Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan relations refers to the bilateral diplomatic relations between the

Republic of Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

and the Kyrgyz Republic. Uzbekistan dominates southern Kyrgyzstan both economically and politically, based on the large Uzbek population in that region of Kyrgyzstan and on economic and geographic conditions.Martha Brill Olcott. "Central Asian Neighbors"
''Kyrgyzstan: a country study''
(Glenn E. Curtis, editor).

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Federal Research Division The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress. The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unite ...

(March 1996). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.'' Much of Kyrgyzstan depends entirely on Uzbekistan for

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

; on several occasions, former president of Uzbekistan

Islam Karimov Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov (30 January 1938 – 2 September 2016) was an Uzbek politician who served as the first president of Uzbekistan, from the country's independence in 1991 until his death in 2016. He was the last First Secretary of the ...

has achieved political ends by shutting

pipelines A pipeline is a system of pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries around the world. The Un ...

or by adjusting terms of delivery. In a number of television appearances broadcast in the Osh and

Jalal-Abad Jalal-Abad (; ) is the administrative and economic centre of Jalal-Abad Region in southwestern Kyrgyzstan. Its area is , and its resident population was 123,239 in 2021. It is situated at the north-eastern end of the Fergana valley along the Kög ...

provinces of Kyrgyzstan, Karimov has addressed Akayev with considerable condescension; Akayev, in turn, has been highly deferential to his much stronger neighbor. Although Uzbekistan has not shown overt expansionist tendencies, the Kyrgyz government is acutely aware of the implications of Karimov's assertions that he is responsible for the well-being of all Uzbeks, regardless of their nation of residence.

Historical relations

The Russians started their

conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...

in the middle of 19th century. During that era, the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

had mainly attacked Central Asian Emirates like

Emirate of Bukhara The Emirate of Bukhara (, ) was a Muslims, Muslim-Uzbeks, Uzbek polity in Central Asia that existed from 1785 to 1920 in what is now Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. It occupied the land between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rive ...

Khanate of Khiva The Khanate of Khiva (, , uz-Latn-Cyrl, Xiva xonligi, Хива хонлиги, , ) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarazm, Khorezm from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Afsharid Iran, Afsharid occupat ...

. They also invaded the Qing's Kyrgyz territory and annexed them into

Russian Turkestan Russian Turkestan () was a colony of the Russian Empire, located in the western portion of the Central Asian region of Turkestan. Administered as a Krai or Governor-Generalship, it comprised the oasis region to the south of the Kazakh Steppe, b ...

. By settling the capital in the Uzbek city of

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

, the conflict between two peoples began to grow. But unlike the Tajik-Uzbek conflict, the Kyrgyz-Uzbek conflict emerged slower. The Russians referred Kyrgyzs are "nomadic" while Uzbeks are "sedentary". After the collapse of Russian Empire in 1917, the Basmachi Revolt had emerged into a total Central Asian war. The Kyrgyzs and Uzbeks raised hands together and fought against Russian forces. Due to lack of skills and preparation, the Revolt soon failed and the Russians, now under

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

rule, restored the order again. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, many Caucasian peoples (

Georgians Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and Peoples of the Caucasus, Caucasian ethnic group native to present-day Georgia (country), Georgia and surrounding areas historically associated with the Ge ...

Azerbaijanis Azerbaijanis (; , ), Azeris (, ), or Azerbaijani Turks (, ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group living mainly in the Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. They are predomin ...

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

Circassians The Circassians or Circassian people, also called Cherkess or Adyghe (Adyghe language, Adyghe and ), are a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation who originated in Circassia, a region and former country in t ...

, etc.) were forced to exile. Many of them remained in Central Asia, from which mostly remain in Uzbekistan today. However, since the end of the war, conflicts between Kyrgyzs and Uzbeks began to emerge into a larger clash. In 1990, near the collapse of Soviet Union, Osh riots had happened, killing nearly 1000 people, mainly ethnic Kyrgyzs and Uzbeks. The clash began in June and ended in August, but found themselves an unprofitable aftermath.

Political relations

Kyrgyz–Uzbek political relations were further consolidated through the signing of the Treaty on the Junction Point of State Borders and the Khujand Declaration on Eternal Friendship on 31 March 2025. These agreements, reached at a trilateral summit with

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

, emphasized mutual recognition of borders and commitments to peaceful cooperation. The symbolic inauguration of a stele at the tri-border point underscored a shared vision of stability and regional integration, reinforcing Kyrgyz–Uzbek efforts to resolve past border issues and enhance diplomatic engagement.

Cultural relations

On 24 February 2025, the Central Asian Football Association announced a historic bid between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to bring the

Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior list of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the contin ...

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

for the first time.

Economic relations

In March 2018,

Uzbekistan Railways The Uzbekistan Railways () are the national rail carrier of Uzbekistan. The company owns and operates all railways within the country. It is a state-owned stock company, formed in 1994 to operate railways within Uzbekistan. As of March 2017, the ...

began a new service, connecting

with Balykchy.

State Visits

Presidential visits from Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan

- (January 16, 1994) *

- (September 26–27, 2000) *

- (2007) *

- (2013) * Shavkat Mirziyoyev - (2017)

Presidential visits from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan

Askar Akayev Askar Akayevich Akayev (, ; born 10 November 1944) is a Kyrgyz former politician who served as President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 until being overthrown in the March 2005 Tulip Revolution. Education and early career Akayev was born in Kyzyl-B ...

- (1992) *

- (1996) *

- (1998) * Kurmanbek Bakiyev - (2006) * Almazbek Atambayev - (2017) * Sooronbay Jeenbekov - (2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Relations

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

Bilateral relations of Uzbekistan