Islam Karimov

Date of Birth: 30.01.1938

Place of Birth. Education. Born in Samarkand into a family of civil servants. Graduated from the Central Asian Polytechnic Institute and the Tashkent Institute of National Economy, obtaining qualifications as an Engineer-Mechanic and Economist. Candidate of Economic Sciences.

Career. Began his career in 1960 at the Tashkent Selinmash plant.

1961-1966 - Engineer, lead designer at the Tashkent Aircraft Manufacturing Plant named after V. Chkalov.

In 1966, he joined the State Planning of the Uzbek SSR, where he rose from Chief Specialist to the First Deputy Chairman of the State Planning of the Republic.

In 1983, Karimov was appointed Minister of Finance of the Uzbek SSR, in 1986 - Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Uzbek SSR, and Chairman of the State Planning of the Republic.

1986-1989 - First Secretary of the Kashkadarya Oblast Committee of the Party.

From June 1989 - First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan.

On March 24, 1990, he was elected President of the Uzbek SSR at the session of the Supreme Council.

On August 31, 1991, Karimov proclaimed the state independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

On December 29, 1991, he was elected President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the general elections. On March 26, 1995, Karimov's term was extended until 2000 following a nationwide referendum.

In 2000, elections were held, in which Karimov was elected President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for a seven-year term under constitutional amendments.

On December 23, 2007, he was re-elected President of Uzbekistan for seven years and re-elected in 2015.

At the end of August 2016, reports about Karimov's death began to appear in the press. This information was not officially confirmed; however, the President’s website informed about the serious illness of the head of state. According to the official version, Karimov passed away on September 2, 2016.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev assumed office as President of Uzbekistan on December 14, 2016.

Views and Evaluations. As observers note, Karimov began consistently eliminating anyone who could pose political competition from the very first days of his presidency. The struggle was conducted under the banner of eradicating Islamic fundamentalism - to convince the West that Karimov's departure would mean a takeover by radical Islamists. This statement was accepted in the West without major objections, especially since Karimov had agreed to the construction of a US airbase in Keshkhandabad on Uzbek territory.

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Hizb-ut-Tahrir movement were declared the main enemies. At the same time, the authorities actively persecuted any opposition parties under the pretext of fighting Islamism, arresting all dissenters on charges of Islamic extremism. Those who could not be arrested hurriedly emigrated.

By May 2005, Karimov was considered a pro-American political leader. He demonstratively left the pro-Russian CSTO and joined the 'anti-Russian' GUAM, ignoring invitations to join the Eurasian Economic Council.

Relations with the West deteriorated in 2005 due to the harsh crackdown on the Andijan uprising. Due to sanctions against Uzbekistan, Karimov decisively turned to Russia and the CIS. The Russian leadership, in turn, defended Karimov and supported his version that radical Islamists were behind the events in Andijan. In exchange, Russia proposed to strengthen the strategic partnership with Uzbekistan through participation in the CSTO and the Eurasian Economic Area.

In March 2006, Karimov fulfilled his commitments to Russia by signing the law ratifying the treaty on neighborly relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation, which was concluded on November 14, 2005, in Moscow and was unanimously ratified by both chambers of the Uzbek parliament. A law ratifying the protocol on Uzbekistan's accession to the Eurasian Economic Area was also signed.

He preferred even and peaceful relations with Kyiv.

Honors. Knight Grand Cross of the Order of 'For Services to the Italian Republic', decorated with the Grand Ribbon. Karimov was also awarded honorary titles, orders, and medals from various states and prestigious international organizations.

Family Ties. He was married, had two daughters and four grandchildren. Karimov's wife Tatiana is an economist with a doctorate in economics. She worked as a senior researcher at the Institute of Economics of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and is currently retired.

15.12.2016