Russia Threatens Central Asian Countries

News:

Moscow builds its policy towards partners in Central Asia on the basis of "strategic patience" and curtailing relations with the Russian Federation threatens them with significant costs. Such a threat was voiced in a commentary to the Kommersant Newspaper by the head of the third department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Sternik. “We evaluate the actions of all players primarily from the angle of causing or not causing damage to Russian interests,” he said. “And we draw adequate conclusions from this, including together with partners who are vitally interested in not losing these multifaceted ties with Russian Federation. Even a hint of their curtailment can turn into such economic costs that no promises of compensation from the masters can cover”, – he said.

Comment:

Observers note that the Kremlin's fears about the weakening of its influence in the countries of Central Asia against the backdrop of a military failure in Ukraine are not unfounded. On the one hand, the main creditor of the Central Asian countries, China, is trying to accelerate the projects of transport routes bypassing Russia, that is now under sanctions, and it is strengthening the influence of Beijing. And on the other hand, we see the activation of the Western countries, the EU and the US, which actively seek to take advantage of the situation to fill the existing geopolitical vacuum. In addition, there is also Turkey with its project of the “Union of Turkic States”, which can also seriously compete with Russia.

Recall that this is not the first case of insulting statements by Russian officials against the countries of Central Asia in recent times. Not so long ago, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Svetlana Zhurova, threatened Kyrgyzstan with the fate of Ukraine after the statement of the speaker of the Kyrgyz parliament Nurlan Shakiyev regarding the urgent renaming of all Russian names of Bishkek districts and the names of individual settlements of the country. “Perhaps, they will report to Vladimir Vladimirovich, he will make some remark to his colleague, the president of Kyrgyzstan”, – Zhurova noted then.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Muhammad Mansour