Appointment of Uzbek PM Mirziyoyev head of funeral commission for Karimov may mean he will be successor - Russian expert
MOSCOW. Sept 2 (Interfax) - The fact that Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been appointed head of the commission arranging the funeral of President Islam Karimov reflects the tradition of the Soviet leaders' funerals, according to which the head of the funeral commission subsequently became the head of state, Sergei Bespalov, a leading expert on political processes in former Soviet republics at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), told Interfax on Friday.
"A parallel with the history of funerals of Soviet leaders, especially during the last decade of the USSR's existence, in the 1980s, looks quite appropriate. I am not sure that, in replaying this Soviet tradition, the Uzbek authorities are calling upon their people's historic memory, although this cannot be ruled out with regard to the senior generation," Bespalov said.
"It is clear that, after Karimov passed, any person aspiring to be his successor should pay tributes to him. It has been clear ninety percent from the very start that Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev is the main candidate for successor, as he has already concentrated a significant share of powers in his hands," he said.
The very fact that the prime minister will lead the funeral commission indicates that "the Uzbek elite have decided upon the candidate for successor, and Mirziyoyev has virtually no competitors in this respect," Bespalov said.
As Karimov's successor, Mirziyoyev is likely to ensure the continuity of his political course, including as regards relations with Moscow, Bespalov said. "I believe Mirziyoyev will symbolize continuity with regard to the political course pursued by Karimov to the utmost. The late Uzbek leader has always attached priority to relations with Beijing. As for relations with Moscow, there have been different periods, but Karimov has made certain efforts over the past year or two to improve these relations," he said.
There are no special reasons to expect that Uzbekistan could decide to fundamentally strengthen its relations with Russia under Mirziyoyev, Bespalov said. "It will continue pursuing the same policy of maneuvering between the key centers of power as Karimov did. However, taking into consideration that Tashkent has had tense relations with the West over the past ten years, if not more, I believe Moscow and Beijing will remain the main vectors of Uzbekistan's foreign policy," he said.