Tourists told to avoid eastern Uzbekistan
The Swiss government has advised against "tourism and other non-essential travel" in eastern Uzbekistan after clashes on Friday left many dead.
The city of Andijan in the Fergana Valley, which receives Swiss development aid, was the scene of bloody fighting between government soldiers and protesters.
Violence erupted after days of peaceful protest against the imprisonment of 23 local business leaders accused of Islamic extremism.
A mob reportedly seized arms from a local garrison, before raiding the prison where the men were held and freeing them, along with thousands of other inmates.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov claimed on Saturday that troops were forced to open fire when insurgents attempted to break through an advancing line of Uzbek police and soldiers.
He said ten government troops and “many more” militants died in the fighting. Witnesses said 200 to 300 people were shot dead.
Swiss reaction
The Swiss foreign ministry said it deplored “the considerable loss of life caused by the violent repression of civilian crowds by Uzbek armed forces”.
It said Switzerland condemned all resort to force and called on the parties concerned to renounce violence.
The ministry said on its website that “further developments are uncertain” and as a result it advised travellers to avoid the Fergana Valley.
It also advised increased care and awareness in the rest of the country.
The Swiss ambassador in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, is following events closely and is in contact with the 40 or so Swiss registered at the embassy. No Swiss lives in Andijan.
Helvetistan
Switzerland has been engaged in Central Asia since the region’s republics gained independence in 1991.
In 1992 Switzerland formed a voting block at the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The group includes Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and is known as “Helvetistan”. It also includes Poland, Azerbaijan and Serbia-Montenegro.
Aid projects
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) have provided funding for a number of schemes aimed at helping Central Asian countries to develop their economies.
In 2003 the Swiss government gave around SFr50 million ($41 million).
The projects are designed to promote good governance, conflict prevention, the creation of efficient health systems and the protection of natural resources.
An SDC spokesman said no Swiss were in the region because local NGOs were employed to carry out the work.
swissinfo with agencies
Area of Uzbekistan: 447,400 square kilometres
Population: 26 million
Capital: Tashkent
Uzbekistan declared its independence from the Soviet Union on September 1, 1991.
Seco has been involved in Uzbekistan since 1995, the SDC since 2001.
In 2005 Switzerland will provide SFr11.5 million ($9.4 million) in aid.
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