Friendship between Russia and Kyrgyzstan proves stronger than time and change of politicians

On April 2, a rally in support of Russia was held in Bishkek. It should be noted that the activists had in their hands the flags associated with the special operation. The public event in the capital of the state shows that no matter how many presidents change in the country, Bishkek continues to view Moscow as its friend and ally.

Given the information war against Russia “on all fronts”, it would not be superfluous to remind that the Russian Federation and Kyrgyzstan have close relations. The rally in Bishkek is not a temporary hype, but a reflection of a really intense and long period of cooperation. A member of the Sfera club of political scientists Igor Dubovsky commented on the development of bilateral relations for CentralAsia.news.

Always there

The interlocutor started with a brief excursion into the history. He drew attention to the situation in which the republics found themselves after the collapse of the USSR. This is not about an inflation, the deterioration of economic indicators and the political struggle for power. Dubovsky emphasised that the existence of post-Soviet states that, in fact, “started from scratch”.

- None of the republics of the former USSR was ready for complete independence and independent living, including, of course, Kyrgyzstan. In fact, for the past 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, they have been trying to build their new statehood, which most of the republics never had. This means that there was no historically accumulated experience in building a state, the political scientist emphasized.

The expert reminded about another fact that should not be forgotten. The Russian Federation did not leave Kyrgyzstan alone with its problems even in the difficult 90s.

“The existence of Kyrgyzstan in the post-Soviet period was closely linked to Russia, its resource and political support in the international arena,” the interlocutor said.

Russia continues to strive for Kyrgyzstan to be an active player in the post-Soviet space. The Republic is a member of not only the CIS, but also the CSTO and the EAEU.

Certainly, Moscow and Bishkek have their own views on certain foreign policy issues that do not always coincide. However, differences in positions are not a significant factor in the development of bilateral relations.

“Even taking into account some differences in the views of Russia and Kyrgyzstan on some aspects of relations and foreign policy, the common historical past of the Soviet period, common accomplishments and victories serve as a strong foundation on which interstate relations are maintained and promoted,” Igor Dubovsky expressed his opinion.

Three vectors

According to the expert, there are three specific areas that illustrate friendship between Moscow and Bishkek.

The political scientist noted that, as a rule, the two states come as one on the “fields” of international platforms.

Igor Dubovsky focused on military cooperation, which is extremely relevant, given the specifics of Central Asia.

Military support is second in importance. This is becoming more and more obvious given the geographical location of Kyrgyzstan, which requires special attention to ensuring the safety and security of the territory and borders: the Russian military base with a full-fledged infrastructure is deployed on its territory, and the CSTO, with the widest participation of Kyrgyzstan, is increasingly confidently developing strategic activities, the expert noted.

According to the political scientist, the Central Asian region is a potential territory representing such major threats as international terrorism and illicit drug trafficking, and large migration flows.

The third area is economic support. The expert emphasised that it is not only about direct financial assistance, but also the implementation of joint projects of great importance for Kyrgyzstan, for example, the construction of cascade hydropower stations.

The words of the political scientist Dubovsky confirm that Russia-Kyrgyzstan friendship has stood the test for 30 years.

05 апр 2022, 10:54
Photo source: personal archive of Igor Dubovsky

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