| Summary/Abstract |
UZBEKISTAN is a country with its own rich traditions, history, and culture that are closely intertwined with Russia's. The Russian Empire began to move into the region and develop it in the 1860s, and evidence of a common history still exists in various parts of the country. There have been some controversial issues in our relations that are connected, in the opinion of certain Uzbek scholars, to the Russian conquest of Tashkent and other regions and their subsequent incorporation into the Russian Empire. A biased approach toward the common past with Russia and attempts to reject it were especially pronounced during the presidency of Islam Karimov after Uzbekistan gained independence in 1991. The "big brother" policy that Moscow continued to pursue with respect to former Soviet republics and their leaders may have had something to do with that. The personal motives of Uzbekistan's first president and his entourage may also have been a factor.
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