On March 1, local time, the "C5+1" foreign ministers' talks between the five Central Asian countries and the United States were held in the form of an online video conference. For this meeting, the Russian "Independent" reported on the same day.
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken reportedly discussed and expressed his position on Ukraine at the meeting, while he also raised the possibility of a U.S. military base or transit base returning to Central Asia. The report described the five Central Asian countries as "confused" about the US proposal, and they also take a neutral position on the current situation in Ukraine.
However, the content of the Russian media report on the "Blinken mention of military bases" was not mentioned in the press release published on the WEBSITE of the US State Department.
Russian "Independent" reported screenshot: The United States wants to return to the Central Asian base
The videoconference was held on the evening of February 28, local time in the United States, and Blinken tweeted after the meeting that participants discussed the pressing international and regional agenda, including the situation in Ukraine and the impact on Central Asia.
Screenshot of the "C5+1" foreign ministers' talks
For the talks, Kubat Rasimov, executive director of the Strategic Decision-Making Center of Kyrgyzstan's research institutions and former assistant to the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, believes that the United States has increased its interest in the "C5+1" model under the current circumstances and is very eager to understand the position of Central Asian countries on the Ukraine issue.
In addition, Rakhimov said the United States may be working out plans to return to the region through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and may also want to resume U.S. transit through Central Asia and even establish a complete air base in Central Asia.
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government established military bases in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in central Asia under the name of "joint counterterrorism" to support U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, but the two governments closed the bases in 2005 and 2014, respectively.
Data map: The US military at manas air base in Kyrgyzstan, which was once the largest US military base in Central Asia. Image from social media
According to the news on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry on July 16 last year, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said in response to a reporter's question after attending the "Central and South Asia" 2021 meeting in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, that none of Russia's Central Asian allies are willing to receive US troops, because it means using their own territory and people to bear the ensuing risks.
In his response, Lavrov pointed out that the Americans made no secret of their plans and did their utmost to persuade the Central Asian countries and Pakistan to receive the withdrawal of U.S. troops and their equipment from Afghanistan, but Pakistan and Uzbekistan had declared that this was impossible.
Lavrov also mentioned that at the meeting of foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries with Russia, no one from all sides expressed their willingness to expose their territory and people to risk. And foreign ministers are aware that these risks come from U.S. troops withdrawing from Afghanistan, as well as from Afghans who have helped U.S. troops, who are looking for suitable places around Afghanistan to resettle them.
The Russian "Independent" also reported that when talking about the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict in the "C5+1" talks, the five Central Asian countries have maintained a neutral position, and the Kazakh side is very interested in the rapid settlement of the current conflict.
Kazakh Foreign Minister Treubelti said: "Russia and Ukraine are brotherly countries for us, so we are worried. According to reports, the Kazakh side proposed to act as a "mediator" for the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, or to provide a negotiating venue if the two sides deemed appropriate.
On March 2, local time, the members of the 11th Emergency Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly (ESS) voted and adopted the draft resolution on the situation in Ukraine jointly submitted by more than 90 countries, including Ukraine.
In the ballot, there were 141 votes in favour, 5 against and 35 abstentions. Since more than two thirds of the valid votes were cast in favour, the draft resolution was adopted. Russia, Syria, Belarus, North Korea and Eritrea voted against it, and 35 countries, including China, Cuba and India, voted to abstain.
Of the five Central Asian states, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan abstained in the voting, while Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan did not vote.
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