U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Visits Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu travels to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan from April 22-27.
Though Assistant Secretary Lu’s trip was likely planned well in advance, the timing could not be better thanks to a recent move by Russia and a recent comment by China’s ambassador to France.
Assistant Secretary Lu will go to Kyrgyzstan first. He was the U.S. ambassador there from 2018-2021.
On April 20, Russia’s agriculture control agency Rosselkhoznadzor announced it was banning imports of dairy products from Kyrgyzstan as of April 21.
Kyrgyz officials said they had not been informed until the day of Rosselkhoznadzor’s announcement.
Kyrgyzstan is in the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). EAEU members Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia are supposed to enjoy mutual trade advantages.
Russia has suddenly and unilaterally imposed import bans on EAEU members before.
It’s a reminder to other EAEU members that they are not in an equal partnership with Russia in this organization.
Then there is the April 21 comment from Lu Shaye, China’s ambassador to France.
Appearing on French television, Ambassador Lu was asked about whether Crimea is Russian or Ukrainian territory.
As part of his response, Ambassador Lu said, [T]hese ex-Soviet Union countries do not have effective status… under international law,” and added, “there’s no international accord to legitimate their status as a sovereign country.”
That’s a lot to think about for all the countries that were former Soviet republics, the five Central Asian countries among them.
Why It’s Important: U.S. officials’ trips to Central Asia are meant in part to assure the Central Asian states of Washington’s continued support for their territorial integrity and sovereignty.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in February with that message.
A State Department press release says Assistant Secretary of State Lu “will emphasize the United States’ enduring commitment to the… sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence” of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Assistant Secretary Lu’s words of support will probably be most welcome in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
A Frequent Target of Kazakh Authorities
Kazakh journalist and political activist Lukpan Akhmedyarov might be headed to court, again.
Police detained Akhmedyarov on April 12 for organizing an unsanctioned protest three days earlier in the western Kazakh city of Uralsk, also known as Oral, Akhmedyarov’s hometown.
Akhmedyarov applied in advance with the local authorities for permission for the demonstration.
The aim of his protest, according to his post on Facebook, was to “express disagreement with the political regime of (Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart) Toqaev.”
Such a public meeting was never likely to receive official approval.
It is difficult to imagine anything Akhmedyarov requested would be granted by Kazakh authorities.
Akhmedyarov is a veteran journalist and government critic.
He worked at the Uralsk Weekly (Uralskaya Nedelya) newspaper since it was founded in 2001, most of that time as chief editor.
The newspaper covers local events in the Uralsk area, located near the Russian border and some 1,250 miles west of the Kazakh capital Astana.
Akhmedyarov often reported about corruption in Kazakhstan, including corruption among government officials.
Unsurprisingly, the newspaper and Akhmedyarov have faced problems.
In July 2012, a court found Uralsk Weekly guilty of defamation and ordered the newspaper pay a fine of some $36,000, an amount Reporters Without Borders said at the time was ”exorbitant” and “disproportionate.”
At that time, Akjmedyarov was still recovering from being beaten and stabbed.
Four attackers were apprehended, convicted, and given prison sentences ranging from 11 to 15 years, but those responsible for ordering the attack were never found.
Why It’s Important: Akhmedyarov was jailed for 15 days for the April 9 protest, but on April 21 he was moved to another holding facility used for people facing criminal charges.
Akhmedyarov ran in Kazakhstan’s March parliamentary elections and was one of many opposition figures, activists, and government critics who failed to win a seat.
Many people in Kazakhstan are disillusioned with the elections’ results, despite promises from officials that people will have more say in governing the country.
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