Propaganda alert!

X-posted from Registan

Propaganda alert!
Posted By CXW On 7th September 2005 @ 06:29

The Korea Times has an interesting article by the Uzbek Ambassador to South Korea, Vitali Fen, entitled "Uzbekistan Goes Along Path of Stable Reforms". As well as outlining the achievements of independent Uzbekistan and Karimov's role in the republic's successes, he also writes about Andijan in considerable detail:

The recent tragic events in Andijan befell as a serious ordeal upon people of Uzbekistan. They have once again shown that radical forces in a bid to realize their far-reaching goals were exploiting not only the "power of persuasion'' and "peaceful'' ideology.

The armed attacks at a number of sites in the city, the capture of arms, taking of hostages, of the local administration building, as well as murder of law-enforcement personnel and civilians can never be called "the peaceful and non-violent methods of struggle.''

But the guile and hatred of criminals did not withstand in Andijan before the firm state power, bravery of officers and soldiers, endurance and wisdom of millions of ordinary Uzbeks.

While addressing the last summit of the SCO, President Karimov underscored that the facts could not but cause grave alarm, when there was a coalescence of various terrorist, extremist, and separatist forces.

The end goal of all of these efforts is to bring about the situation of the so-called "manageable destabilization,'' undermine the social and political stability, and impose its own model of development.

His subsequent conclusions bear a distinctly anti-Western tone, going so far as to label calls for an international enquiry into the events as "political blackmail" and repeating the official line that those involved were criminals and extremists:

Calls by politicians of a number of countries in the West and representatives of some international organizations for the international investigation in Andijan we consider as an attempt to exploit the woe of Uzbek people in selfish geopolitical interests, as an attempt to impose the people of Uzbekistan conditions that limit its independent and free development.

Our President has resolutely turned down the attempts of political blackmail. The ongoing investigation shall furnish the world the assuring proofs of true intentions of perpetrators of crimes in Andijan. It is clear, that in May the attempt to take the country astray from the path of secular, democratic and sovereign development, the one chosen by Uzbek people 14 years ago, has failed.

So far so familiar, unfortunately. However, given that the last section is devoted to Uzbekistan as an investment opportunity and business partner, it is significant that Fen highlights the importance of economic and political stability in the republic. Unfortunately, whilst the political elite is content to endorse the Karimov regime in the face of increasing popular opposition, stability does not look particularly likely...