Uzbekistan's Military-Technical Cooperation with Foreign States

Marat KENZHETAEV

Researcher

Center for Arms Control, Energy and Environmental Studies

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

The past few years have been marked by rapid growth of military spending in Uzbekistan. It more than doubled from $189 million in 1994 to $429 million in 1997¹ and reached $660 mil­lion by 2001² making it the biggest figure in Central Asia, though until 1997 Kazakhstan held the lead.

The rise in military spending was spurred by growing foreign and domestic threats: the ac­tivities of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), discontent with the regime of President Islam Karimov, the proximity of trouble-ridden Afghanistan and Tajikistan, territorial and raw materials disputes with Kyrgyzstan and Ka­zakhstan. Uzbekistan has adopted the policy of forming compact but mobile and highly effec­tive armed forces which implies the acquisition of up-to-date weaponry. However, due to the shortage of foreign currency reserves, Uzbekistan has been importing arms on a small scale so far.

Cooperation with Russia

Until 1999 Uzbekistan dissociated itself from Russia in the military-political sphere and started restoring ties with it when IMU forces led by Juma Namangani began seriously pres­suring government troops in the Fergana valley. Moreover, at the end of 2000 the Uzbek gov­ernment voiced readiness to assign up to $300 million to arms imports from Russia alone.³

Arms deliveries

Bilateral relations in defense and military-tech­nical cooperation (MTC) between Russia and Uzbekistan currently rest on the 1999 treaty of further deepening all-round cooperation in the sphere.⁴ The treaty provides for mutual assis­tance, including military-technical, with reli­ance on the means at the disposal of the two sides⁵ except for strategic arms systems. It en­visages the deepening of bilateral cooperation in military-technical and space spheres (except for the transfer of missile and other technologies al­lowing the development and manufacture of missile and space systems), in air defense and personnel training. The Defense Ministries of the two countries are bound to make annual bilateral military cooperation plans. The treaty was signed for five years and will be automatically extended for another term, if the sides do not agree otherwise. At the time of ratification the provisions of the treaty were already being fulfilled.

According to official reports submitted to the UN Register in 1992 and 1993, Russia trans­ferred 50 combat vehicles to Uzbekistan, most likely BTR-80 wheel armored personnel carriers. In 1997-1998 these deliveries grew to 120 units (probably the same BTR-80).

In 1996-1997 a leading Russian exporter, VPK "MAPO", signed a contract with Uzbekistan on the delivery of spare parts, repairs and upgrad­ing of MiG-29/MiG-UB air superiority fighters and trainers. In 1999-2000 Russia and Uzbeki­stan concluded several contracts for the repairs and upgrading of Su-25 ground attack aircraft and Su-27 fighters,⁶ S-75 (SA-2) air defense sys­tems, S-125 (SA-3) short-range surface-to-air missiles, S-200 (SA-5) medium range surface-to-air missiles and Tochka (SS-21) short range tac­tical missiles.⁷

According to the Russian Agency for Conven­tional Armaments, in 1999-2000 Uzbekistan im­ported small arms and ammunition from Rus­sia.⁸ Russian deliveries for that period totaled about $6 million, out of which arms worth $4.6 million were delivered in 2000. Ammunition for small arms constituted $1-2 million of the sum; the rest was payment for aircraft repairs and upgrading, air defense systems⁹ and tactical mis­siles. Besides, in 1999-2000 Russia delivered special means and equipment, including sensors for explosives and weaponry to Uzbek border guards and the Interior Ministry.¹⁰

In autumn 1999 Uzbek Defense Ministry repre­sentatives at meetings with their Russian coun­terparts placed an order for armored vehicles, Mi-8 helicopters, mortars, means of communica­tion and ammunition for about $30 million.¹¹ During President Vladimir Putin's official visit to Uzbekistan in May 2000, the two countries signed a $32 million agreement on Russian arms deliveries. Supposedly, the batch included 50 new BTR-80A vehicles manufactured at the Ar­zamas Machine-Building Plant.¹² The contract for combat vehicles and other weaponry was ne­gotiated by Rosvoorouzhenie arms trader and, according to its representatives, it was almost ready to be signed in summer 2000¹³ In Sep­tember 2000 a spokesman for the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces stated that "in the next few days Russia will deliver unguided air rockets, sniping rifles, automatic grenade launchers and other types of arms and ammuni­tion to Uzbekistan."¹⁴

