The basic legal document establishing the procedures governing the conclusion, performance, suspending, and denouncement of international agreements in the Republic of Uzbekistan is Law No. 172-1 “Regarding the International Agreements of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, adopted 22 December 1995. This law addressed a gap that had existed since independence in late 1991.
Under the law, decisions regarding negotiation and signature of MEAs (and other international agreements) are made by different authorities, depending on the character of the agreement. The law also sets forth procedures for implementing international agreements, including the definition of the responsible ministries, departments, and officials. According to this law, when it is necessary to adopt a law implementing an MEA (or any other international agreement), the appropriate line ministries and departments jointly with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs introduce proposed legislation.
Under Uzbek law, MEAs and other international agreements enjoy a high status in the hierarchy of laws. The Constitution of Uzbekistan confers a priority on conventional norms of international law. Additionally, most national laws apply a standard approach regarding potential conflicts between national laws and regulations and international agreements: “if the international agreement establishes other rules, than what are stipulated … by the present legal rules, the rules of the international agreement are applied.”
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