After the events of September 11, 2001, Uzbekistan became a major partner in the global war against terrorism. A bifurcated policy promotes the strategic partnership while constantly emphasizing that only Uzbekistani political and economic reforms will make it sustainable. Implementation is tightly focused on four core priorities that begin with counterterrorism. Resisting the skepticism that Uzbekistani domestic policies engender, the embassy maintains a positive dialogue that is credited with contributing to recent encouraging developments. A measure of the expanded bilateral relationship is a trebling in U.S. assistance programs to approximately $162 million in FY 02. With seven entities providing law enforcement/security assistance, a formal coordinating mechanism is needed.
Embassy Tashkent?s political/economic section reflects post priorities. Avid readers of the section?s reporting appear satisfied, but look forward to continued monitoring of the permanence and effectiveness of internal reforms. The public diplomacy section manages an active program well. Embassy leadership sees the section as a key policy implementation asset.
The consular section suffers from a severe lack of workspace that hinders efficiency. Ongoing initiatives to expand the core office and interviewing areas to permit initial document processing at the public entrance and to handle information and correspondence from offsite will help to reduce and, eventually, eliminate chronic backlogs in visa interviews. In addition, the embassy is expecting a new entry-level officer in late 2002. OIG commends the embassy and the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) for addressing these urgent needs now, before the new chancery is completed in 2004-05.
Pressure for growth and administrative services, especially visitor support, peaked in recent months and is receding now. Nevertheless, Embassy Tashkent has one of the most overcrowded chanceries imaginable, and this poses a serious challenge to staff morale, health, and safety. By properly controlling permanent and temporary staff growth and carefully managing space, the embassy may ameliorate the effects of overcrowding until a new chancery is available.
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