However, financial questions and the form of payment became a stumbling block at the talks. According to the Uzbek side, the 1999 agree­ment implied deliveries of Russian military pur­pose goods in exchange for cotton at the rate of 17,500 tonnes of cotton for $20 million.¹⁵ Russia insisted that part of the deliveries be paid for in hard currency and that Uzbekistan pay at least part of its debts to Russia that had run to about $600 million.¹⁶ During the official visit of Uzbek President Islam Karimov to Moscow in May 2001 the sides reached an understanding that Uzbekistan would pay with cotton, natural gas and farm produce for only part of the Russian armaments but at a rate much lower (some 60%) than world prices. This was followed by reports that Russian arms deliveries would begin "in the nearest time." The first batch of 23 BTR-80A vehicles manufactured at the Arzamas Machine-Building Plant was expected to be delivered already in August-September 2001.¹⁷

The repair and upgrading of Uzbek Air Force helicopters is one of the 28 projects of Russian-Uzbek MTC under the 1999 treaty. In the framework of the project at the beginning of 2000 Russia and Uzbekistan agreed in principle on the formation of a JV to repair and upgrade military aircraft.¹⁸ There is no clarity about the progress of the project. Evidently like many others it was suspended for financial and economic reasons at least until May 2001. The helicopter project is known to have been negotiated in autumn 2001. In September representatives of the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant held talks with the Uzbek military on prolonging the service lives of Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters of the Uzbek Air Force.¹⁹

Besides, among the priority projects in military-technical cooperation with Russia, Karimov named supplies of the Uzbek Armed Forces and infrastructure with up-to-date means of communications.²⁰ Also in the framework of the MTC treaty in autumn 2000 70 Uzbek servicemen started studies at the Russian military educational institutions, including five officers who will get three years of training at the Russian Military Academy of the General Staff.²¹

Thus Russian-Uzbek MTC is clearly aimed at enhancing the ability of the Uzbek army to resist the pressure of Islamists. Deliveries of armored vehicles, the repairs and upgrading of helicopters and attack aircraft, the organization of communications and training of officers are meant to increase the mobility and controllability of troops. The scale of deliveries has been insignificant so far, but they evidently seriously increase the combat capability of Uzbek troops.

Joint arms production and export projects

In 1995 Uzbekistan's biggest defense industry facility - the Chkalov Aviation Production Association in Tashkent - developed with Russian assistance a new modification of the Il-76 military-transport aircraft - Il-76MF - that can be used in freight, transport and passenger versions.²² At the moment the plant is planning to resume the production of Il-76TD and Il-76MF transport aircraft at orders from Russia. Before 1993 it manufactured about 60 Il-76 aircraft for the Russian Air Force and for export, two planes in 1997 and planned to manufacture 22 and export 24 in 1998.²³

In 2000 an understanding was reached that Uzbekistan would transfer 6 or 7 Il-76MF to Russian military transport aviation free of charge against government guarantees. Work was under way throughout 2001 on an intergovernmental agreement on the deliveries.²⁴ At the moment the Tashkent plant is assembling several Il-76MF for the Russian Air Force.

Il-76 has an export potential mainly in the two biggest importer-countries of Russian weaponry: India and China. There have been numerous reports that India intends to purchase a certain number of Il-78 tanker aircraft and that China planned to import Il-76 military transport planes from Russia. As it is unlikely that China would be content with acquiring only used military hardware and Il-76 is manufactured only in Uzbekistan, the following pattern is likely: the production of Il-76TD/MF in Tashkent, supplies of transport aircraft components by Russia and the delivery of the aircraft by Moscow.

