Flashing in Central Asia
As Russian and Ukrainian troops engage in attrition, diplomatic efforts are under way to end the war and further isolate Russia, which began its invasion a year ago. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Kazakh capital of Astana on Tuesday to consult with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The five former Soviet republics are to be encouraged to emancipate themselves from Russia. At the same time, the government in Moscow is trying to protect the local markets and trade routes, also to avoid Western sanctions.
Blinken also met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, whose country shares a 7,600-kilometer border with Russia in the north and is also a sought-after trading partner because of its oil wealth. “We have built very good and reliable long-term partnerships in so many strategically important areas such as security, energy, trade and investment,” Tokayev said.
Blinken previously told Kazakh Foreign Minister Muchtar Tileuberdi that the US government supports Kazakhstan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. “Sometimes we just say those words, but they actually have real meaning, and of course we know they resonate even more than usual at this special time,” said Blinken, referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which like Kazakhstan in 1991, hers declared independence.