The two Assistant Secretaries engaged in consultations as part of an ongoing dialogue with members of the Government of Uzbekistan, civil society, and multilateral partners on a range of issues, including labor and human rights. Much of the agenda, however, was focused on the recent humanitarian crisis along Kyrgyzstan’s southern border in Uzbekistan.

During the two-day visit, the US delegation met with officials in Tashkent, as well as representatives from U.N. agencies and the International Committee for the Red Cross. Assistant Secretary Blake commended the Government of Uzbekistan for its swift and constructive response in providing food, water, shelter, and medical care to more than 110,000 refugees. Assistant Secretary Blake noted that the United States has also committed over US$5 million to provide immediate humanitarian response and stabilization assistance and is prepared to make more resources available. Despite the strong international response thus far, it is clear there is much more to be done.

On Friday, the Assistant Secretaries, Ambassador Norland and other members of the US delegation visited two refugee camps near Andijan, close to the Kyrgyz border. Several members of the delegation observed that it was overwhelmingly women, children, and elderly who had fled to the refugee camps, while most of men stayed behind in southern Kyrgyzstan to defend their homes. The Assistant Secretaries listened to the refugees’ accounts of atrocities and violence in Kyrgyzstan, but also heard many stories of generosity as ordinary citizens offered assistance to the refugees.

During this visit, Assistant Secretary Blake addressed the international press and stressed the importance of a prompt investigation by Kyrgyzstan’s Provisional Government “complemented by an international investigation by a credible international body.” At a separate press conference in Tashkent, Assistant Secretary Michael Posner also commented that an independent investigation would help pave the way for providing a secure environment that would enable the safe and voluntary return of refugees from Uzbekistan.