Russian sales of 10 Il-76M military transport planes to China are regarded as the latest delivery of the military modifications of Il-76, seven of them were transferred under a 1992 barter (60%) contract for $200 million to the Chinese People's Liberation Army and three to civilian airlines engaged in freight traffic. The Tashkent plant has some 30 Il-76 in its stocks that Uzbekistan is trying to sell to China.²⁵

When Karimov visited Russia in May 2001, the sides again agreed to set up an inter-state aviation concern on the basis of the Chkalov Aviation Production Association, Voronezh Aircraft JSC and the Ilyushin Aircraft Complex.²⁶ However, the situation with the formation of the concern is still vague primarily because of the absence of an understanding on the size of a stake in the Tashkent facility and the mechanism of its contribution to the concern. Russian representatives claim that Uzbekistan is trying to sell, not to contribute plant shares, especially as the company's assets are seriously exaggerated. They believe that in the present situation it would be better for Russian manufacturers to organize the production of Il-76 at the Voronezh Aircraft JSC, but that would require $80 million to $130 million.²⁷ So the question of forming the concern remains open.

Besides, in the framework of the 1999 military cooperation agreement Uzbekistan and Russia agreed on the licensed production of Russian-developed small arms at Uzbek plants of the Uzmashprom association.²⁸ There is no reliable information about the status of the project, its volume or the operations of Uzmashprom.

Uzbekistan's MTC with CIS countries

Ukraine

After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was one of the first CIS countries to demonstrate active interest in cooperation with Uzbekistan. During bilateral contacts and visits the official representatives the two countries signed a significant number of cooperation documents, primarily in engineering and aircraft-building, for instance the 1994 and 1997 agreements.²⁹

At the beginning of 1997 the Kiev Tank-Repair Plant carried out a contract to overhaul and upgrade 40 T-72M1 main battle tanks for Uzbekistan. The service life of each tank was extended by 3,000 kilometers. The contract is estimated at $3.2 million.³⁰ In 1999 the Uzbek Interior Ministry suggested a $6 million barter deal for military purpose goods.³¹

In October 2000 during the visit of Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to Uzbekistan the sides concluded a protocol to intensify MTC. The then Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk announced that after the visit Ukrspetsexport arms trading company signed three contracts for the delivery of army materiel to Uzbekistan.³² The contracts implied deliveries of small arms, artillery of various caliber and ammunition. The sides also reached an understanding on repairing and upgrading helicopters, other aircraft and armored vehicles.³³ The delivery of rounds for rocket launchers was also mulled. Besides, a contract was drafted for the production of explosives and ammunition on their basis for Uzbekistan at Ukrainian plants in Shostka and Donetsk.³⁴ The details, parameters, timeframe and present status of the contracts are not known. It is quite possible they have been implemented or are under implementation.

In addition to direct arms deliveries, Ukraine suggested mediating the sale of Uzbek-made aircraft. Back in 1996 Ukraine offered India Il-78M air tankers. But in 1997 India signed a similar agreement with Russia on the acquisition of 2 Uzbek Il-78M. However, this trilateral contract was not carried out.³⁵

According to Ukrainian officials, Ukraine is planning to resume arms deliveries to Uzbekistan. But the list of goods or volumes of sales has not been disclosed.³⁶

Georgia

During the meetings of Georgian and Uzbek officials in 1996-1997 reports appeared that the sides showed mutual interest in deepening partnership between the Tbilisi Aircraft Company and the Chkalov Aviation Production Association in Tashkent.³⁷ When Uzbek Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Hikmatula Tursunov made an official visit to Georgia in 1999, he discussed the development of bilateral military cooperation. The Georgian side was supplied with a list of military hardware that Uzbekistan was interested in. Uzbekistan and Georgia agreed on the delivery of two Su-25UB ground attack aircraft manufactured in Tbilisi for about $5 million apiece.³⁸

