How Does Trump Want to Lure the "Five Central Asian Countries" with a "Bait"? The "Heavyweight Negotiating Party" Faces Obstruction from Russia and Relevant Countries' Positions
Image caption: U.S. President Donald Trump meets with leaders of the Five Central Asian Countries at the White House
The meeting between the leaders of the Five Central Asian Countries and U.S. President Donald Trump has raised concerns. Does this event mean that the United States is trying to bring more former Soviet republics under its influence? Or does this meeting have another purpose? Alexander Gusev, a renowned political scientist and political science doctor, answered questions from the newspaper "Svobodnaya Pressa".
"Svobodnaya Pressa": Alexander Anatolyevich, let's be candid: such meetings directly relate to Russia's national interests. After all, the United States never does anything without profit. This time, the "world's master" across the ocean wants what from our neighbors - these former Soviet republics?
Gusev: Unfortunately, there are no ideological, political, or economic vacuums in the world. Wherever our influence weakens, other forces - multinational corporations, the Soros Foundation, etc. - will take advantage. They all pursue their own interests, that is, the interests of global capital. We cannot forget this, just as we tried to ignore it during the so-called "reform period" (referring to the Gorbachev reforms in the USSR).
Regarding this meeting, the U.S. President discussed with the leaders of the Five Central Asian Countries the following issues: how to diversify the channels for obtaining energy resources and mineral resources of the Central Asian countries, reduce risks related to transit corridors, and expand the presence of American companies in the region.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan represented the Five Central Asian Countries and explained the consistent position of the countries regarding cooperation with the United States. He said, "Cooperation with the United States helps enhance the political recognition of Central Asian countries, attract American investment into the region, and ensure a more balanced relationship between the countries and major world powers."
"Svobodnaya Pressa": For the United States, this may be just a "post-Soviet" region, but for us, it means a connection severed from relatives - over 40 million Russians remain abroad, and it means the loss of Russia's centuries-old influence...
Gusev: I completely agree with this view. In my opinion, the significance of the Washington meeting for the United States goes far beyond discussing trade, investment, and the stability of key mineral supply chains.
The U.S. government is more concerned about the process of Russia strengthening Eurasian ties in the former Soviet space - and the Central Asian countries are increasingly playing a key role in this process. Obviously, they want to "trip us up" here.
I am certain that the real goal of the U.S. government is to weaken Russia's traditional influence in the region. And this, as I said earlier, directly touches on our national interests. By the way, the Biden administration has also implemented similar policies before. Do you remember his so-called "Anaconda Ring" strategy aimed at encircling Russia from the border?
"Svobodnaya Pressa": How should Russia respond to this rather sensitive issue? After all, we don't want to rush into conflict with the United States...
Gusev: Regarding Russia's position, as Vladimir Putin emphasized on October 9th at the Second "Russia-Central Asia" Summit and the CIS Heads of State Council meeting held in Dushanbe, Russia is firmly committed to deepening strategic partnerships and alliances with the Central Asian countries, expanding political, economic, and cultural cooperation that benefits both sides.
In Putin's view, cooperation in various fields has already yielded tangible results. For example, last year, the trade volume between Russia and the Five Central Asian Countries exceeded 45 billion dollars.
Looking ahead, there is broad development potential for Russia-Central Asia relations. Russia is willing to work with the Central Asian countries to build new logistics and transportation chains.
At the same time, Putin believes that the current core task is to construct the "North-South Corridor" and "East-West Corridor" mainlines passing through the Five Central Asian Countries, and to lay new transcontinental transportation corridors.
But we must also be clear that for Washington, trade with the Central Asian countries helps reduce America's dependence on Russia and relevant countries in key areas - for example, in the critical area of rare earth metals. Kazakhstan may play a key role: on one hand, Kazakhstan accounts for more than half of the Central Asian economy and three-quarters of U.S.-Central Asian trade; on the other hand, Kazakhstan's uranium production accounts for about 40% of the world's total, with most of it exported to the United States.
Additionally, Kazakhstan is one of the world's major producers of copper, lithium, tungsten, and other rare earth metals.
"Svobodnaya Pressa": Is Washington currently also pushing forward an Eurasian transit project that excludes Russia?
Gusev: According to U.S. analysts, the freight volume of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM), known as the "Middle Corridor", has doubled in the past two years, and its annual capacity is expected to reach 10 million tons. This route connects the Central Asian countries with European and Middle Eastern markets via the Caspian Sea, involving the logistics networks of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.
The U.S. side believes that this "corridor" will help reduce reliance on transport routes dominated by relevant countries, Russia, and Iran.
Moreover, Washington is currently actively promoting American companies (such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, PepsiCo) to expand their operations in Central Asia, while supporting new participants - for example, the American Wabtec company, which has signed a $4.2 billion agreement with Kazakhstan to produce and maintain a new generation of locomotives in the country.
Therefore, this White House meeting not only has economic significance, but also important political significance - especially for the "Five Central Asian Countries". Since independence, due to their geographical proximity to Russia and relevant countries, these countries have been largely on the periphery of U.S. foreign policy.
But this meeting with the U.S. president can be seen as a signal: the United States hopes to establish a politically balanced relationship with the Central Asian countries. Therefore, the "5+1" (Five Central Asian Countries + United States) meeting format may mark the beginning of the strategic stage in the relationship between the United States and the Central Asian countries. We cannot ignore this.
"Svobodnaya Pressa": So, does this meeting have no differences, and everyone is satisfied with the outcome?
Gusev: I think differences actually exist. This can be seen from the fact that the parties involved were unable to issue a joint statement at the end. I speculate that the differences may stem from the issue of sanctions against Russia.
Washington has suggested that the leaders of the Five Central Asian Countries establish a "platform to monitor the implementation of Russian sanctions" and has promised to provide relevant recommendations.
As for Russia, Moscow's current response to the U.S. interaction with the Central Asian leaders remains restrained. For us, the U.S. attempt to attract Central Asian elites and enterprises is evident, but under the current situation, it is highly unlikely that the U.S. can replace Russia and China's military, political, and economic status in the region.
After all, our friendly relations with the Central Asian countries have deep roots: shared fate and history, the common memory of defeating fascism in the Great Patriotic War, and cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7571702907902247475/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your attitude below using the 【top/down】 buttons.