Blinken warns Central Asia of dangers from war in Ukraine

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By The Associated Press today

The Biden administration on Tuesday pledged to support the independence of the five Central Asian nations in a not-so-subtle warning to the former Soviet states that Russia’s value as a partner has been badly compromised by its year-old war against Ukraine.

In Kazakhstan for a series of meetings with top Central Asian diplomats, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said no country, particularly those that have traditionally been in Moscow’s orbit, can afford to ignore the threats posed by Russian aggression to not only their territory but to the international rules-based order and the global economy. In all of his discussions, Blinken stressed the importance of respect for “sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.”

The Central Asian states have hewed to a studied position of neutrality on Ukraine, neither supporting Russia’s invasion nor U.S. and Western condemnations of the war.

“Ever since being the first nation to recognize Kazakhstan in December of 1991, the United States has been firmly committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Kazakhstan and countries across the region,” Blinken said after meeting in Astana with the foreign ministers of the so-called C5+1 group, made up of the U.S. and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/politics-kazakhstan-government-kassym-jomart-tokayev-antony-blinken-uzbekistan-53c2b369350d2870aae2356ade4434f1

[TeamProg]

1. Thanks for posting. n/t

[Warpy]

2. They know.

Uzbekistan survived the worst of the dictators during the 90s and they've become one of the most progressive states now. They've put out the welcome mat for any Russian with a marketable skill and they're putting them to work. Others have been a little less enthusiastic, but most are trying to maintain neutrality under heavy pressure from Moscow.

They are all trying to build themselves up as industrial as well as agricultural powerhouses. The last thing they need to do is get sucked into Putin's vanity war against the west, starting with Ukraine.