US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday showed his support for the territorial integrity and independence of Kazakhstan during his first visit to this gigantic Central Asian country, an ally of Russia and close to China, a few days after the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
During his visit, the head of American diplomacy must meet his counterparts from the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia in the Kazakh capital, Astana.
Antony Blinken will also have a meeting during the day with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, then will travel to Uzbekistan.
His tour aims to strengthen the footprint of the United States in this region caught between the powerful Russian neighbor and the growing influence of China.
“As you know, the United States strongly supports Kazakhstan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence,” the US Secretary of State told Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleouberdi.
“At this particular time, these words resonate even more than usual,” Blinken added, referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as Kazakhstan shares some 7,500 kilometers of border with Russia. .
Moreover, this country five times the size of France spares the large Russian-speaking minority present in the country, not unaware that President Vladimir Putin has made the treatment of the Russian-speaking community in Ukraine one of the reasons justifying the invasion. .
Washington has no illusions about the possibility that these five countries will let go of their historical Russian partner, nor about the influence of their other powerful neighbour, China.
But the United States plays, as elsewhere in Africa or Latin America, the “reliable partner” card.
“We have things to offer in terms of economic commitment but also in terms of values,” said the top diplomat in charge of Central Asia at the US State Department, Donald Lu.
Antony Blinken assured Tuesday that the United States was “determined to strengthen” its relations with Kazakhstan, a country which has been able since the fall of the Soviet Union to promote multi-vector diplomacy, according to the official terminology, forging alliances with different partners despite the overwhelming influence of Moscow.
In the midst of the war in Ukraine, the leaders of these Central Asian countries are on a tightrope due to formal defense agreements with Moscow and the economic and security weight of Russia, and have thus adopted a position of balance in the dispute.
The five former Soviet republics (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan) abstained or did not take part in the vote Thursday at the UN General Assembly on a resolution calling for the departure of Russian troops from Ukraine.