Kyrgyzstan

The Uzbek Armed Forces currently need some 40 trainer aircraft to replace the fleet of its L-39 trainers. The media have reported that in 1995, Kyrgyzstan delivered 10 L-39 to Uzbekistan and paid $42.7 million in a swap for 900 million cubic meters of Uzbek natural gas.³⁹

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is capable of delivering Soviet-made military hardware to Uzbekistan. It recently started selling its stocks and plans to continue the practice in the future. It also exports arms and ammunition for the army and anti-terrorist squads. However, the complicated relationship between the two countries that has worsened in the past few years primarily over territorial disputes and Uzbekistan's attempts to unilaterally demarcate the borderline between the two countries have clouded the prospects of Uzbek-Kazakh MTC. Nevertheless, there were reports in October 2001 about the delivery of Kazakh weaponry to Uzbekistan.⁴⁰ The volume of deliveries or types of weapons was not disclosed, though.

Uzbekistan's MTC with non-CIS countries

USA

Under the Foreign Military Sales program Uzbekistan received US army property for $6 million in 1997, for $1.58 million in 1998, for $3 million in 1999 and for $2.65 million in 2000. In 2000 deliveries included uniforms, means of communication, anti-tank rockets and 16 cross-country vehicles. In addition under the International Military Education and Training program Uzbekistan in 1995-1999 was assigned $1.13 million that was spent on the training of 103 Uzbek army officers in the United States. Under the Foreign Military Financing program the United States allocated $1 million to Uzbekistan in 1997 and $1.55 million in 1998.

Washington regards Uzbekistan as a key country capable of orchestrating the strategic reorientation of Central Asia from Russia to the United States. Uzbekistan's withdrawal from the Collective Security Treaty in 1999 and admission to GUUAM can be regarded as a failure of the Russian policy and diplomacy and a victory of the US policy.

In October 2001 Uzbekistan and the United States signed an agreement under which US military units and Air Force aircraft involved in the military operation in Afghanistan were permitted to Uzbek Khanabad air base near Karshi.⁴¹ Unconfirmed reports say the United States offered $8 billion in exchange.⁴² It is quite likely that the figure is greatly exaggerated and the formula too vague. In any case since October 2001 the United States has been assigning financial resources to various Uzbek programs: the disposal of biological waste stores in the Sea of Aral,⁴³ security and resistance to terrorism.⁴⁴  In addition there are plans of continuing US army property deliveries to Uzbekistan.

India

In 1998 Uzbekistan together with Russia delivered to Il-78M tanker aircraft to India under a 1997 contract.⁴⁵ In October 2001 Uzbekistan and India signed a contract for six such aircraft. The deal reportedly amounted to $150 million with advance payment constituting $23 million.⁴⁶

Turkey

During the visit of the Turkish president to Tashkent in 2000 the parties signed a treaty on military-technical cooperation. Later, the countries exchanged visits of representatives of their Defense and Foreign Ministries and General Staffs who discussed the provision of the army with materiel of NATO standards, however, no concrete arms contracts or MTC agreements are known to date.⁴⁷

France

In June 2000 Uzbekistan signed a contract with the French Sagem for upgrading 12 Mi-8 and 12 Mi-24 helicopters. The upgrading implies the installation of IR sight systems facilitating round-the-clock operation of the aircraft. One of the upgraded helicopters was demonstrated at the Paris air show in Le Bourget in June 2001. The upgrading was conducted at the Chkalov Aviation Production Association in Tashkent.⁴⁸ The sum of the contract was not reported but experts say comparable Israeli systems cost $1-2 million.

In the second half of the 1990s the Uzbek military held talks with the French Thompson-CSF and Alcatel-Alstom and several other Western companies on the delivery of telephone and radio communication means to the Uzbek Armed Forces and Interior Ministry. The results of the talks are not known.

