Western powers are actively seeking to subvert Moscow’s influence in Central Asia and the South Caucasus region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
“The European Union does not hide its intention to restrain [Russia] ... and push it out of Central Asia and the South Caucasus,” he said on Nov. 12 in televised comments.
“But these attempts are futile.”
Russia, he went on to claim, “has been historically present [in both regions] and will not disappear.”
Mr. Lavrov made the remarks following recent visits to Central Asia by both Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Central Asia consists of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The South Caucasus region is made up of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
Moscow has long viewed both regions as its “near abroad,” or geostrategic backyard.
Before 1991, all eight countries had been incorporated into the Soviet Union as Soviet “republics” directed by Moscow.
Last week, Mr. Putin paid a landmark visit to Astana, the capital of oil-rich Kazakhstan, where he held lengthy talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
During the Nov. 9 meeting, the two sides signed a host of agreements across a broad range of fields, including military cooperation.
“Interaction on this track reflects the stability of allied relations and will determine their strategic nature for decades to come,” a joint declaration issued after the meeting reads.
The two leaders also hailed the “increasing pace of joint work and active, practical cooperation” between their two countries, according to the statement.
Kazakhstan, which shares a 4,750-mile border with Russia, is a key member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Moscow-led military alliance.
The CSTO’s other members include Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov lauded Mr. Putin’s “successful” visit to Astana, describing Kazakhstan as an “ally and partner” of Russia.
Mr. Putin’s visit came one week after a similar trip to the region by France’s president, who made stops in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
At a Nov. 1 meeting with Mr. Tokayev in Astana, Mr. Macron said the two countries had signed multiple agreements pertaining to energy and rare minerals.
In addition to its vast oil wealth, Kazakhstan is among the world’s top producers of uranium.
“I don’t underestimate the geopolitical pressures ... that some may be putting on you,” Mr. Macron told his Kazakh counterpart in an obvious reference to Moscow.
“France values ... the path you are following for your country, refusing to be a vassal of any power and seeking to build balanced relations with different countries.”
Mr. Macron then paid a visit to the Uzbek city of Samarkand, where he declared that France and Uzbekistan were in talks to forge a “strategic partnership.”
“We have agreed with [Uzbek] President Shavkat Mirziyoyev ... to build a strategic partnership,” Mr. Macron said at a joint press conference.
However, neither side provided details as to what the envisioned “partnership” would entail.
Remarking on Mr. Macron’s charm offensive, Mr. Peskov accused Western powers of seeking to maintain “friendly terms” with the Central Asian states to undermine Russia’s regional influence.
“The collective West wants to stay on friendly terms [with certain states] in hopes of ousting Russia from particular regions,” Mr. Peskov said on Nov. 12.
Neutral on Ukraine
While the five Central Asian states maintain close ties with post-Soviet Russia, none of them have endorsed Moscow’s ongoing invasion of eastern Ukraine. But neither have they explicitly condemned it.In February, all five abstained on a draft resolution at the U.N. General Assembly condemning Russian actions in Ukraine.
Shortly afterward, Mr. Blinken paid a two-day visit to Central Asia, where he met the leaders of both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
He also met his counterparts from the so-called C5+1 group of nations, made up of the five Central Asian countries and the United States.
At a meeting with Mr. Tokayev, Mr. Blinken stressed Washington’s commitment to “working with government, civil society, and other Kazakh partners to advance the values shared by our two countries.”
Mr. Blinken’s regional tour was widely seen as an effort to woo Central Asian leaders into the Western camp, where support for Ukraine—and opposition to Russia—is unanimous.
But in this regard, Washington’s top diplomat failed to make headway with his Central Asian interlocutors.
At a joint press conference, the Kazakh foreign minister told Mr. Blinken that Astana had adopted a “multilateral foreign policy” based on its own geopolitical interests and the “complex international situation.”
Early last year, Russia sent troops into Kazakhstan to help quell violent anti-government riots—ostensibly sparked by rising fuel prices—in the city of Almaty.
The Russian deployments, which were welcomed by Astana, were carried out within the framework of the CSTO military alliance.
Russian and Kazakh officials have since claimed that the riots were orchestrated by the Western powers with the aim of bringing down Mr. Tokayev’s government.
The Epoch Times couldn’t independently verify the claims.
