INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Central Asia hoping that greater U.S
engagement will reassure previous Soviet republics rattled by the Ukraine war, although Russias historical influence limits the level of
cooperation.Days after the anniversary of the Ukraine invasion, the leading U.S
diplomat will hold talks Tuesday in Kazakhstan and after that Uzbekistan and meet jointly with foreign ministers of all five ex-Soviet
Central Asian states in Kazakhstans capital Astana.Donald Lu, the top U.S
diplomat for South and Central Asia, said the United States was reasonable that the five nations were not going to end their relationships
with Russia or their other giant neighbor, China, which has actually been increasing its own presence.But he stated Blinken would show that
the United States is a reliable partner and various from Moscow and Beijing
We have something to provide in regards to engagement financially, but we also have something to use in terms of the worths that we bring to
the table, Lu told reporters.After a year of taking a trip the world to rally support for Ukraine, Blinkens mission might be his most
subtle yet.Diplomats and specialists state that Central Asian leaders are strolling a tightrope due to official security agreements with
Moscow and Russias frustrating security and economic influence, including as a destination for laborers.All 5 abstained or did not vote as
the UN General Assembly on Thursday required that Russian forces leave Ukraine.For the United States, the sky is the limitation in Central
Asia right now, stated Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, an expert on the region at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the
There is a real desire among the leaders of these countries to move far from Russia
I think they recognize that Russia is a danger to them, however by location, theres really little they can do about it, and their financial
situation doesnt provide a lot of options, she stated
So I think theres a real chance for the United States to be creative, to engage with the leaders of these nations and sort of satisfy them
Complex stanceKazakhstan, with which Russia has its longest land border, has among the most complex relationships with Moscow
It has actually born in mind the rights of its large ethnic Russian minority-- even more so after President Vladimir Putin pointed to
Ukraines treatment of Russian speakers in validating his invasion.Kazakhstans President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who will meet Blinken, in
2015 took a trip to see Putin and reaffirmed partnership with Russia.But he just recently consulted with Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky and advised a negotiated end to the conflict based on international law, and Kazakhstan has actually invited tens of thousands of
Russians leaving conscription.The month prior to the Ukraine intrusion, Tokayev had hired Russian-led forces to assist regain control after
riots however he rapidly asked to leave following public opposition.Tajikistans President Emomali Rahmon made waves in October when a video
went viral of him providing Putin an unusual public scolding at a local meeting, accusing Russia of disregarding the interests of the
Central Asian countries.The United States has seen glimmers of hope on human rights, a longstanding concern in a region traditionally run by
authoritarians.Lu pointed to the current conviction in Kazakhstan of policeman implicated of torture throughout in 2015s unrest, as well as
Uzbekistans fast abolition of required and child labor in cotton harvests
Its actually quite amazing
I dont know that we have seen that sort of rapid progress paralleled anywhere else worldwide, Lu said.Treated as backwater? The Ukraine war
is not the first time that a global crisis has thrown a higher spotlight on Central Asia.Uzbekistan initially took a leading role in
armed force in its war in Afghanistan, which President Joe Biden ended in 2021
The last secretary of state to check out, Mike Pompeo, in 2020 pressed Central Asians to suppress ties with Beijing as he highlighted human
rights issues in Beijings nearby Xinjiang region.Murtazashvili said the United States had made the error of seeing Central Asia as a
backwater connected to other policies and would do much better with a method that values regional leaders autonomy
These nations are really in a really interesting position to stabilize Russia and China off against one another, and much of them have done
this pretty skillfully, she stated.