According to the report of the French Defense Minister on French arms exports in 1991-1999 published in March 2001,⁴⁹ France and Uzbekistan signed arms delivery contracts for FFR 59 million in 1998 and for FFR 384.7 million in 1999. The French DGA agency says all contracts dealt with weaponry for the land force. Corresponding deliveries amounted to FFR 57.8 million in 1999. The types or quantities of weapons remained unreported. It is only known that deliveries included automatic rifles, carbines and small caliber (less than 100 mm) artillery systems. The contracts for upgrading the Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters and possible contracts for means of communications may have been included in the abovementioned sums because they also formally belong to the category of armaments for the land force.

China

In August 2000 during the visit of Uzbek Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Yuri Akzamov to Beijing, Uzbekistan and China signed a treaty on MTC. Under the treaty China has delivered arms and army property to Uzbekistan: several hundred sniping rifles, bulletproof vests and other materiel.⁵⁰ The reason why Uzbeks chose Chinese sniping rifles and other military purpose goods while conducting talks on the delivery of similar goods with Russia is the low price of the Chinese weaponry. It is also possible that China supplied its materiel free of charge. The other reason may be the speed with which Chinese arms were delivered to Tashkent. Despite China's gesture Uzbekistan has again appealed to Russia for arms supplies even though the Chinese incident had a certain negative impact on Russian-Uzbek relations.

Uzbekistan is unlikely to develop and active relationship with China even though it will try to diversify sources of arms supplies.

¹  SIPRI data.

²  Ibid.

³  Yaroslav Razumov, "V tekushchem godu na finansi­rovaniye Vooruzhonnykh sil vydeleno 25 mlrd tenge", Panorama, Almaty, 19.01.2001, p.3.

⁴  The Russian State Duma passed a corresponding federal bill on February 21, 2001, the Federation Council approved it on March 14, 2001, and the Presi­dent signed it into law on March 26, 2001.

⁵  As Uzbekistan withdrew from the 1992 Collective Security Treaty, these provisions record Uzbekistan's commitment not to join military alliances or military agreements aimed against Russia and imply the possi­bility of Uzbekistan rejoining the Collective Security Treaty.

⁶  Igor Korotchenko, Sergei Chemezov, "V sisteme voenno-tekhnicheskogo sotrudnichestva vystroena chyotkaya vertical", Nezavisimoe Voennoe Obozrenie, 18.02.2000, Yuri Chernogaev, Kommersant, 18.02.2000, Tashkentskiye Kuranty, Gorodskiye No­vosti, January, February, March 2000 http://www.uzcapital.uz/city_news0002.html.

⁷  Yuri Chernogaev, "Islam Karimov: my budem vo­evat po novomy", Kommersant, 26.05.2000.

⁸  Daima Timergaliyeva, "Belorussia lidiruet po obyomam zakupok rossiiskikh vooruzhenyi sredi stran SNG", Aviatsiya, kosmos, oruzhie Rossii, 17.04.2000.

⁹  On June 19, 2000 Uzbekistan signed the agreement on the United Air Defense System and joined the group of CIS countries (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakh­stan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia) jointly monitoring and defending the air space over the former Soviet Union. In the framework of the system Russia and Uzbekistan signed an intergovernmental agreement on the proce­dure of assigning Russian military test sites to Tash­kent for Air Defense practice shooting.

¹⁰  Information of the press center of the "Siberian Ac­cord" Inter-Regional Association, 28.03.2001; Delovoi Novosibirsk web publication, 29.03.2001, http://www.bn.siberia.net/; "V blizhaishee vremya budet podpisano ramochnoe soglashenie mezhdu dvumya assotsiatsiami - Sibirskim Soglasheniyem I Uzmashprompom", RIA-Novosti, 28.03.2001, No­vosibirsk.

¹¹  Mikhail Kozyrev, "Rossiya prodast Uzbekistanu oruzhie", Vedomosti, 30.08.2000.

¹²  Valentin Badrak, "VTS GUUAM: mif ili realnost?", Zerkalo nedeli, #35, 08.09.2001.

¹³  Mikhail Kozyrev, "Rossiya prodast Uzbekistanu oruzhie", Vedomosti, 30.08.2000.

