Countries of Central Asia were in a difficult situation after the invasion of Russian troops to Ukraine. Part of the region consists in the CSTO, part in the Eurasian Economic Union, some countries are directly dependent on relationships with Russia economically, “New Gazeta” writes.
Sunday, March 6, in the south of Kazakhstan, in Almaty, a rally was held in support of Ukraine – one of the most part in the history of the city in recent years, except for the January protests.
A little more than two thousand people took part in the promotion, and among them there were even Russians, the general promise of the speeches of which did not need to save us for definition. ” The rally was absolutely peaceful on both sides: since Kazakhstan has a notification system of the organization of demonstrations, the event was fully resolved by the authorities, and the police behaved extremely correctly.
We might think that the authorities of Kazakhstan have made their choice in this confrontation in favor of Ukraine, but officially is definitely not so. Public Tokayev and his apparatus declared the full neutrality in this situation, and in any voting to the UN regarding Russia’s actions, Kazakhstan strictly refrains from sympathies of any of the parties. But in fact, some actions and statements, even the authorities, indicate that it happens very annoying.
So, during the negotiations with the French President Frank Walter Steinmeier on March 7, Kazakhstani leader Tokayev announced the willingness of the country to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine: now transport corridors for delivery of medicines and food are worked out.
Kazakhstan among other countries in Central Asia is in a special situation – he still has 7,500 kilometers of a common border with Russia. Other republics, however, behave also carefully, trying, if possible, do not play out to the supporters of Russia in their countries, nor her opponents.
In Kyrgyzstan, the marches in support of Ukraine allow, as in Kazakhstan, and drivers who wish to hang on cars a symbolism of Russian troops are threatened with fines even bigger than in the neighboring republic. Moreover, the country’s authorities arrange an indicative defeat of media, which publish information on the possible participation of the Kyrgyz military forces in the “special operation” of Russia in Ukraine.
Exactly the same divergence of the conversation of two presidents exists in Uzbekistan. At the end of February, the Kremlin said that Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyev “expressed an understanding of” Russia’s actions in Ukraine. But even the day did not pass, as a spokesman for Mirziyev Sherzod Asadov officially adjusted this position: Uzbekistan is strictly neutral, he said, and all the conflict situation should be solved on international law standards.
Public protest activity in support of Ukraine in Uzbekistan is not. As not, in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan: For Dushanbe, this topic is absolutely peripheral (although the media reported on the death of two natives of Tajikistan during battles), and for Ashgabat, the election of the son of Berdymukhamedov for the presidential post in the nearest Saturday is clearly more important than the rest.