Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- During the recent state visit of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Kazakhstan, both countries have signed a declaration on allied relations.

What does the term “allied relations” mean? How does it differ from “strategic partnership”? With these questions in mind, we have addressed Sardor Usmanov, a political analyst, to shed light on them.

Sardor Usmanov:

“Alliances” and “strategic partnerships” are crucially important phenomena in international relations. Both are needed by a state. At the same time, there are subtle differences between these two concepts. 

In case of “allies”, there are similarities, friendship, natural bonds between both states. Thus, often allies are called “natural allies”.  

In case of “partnership”, both sides are associated with another in a common activity or shared interest.

For example, the US and Great Britain have been “natural allies” both during the Second World War and well long afterwards. For a long time, they have both shared common cultural and political values. They have both believed and practiced liberal capitalism and democracy (versus authoritarianism). There are many similitudes in both societies that make cooperation even easier. 

Now imagine the US and the Soviet Union, still during the Second World War. Although they both made up a common group against common foes, they never felt to be “natural allies”, rather they were “strategic partners”. 

 It means that “strategic partners” may share none of cultural or ideological similarities of allies. But in face of common security challenges, both sides dismiss their cultural differences and reshape their relations into “strategic partnership”.

In this case, both sides unite their resources to confront common challenge. They come to aid each other. Each side expects that the other will provide strategic support for defending the interests.

Both alliances and partnerships are beneficial for each side. With partners and allies, a country feels stronger, with more geographic reach and influence on regional and even global processes.

With strategic partners, a country has chances to win competition over adversaries. With allies, a country’s decisions and behavior have higher chances of legitimacy and trust, because they are shared by more than one side.

No matter, whether attracting partners and forming alliances is an objective or a means, but in both cases, the sides are stronger together. Therefore, every leader strives to enlarge a network of the country's allies and partners and avoid shaping of alliances against it.

It’s hard to say which is more important – an ally or a strategic partner. It depends on the historical and, again, strategic context. 

During the recent state visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Kazakhstan, the two countries signed a declaration on allied relations. As was noted, this declaration reflected the vital and long-term national interests of the two brotherly nations. Its objective is comprehensive fulfilment of the capacity of multifaceted partnership.

With this document, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan became “allies”. It is the free and conscious will of both states and both nations. This new format, which is the product of natural historical processes, will set an important impetus, even a force multiplier, to enhance the regional and global positions of both countries. With the principle of "complementarity", the two countries are now stronger together.