Page 4 - AsiaElec Week 37 2022

AsiaElec POLICY AsiaElec

Russia’s future influence

in Central Asia ‘elephant in

the room’ as Kyrgyzstan’s

Japarov meets Putin

CHINA
The elephant in the room during meetings the first five months, which is a good result,” he
between top Russian officials and their Central said.
Asian counterparts has been—since Russia’s Putin also thanked Japarov “for supporting
standing and preoccupations changed following the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan.”
Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine—whether Russia “This support of the Russian language is a
will have a diminished or expanded role in Cen- foundation for developing our relations in many
tral Asia in the years to come and where China other areas,” he said.
will fit into the picture in relation to the shifting Japarov commended the success of the Kyr-
geopolitical plates that transition produces. gyz-Russian Development Fund, noting that it
When Russian President Vladimir Putin met has approved 3,200 projects worth $440mn to
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on the sidelines date.
of the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisa- Describing Moscow as a “strategic ally,” he said
tion annual summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, it is essential to strengthen “the mutually benefi-
September 15, he did so with Japarov having cial cooperation between Russia and Kyrgyzstan
been lately told by Chinese leader Xi Jinping: and our multidimensional cooperation.”
“China strongly backs Kyrgyzstan’s autonomous In terms of Chinese-Central Asian projects
decision to chart its own course for develop- that Russia will have no part in, the SCO sum-
ment and to protect its national independence, mit produced the long-anticipated agreement to
sovereignty, and security. China also rejects any construct the China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan
outside forces meddling in Kyrgyzstan’s internal (CKU) railroad. It will establish a shorter route to
affairs for any reason.” Europe, bypassing sanctions-hit Russia.
Whether that should be taken as a very obvi- The signed documents for the project do not
ous shot across the Kremlin’s bows is open to set out a roadmap for construction of the CKU
interpretation, but ahead of an SCO meeting link, first proposed a quarter of a century ago,
with Xi—at which Putin and Xi were to work on but officials said progress with the infrastructure
what level of cooperation Beijing and Moscow initiative was now expected to be relatively fast.
can exhibit on the international stage—the Rus- The railroad will begin at Torugart, where
sian president pointed out to Japarov that Russia there is an existing road crossing to Kyrgyzstan
is Kyrgyzstan’s leading trade and economic part- from China, and run northwards through
ner, as well as its largest energy supplier, accord- the settlements of Arpa and Makmal to Jalal-
ing to a Kremlin statement. Abad. There it will link up with Uzbekistan’s rail
“We had a notable boost in trade last year … It network..™
grew 46.6%. And this year, (it) rose by 30% over

P4 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 37 14•September•2022