The Ministry of Defense stated that Uzbekistan has sufficient Armed Forces to ensure its security. The spokesman to the Minister of Defense Otabek Yuldashev told in his Telegram channel, citing Article 153 of the Constitution of Uzbekistan, which states: “The Republic of Uzbekistan has the Armed Forces to ensure its security at the level of necessary sufficiency.”

When asked by Gazeta.uz what this statement was related to, Otabek Yuldashev said that in this way the media center of the Ministry of Defense is preparing for the 32nd anniversary of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan, and in the future several more publications are planned on the legal basis of the activities of the Armed Forces.

Uzbekistan updated its Defense Doctrine in 2017. According to this document, Uzbekistan’s Defense Doctrine is of a defensive nature.

“Uzbekistan does not consider any country as its enemy and builds relations with all countries based on the priority of the country’s national interests and taking into account the generally recognized principles and provisions of international law, mutual benefit, equality and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, the settlement of all controversial issues by peaceful means and through negotiations, recognition of the inviolability and immutability of existing interstate borders,” says the doctrine.

While, it noted that “generally accepted principles and norms of international law are being increasingly subjected to free interpretation and selective application by some parties,” and existing centers of tension are aggravating and new centers of tension are emerging in the world.

These factors may necessitate the use of military force, the Defense Doctrine states. “Under these conditions, the defense potential of the state remains one of the main tools for containing, neutralizing and eliminating threats to national security in the military sphere,” the document emphasized.