Socio-political Reforms in Uzbekistan during the Presidency of Shavkat Mirziyoyev

The paper aims to present various aspects of the reform process initiated and implemented by Shavkhat Mirziyoyev, the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan, since 2016. The main subjects of consideration are vectors of political change in the spheres of institutions of political power, economy and foreign policy in the broader context of the legacy of the first president Islam Karimov’s reign and the heritage of the Soviet period. The fundamental reforms have embraced democratization of political system, fight against corruption, extension of civil rights and abandoning of isolationism in international relations, and are sometimes decribed as the „Uzbek Thaw”. However they seem to be very meaningful, one will be able to evaluate their significance for the statehood of the independent Uzbekistan only from the perspective of future decades.

Political and economic activation of the Republic of Poland in selected Central Asian countries as a response to the beginning of the next stage of transformation

The main objective of the article is to present the political-economic relations between the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Uzbekistan in 1991-2021. Fundamental research problems concern the issue of increasing partnership intensity. Ther main research questions are as follows: Is there a correlation between the transformation and reform measures undertaken by the authorities of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and the growing interest in deepening relations by the Republic of Poland?; Has the announcement of further liberalisation measures in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan influenced the intensification of cooperation in political and economic aspects?; How has the perception of Poland by political dissidents in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan changed over three decades? The primary research tools used in the paper were source and quantitative analysis. Statistical data, official announcements of state institutions and press articles were used as the material for the source analysis. Sorting them out, then analyzing them, allowed drawing conclusions. The quantitative analysis was used to assess the frequency of meetings of state leaders or parliamentary groups, changes in the volume of Polish exports and imports with the countries in question, and the increase in the number of Polish companies operating in the Kazakh and Uzbek markets.