WASHINGTON — Anthony Blinken visited Central Asia this week for the first time in his capacity as US Secretary of State.
His visit comes against the backdrop of the Biden administration’s declarations of support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of five former Soviet republics that have close political, economic and socio-cultural ties with Russia.
Blinken is visiting Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest economy with the highest level of US investment, and Uzbekistan, the region’s most populous country.
This trip is an opportunity to make contacts and try to strengthen alliances at a time when Washington is trying to further isolate Russia to invade Ukraine.
However, democracy advocates are also urging Washington to push for systemic reforms, insisting that accountability, transparency and the rule of law are essential to the region’s long-term security and prosperity.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan Richard Hoagland sees Blinken’s trip as “a welcome reminder to Central Asian leaders that the United States pays attention to them in its foreign policy when it comes to dealing with its partner traditionally dominant, Russia, because of a war of crime.” President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.
Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, a senior official accompanying Blinken on his tour of the region, added that Russia’s war in Ukraine was putting enormous pressure on those countries.
“We are seeing high food and fuel prices, high unemployment, difficulties in exporting their goods, a slow recovery from COVID-19 and a large influx of migrants from Russia. We are working to support people in the area,†Lu told reporters during a briefing last week.
On Tuesday, Blinken will take part in the C5+1 meeting, a diplomatic dialogue between the five Central Asian countries and Washington launched in 2015 to strengthen regional cooperation.
In Kazakhstan, bilateral talks are also planned with the foreign ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
In meetings with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana on Tuesday and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent on Wednesday, Blinken is expected to focus on security and economic cooperation, but also urge leaders to speed up promised reforms.
“Advancing human rights in Central Asia has always been a top priority for the United States. We are committed to supporting vulnerable groups in Central Asia. This includes refugees, asylum seekers, LGBTQI+ people, women and girls,†Lu said.
The State Department and international human rights organizations note that despite progress in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, violations of fundamental freedoms are widespread, particularly by law enforcement and security forces. other authorities.
With Ukraine being one of Blinken’s priorities, Lu told reporters, “We’re not asking countries to choose between us and Russia or between us and China.”
According to Lu, Astana and Tashkent value America’s unique political and economic contributions, which are “different from the results of contacts with Moscow and Beijing.”
While Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan avoid directly condemning the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, they have refused to recognize the independence of the Russian-backed separatist regions of Ukraine and their annexation by Putin last year. .
