Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Disarmament Database

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Country Profile: Uzbekistan

BASIC FACTS

Uzbekistan is a Member Country of the NAM Movement since 1992 

The Republic of Uzbekistan is a unitary state in central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. Populated since the 8th century BC, what is now Uzbekistan formerly passed through Persian, Arab, Greek, Mongol, and finally Soviet rule before declaring its independence in 1991.  

Capital: Tashkent

There are no nuclear power plants located in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek Academy of Sciences and Institute of Nuclear Physics operates one research reactor (WWR-SM Tashkent), used for neutron diffraction and activation analysis. 

Construction of the Modular Reactor (SMR) nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan is progressing apace. The project, aimed at building a six-unit power plant, will see the start of infrastructure work as early as Fall 2025. This initiative follows the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between the UzAtom Atomic Energy Agency and Rosatom, marking a crucial step in energy cooperation between the two countries. The project calls for the installation of six RITM-200N reactors, based on Russian nuclear icebreaker technology. Each reactor has a thermal capacity of 190 MW, or 55 MWe, and an expected lifetime of 60 years. The first reactor is scheduled for commissioning at the end of 2029, with subsequent units coming on stream progressively .Much of the fuel for the plants will come from internal sources, as Uzbekistan is ranked seventh in the world for its natural deposits of uranium.

TREATIES AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

  • IAEA Membership (1994)2 

  • Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) (1996)3 

  • Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) (1996)4 

  • Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) (1997)5 

  • Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (1997)6 

  • Convention on Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD) (1993)7 

  • International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) (2008)8 

  • Treaty for the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) (Accession) (1992)9 

  • Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia (CANWFZ) (2007)10 

 

AGREEMENTS (In Force):

 

  • Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (1998) 

  • Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (2016) 

  • Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (2009)  

  • Revised Supplementary Agreements Concerning the Provision of Technical Assistance by the IAEA (RSA) (1994) 

  • Argeement between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the IAEA for the application of safeguards in connection with the NPT (1994) 

  • Protocol Additional to the Agreement between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the IAEA for the Application of Safeguards in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (1998) 


REGIONAL GROUPS

  • Member of the Asia-Pacific Group
  • Member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
  • Member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
  • Member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
  • Member of Partnership for Peace (PfP)
  • Member of Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC)
  • Member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)


LINKS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan

The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United Nations

UN State Summary

Ratification of Treaties & Membership in International Organizations Related to Disarmament

Uzbekistan: Preparations begin for a modular nuclear power plant

Country List (Office of Legal Affairs): Uzbekistan (iaea.org)