On 15th January, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia web page published the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov’s statements and answers to questions to media made at a press conference on the results of Russian diplomacy in 2017 in Moscow on January 15, 2018.
On the question raised during the press conference: “How do you feel about the US initiative and intention to hold a meeting of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union in the “5 + 1” format in one of these countries? Is there a certain anti-Russian subtext in the activity of Americans in this region?”
Lavrov responded: “We, of course, absolutely have no objection to our Central Asian neighbours and allies having the widest possible range of external partners. We proceed from the fact that these relations will fully respect the obligations that exist between us in the CIS, the CSTO, the SCO and the EEU in relation to the countries that participate in this association.
We hear about the US desire to somewhat abuse this format and promote ideas that are relevant to what was formerly called the “Great Central Asia” project under the previous administrations. The essence of the project, as you probably remember, was to deploy all projects involving Central Asia to the south, towards Afghanistan, but without the participation of the Russian Federation. I am sure that if this is so, and similar plans will be promoted by our American colleagues at meetings with Central Asian friends, they will all see the inferiority of such attempts, which are dictated not by the interests of economic development, development of transport infrastructure, but by pure geopolitics.
In our approach, which we call the “Great Eurasian Project”, the reverse ideology is concluded, which is connected with openness, not with cutting off someone from some part of the Eurasian continent, but with gradual advancement of integration processes, which eventually will unite all Eurasian continent, leaving it open and for connecting other partners.”
Comment:
After the collapse of the USSR in the early 90s of the last century, five “independent republics” in Central Asia were formed. The newly formed country – Russia, naturally inherited the influence on these republics from the former USSR. Moreover, the former first secretaries of the Central Committee of the Communist Party became the rulers of the newly formed Central Asian republics. But these circumstances did not in any way stop the West, especially the United States, from building its colonial plans for this region.
The United States immediately established the close friendly relations with all these countries, and even managed to establish its military bases in some of these countries. Over time, it had to leave this region, and Russia confidently became dominant in this region. The United States did not cease to plan to colonize this resource-rich region, but circumstances forced it to abandon the plan and push it back to the storeroom. It seems that today, when the US confidently dominates the international arena, this plan is ripe for implementation. Russia’s position in the international arena, which has its influence in this region, has practically come to nothing, and it only has to defend itself against the US attacks on the spheres of its interests in this region.
One of the plans for the colonization of this region and the alienation of Russia’s influence is the project called the “Greater Central Asia”, which has already begun to be translated into reality. Daniel Rosenblum, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, said in his message: “The US State Department will make every effort to develop relations in the C5 + 1 format.” (). In November 2015, John Kerry travelled all the Central Asian republics and, at the end of his trip, he gathered all heads of the republics in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This meeting was the start of a new relationship in the “C5 + 1” format, where “5” is the five Central Asian states, and “1” is the United States. (). In continuation of this relationship, in August 2016 John Kerry gathered the foreign ministers of the Central Asian republics already in Washington. And things have already gone a well-trodden path.
The Foreign Ministry of Russia S. Lavrov, seeing the US unquenchable thirst for profit and power, is already nervous and much afraid of the fact that the US will take this region at all costs and will deprive Russia its influence in this region. The Middle East events show how much the United States is bloodthirsty and merciless even with the so-called former satellites in the face of Britain and France. Britain probably has already cursed thousands of times the day when it decided to use the United States in the Middle East to achieve its plans. After all, we see what happened. The United States understood what kind of wealth this region possessed, and decided to pursue its independent policy of colonizing these lands without regard for British interests. And once the countries subordinate to Britain in the face of Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and other countries, have already come under the full influence of the US policy.
It is obvious that having figured out and strengthened in the Middle East, the US sent its gaze to Central Asia. To achieve its goal, the US will use different ways. For example, the US State Department recently updated the list of countries that violate the religious rights of people and the people as a whole. And strangely enough, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were included in this list. Under the pretext of protecting the freedoms and rights of the people, with which the US was interested only for selfish motives, the US will force the authorities of these countries to carry out certain reforms and relaxation of the regime. This, in turn, will allow them to nurture and bring to power the US-controlled politicians and change the political course of the countries in the right direction for them.
Also the economic instruments for the inclusion of the countries of the region in the world financial and economic processes as well as the development of trade and transport communications in Central Asia and much more are also widely used. The United States has resources for this, and Russia was kicked out even from the G8 Country Club.
So the Kremlin has good reason to fear that in the near future Russia will lose its influence in Central Asia. And it is possible that this will be the last nail hammered into the coffin of Russia.
May Allah Almighty grant us His mercy and give victory in the form of the revival of the second righteous state of the Khilafah (Caliphate) in the near future. The Khilafah according to the method of Prophethood on whose revival Hizb ut Tahrir works tirelessly day and night. With the revival of the Khilafah by the will of Allah Almighty, we will liberate our lands, in particular the lands of Central Asia from the influence of the colonialists of the West and the East, and we will restore righteous rule in these lands according to the laws of our Creator.
And may Allah help us.
Eldar Khamzin
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir