation and "ways to intensify it in areas of mutual interest."

In late April last year, Viktor Gulevich, then First Deputy Minister of Defense - Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, held a series of talks with the country's military leadership in Tashkent, visited the country's military educational institutions and centers, as well as defense enterprises. At the meeting with Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan Shukhrat Kholmukhamedov, an agreement was reached to "intensify joint combat training of armies."

Holmukhamedov visited Minsk in March of the same year. At that time, he and Gulevich discussed "ways to intensify" cooperation in "areas of mutual interest."

Belarus and Uzbekistan are not in common defense alliances. Notably, Uzbekistan was at the origin of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) along with Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The document underlying the CSTO was signed on May 15, 1992 in Tashkent.

In 1999, when Belarus had already been a member of the bloc for 6 years, Uzbekistan did not prolong the relevant agreement. In 2006, its participation was restored, but in 2012, Tashkent again refused membership.

Alexander Lukashenko visited Uzbekistan in February 2024.

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