Abroad, policy towards Russia, Uzbekistan's most important bilateral relation, has been clouded by the Government's refusal to grant citizenship to the country's large and relatively skilled ethnic Russian minority. The other important, new and rapidly developing relationship is with Turkey which is seeking to boost its influence in the region by promoting its own secular, capitalist system as a model for development for the whole region. In Afghanistan, there have been repeated claims that the Uzbek government is supporting the ethnic Uzbek militia of General Dostam, which is one of a number of armed groups jockeying for power amid the current chaos. Relations with other powers, especially China and the USA, have developed well on the back of rapidly expanding trade. Under the 1992 constitution, the supreme legislative body is the 250-seat Oly Majlis .
Executive power rests with the elected president.