Blinken in Central Asia to boost ties amid Russia-Ukraine war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Kazakhstan, his first cease on a Central Asia journey to satisfy his counterparts from all 5 former Soviet republics within the area.

Blinken sat down for talks with Kazakh overseas minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi after which with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday.

A gathering of the so-called C5+1 group, made up of the US and the previous Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, was anticipated to comply with.

Blinken’s journey, his first to the realm in the course of the administration of President Joe Biden, comes simply days after the primary anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an occasion that has been seen to have emboldened leaders within the area to take a firmer strategy in dealings with Moscow.

US officers have stated the Biden administration is in search of to step up engagement with the area, particularly for international locations going through financial fallout from the battle.

Upon assembly Kazakhstan’s Tileuberdi, Biden pledged Washington’s help of the “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity” of the nation, which gained independence from Moscow in 1991.

Kazakhstan, which shares the world’s longest steady land border with Russia, has welcomed tens of hundreds of Russians fleeing from a army call-up which started final September.

“We’ve constructed superb and dependable long-term partnerships in so many strategically vital areas like safety, power, commerce and investments,” President Tokayev informed Blinken as they met on the nation’s vaulting presidential palace. He added, with out additional clarification, that he had obtained three private messages from President Joe Biden.

Forward of a subsequent assembly, Turkmenistan’s overseas minister Rasit Merodow stated the go to allowed the pair to debate “among the worldwide and regional points”.

“On the similar time, I feel that will probably be a really nice alternative to speak about right here increasing cooperation between Turkmenistan and the US,” he stated.

Shifting dynamics

All 5 former Soviet Central Asian republics are historically considered to be inside Russia’s sphere of affect, however none have backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Nevertheless, all 5 abstained in a vote to sentence the invasion final week on the United Nations Basic Meeting on the primary anniversary of the warfare.

A latest research by the European Financial institution for Reconstruction and Growth discovered a spike in European Union and British exports to Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan – a part of a customs union with Russia – and urged that the move was meant to evade the sweeping Western sanctions on Russia.

On the similar time, the US has sought to spare Central Asia from actions towards Russia. Washington has issued a sanctions exemption for the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which carries Kazakh oil to the West and goes by means of Russia.

Talking on Tuesday, Blinken stated the US had made “vital strides” for larger ties with Kazakhstan, particularly, lately and would search for sensible methods to do extra with the opposite Central Asian nations.

Nonetheless, the US has usually come up quick in its decades-long effort to sway Central Asian international locations from Moscow’s affect, evidenced by the deployment of Russian troops to Kazakhstan at Tokayev’s request to stem anti-government protests in January 2022.

And whereas Uzbekistan and Tajikistan assisted the US logistically throughout its 20-year battle in Afghanistan, following the US withdrawal in 2021, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan agreed to coordinate a joint motion with Russia.

China additionally wields substantial monetary affect over the area by means of its Belt and Highway Initiative and main lending.