¹⁴  "Rossiya postavit Uzbekistanu aviatsionnoe I suk­hoputnoe oruzhie", Kazakhstan Press news agency, 02.09.2000.

¹⁵  "Khlopok kak oruzhie", Expert, 07.05.2001.

¹⁶  "Rossiya poluchit uzbekskie khlopok, gaz, frukty i ovoshchi v shchyot postavok vooruzheniy", Military News Agency, 04.05.2001. Tatyana Tkachuk, Mekhman Gafarly, Vladimir Georgiyev, "Rossiya - Uzbekistan: nastupaet epokha potepleniya", Nezavisi­maya Gazeta, 05.05.2001

¹⁷  Aviatsiya, kosmos, oruzhie Rossii, 18.05.2001. ITAR-TASS report "Russia to deliver armored vehi­cles to Uzbekistan", 18.05.2001.

¹⁸  Yuri Chernogayev, "Islam Karimov: my budem vo­evat po novomy", Kommersant, 26.05.2000. Valentin Badrak, "VTS GUUAM: mif ili realnost?", Zerkalo nedeli, #35, 08.09.2001.

¹⁹  INFO-TASS database, Vega base, 24.09.2001.

²⁰  Yuri Chernogayev, "Islam Karimov: my budem vo­evat po novomy", Kommersant, 26.05.2000.

²¹  G. Zhukova, "Uzbekskaya armiya reformiruet­sya",Tsentralnaya Aziya: politika I ekonomika, No. 1, 2000. Agency for Political Research, http://www.caapr.kz/.

²²  Flight tests of IL-76MF military transport aircraft ended in autumn 2001.

²³  Aviarynok, # 6, 1988. Judging by everything this has not happened to this day.

²⁴  Interview with Commander of the 61st Air Army of Military Transport Aviation Lt. Gen. Viktor Denisov. Sergei Babichev, Mikhail Sidelnikov, "Rossiiskoi VTA ispolnyayetsya 70 let", Krasnya Zvezda, 29.05.2001.

²⁵  Dmitri Kozlov, Novosti MAKS-2001, #1, 2001.

²⁶  Alisher Taksanov, "Politicheskaya romashka: lyubit - ne lyubit", 08.05.2001, Agency for Political Re­search, http://www.caapr.kz/. "Uzbekskyi Ilyushin mozhet smenit familiyu", Kommersant, 11.10.2001.

²⁷  Dmitri Kozlov, Novosti MAKS-2001, #1, 2001. "Uzbekskyi Ilyushin mozhet smenit familiyu", Kom­mersant, 11.10.2001.

²⁸  The Russian partners were the Economics' Ministry, the Ministry for Foreign Economic Relations, the De­fense Ministry, the Trade Ministry and Rosvoorouzhenie.

²⁹  Strany GUUAM - dvustoronnie otnosheniya s Uz­bekistanom, UzReport.com news agency, 30.04.2001

³⁰  Ye. Putilov, M. Kenzhetayev, "Vooruzhyonnye sily respublik byvshego SSSR", parts 6 and 7: Kochevye uzbeki - Kazakhstan i Uzbeksitan, Voyenno-Is­toricheskyi forum, September 2000. Yuri Cher­nogayev, "V uzbekskoi armii vsyo budet kak v NATO … krome soldat", Kommersant, 07.09.2000.

³¹  Valentin Badrak, "VTS GUUAM: mif ili realnost?", Zerkalo nedeli, #35, 08.09.2001.

³²  Ukrspetsexport zaklyuchil kontrakty na postavku v Uzbekistan vooruzheniya, Liga-Online, 15.10.2000, 09:38, http://www.liga.kiev.ua.

³³  Strany GUUAM - dvustoronniye otnosheniya s Uz­bekistanom, UzReport.com news agency, 30.04. 2001.

³⁴  Ukrspetsexport zaklyuchil kontrakty na postavku v Uzbekistan vooruzheniya, Liga-Online, 15.10.2000, 09:38, http://www.liga.kiev.ua.

³⁵  Defense News, 07.08.2001; Press Trust of India, 31.05.2001.

³⁶  "Kuchma ne isklyuchaet chto Ukraina budet postavlyat oruzhiye v Uzbekistan", MNA, 08.10.2001. "Prezident Ukrainy Leonid Kuchma ne isklyuchaet vozmozhnosti postavok oruzhiya Uzbekistany", Inter­fax-Ukraine, 08.10.2001.

³⁷  Strany GUUAM - dvustoronniye otnosheniya s Uz­bekistanom, UzReport.com news agency, 30.04. 2001

³⁸  "Uzbekistan interesuetsya Su-25", Prime News agency, 23.03.1999. "Uzbekistan pokupaet gruzinskie samolety", Izvestiya, 30.03.1999.

³⁹  ITAR-TASS, 18.01.1995.

⁴⁰  "Kazakhstan: Train carrying military hardware crosses border to Uzbekistan", Almaty Kazakh Com­mercial TV, 19.10. 2001.

⁴¹  "Uzbekskii blokpost Washingtona", Obshchaya ga­zeta, 18.10.2001.

⁴²  "SShA predlozhili Uzbekistanu $8 mlrd za sodeist­vie", www.lenta.ru, 19.10.2001 ?. and http://uzland.narod.ru/2001/october/19/12.htm; refer­ence to NG.

⁴³  "Washington vydelil Tashkenty $6 mln na likvi­datsiyu khranilishcha otkhodov biooruzhiya", "SShA okazhet pomoshch Uzbekistanu v likvidatsii zab­roshennogo khranilishcha spor sibirskoi yazvy na os­trove v Aralskom more", Military News Agency, 23.10.2001.

⁴⁴  "SShA gotovy vydelit do $50 mln na obespechenie i razvitie transportno-kommunikatisonnykh koridorov GUUAM", Military News Agency, 13.11.2001.

⁴⁵  The Military Balance 1998-1999, IISS.

⁴⁶  BBC, 18.12.2001.

⁴⁷  G. Zhukova, "Uzbekskaya armiya reformiruyetsya", Tsentralnaya Aziya: politika I ekonomika, No. 1, 2000, Agency for Political Research, http://www.caapr.kz/.  "V Tashkent pribyla turetskaya voennaya delegatsiya vo glave s nachalnikom logistiki Genshtaba turetskikh vooruzhonnykh sil generalom Khurshidom Tolonom", UzA news agency, 30.04.2001 http://uzland.narod.ru/2001/april/30.htm.

⁴⁸  Igor Korotchenko, Sergei Sokut, "Vzlyoty i pro­visaniya rossiskogo aviaproma. 44yi aviakosmicheski salon vo Frantsii obosholsya bez gromkikh sensatsyi", Nezavisimoe voennoe obozrenie, 22.06.2001. Mikhail Kozyrev, Vedomosti, 18.06.2001. Sergei Putilov, Vremya MN, 19.06.2001. Sergei Sokut, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 20.06.2001.

⁴⁹  "Rapport au parlement sur les exportations d'arme­ment de la France - resultats 1999", Delegue General pour l'Armement, 2001.

⁵⁰  "Tashkentu ne khvatilo kitaiskoi pomoshchi", Na­tional News Service, 31.08.2000, http://alyona.nns.ru/archive/chronicle/2000/08/31.html. Vladimir Mukhin, "Karimov vozrodil sholkovyi put. V sorevnovanii s Kitayem za vliyaniye v regione Ros­siya poka proigryvayet", Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 2.09.2000. Valery Biryukov, "V Tashkentskoi oblasti unichtozheny ostatki bandy terroristov", Trud, 19.09.2000. Mikhail Kozyrev, Vedomosti, 30.08.2000. Yuri Chernogayev, Vasili Mikhailov, Kommersant, 31.08.2000. Armen Khanbabyan, Nezavisimaya Ga­zeta, 31.08.2000.