Moscow is trying to make itself feel indispensable by half-heartedly dangling investment, economic assistance and security guarantees, according to Eurasianet.
Much of the Central Asia policy bandwidth in Moscow was reportedly occupied in 2018 by thoughts of how to seize the momentum in Uzbekistan. President Vladimir Putin appears to have been successful in wowing Tashkent with his visit in October, which culminated in some $27 billion in commercial deals.
Eurasianet notes that nothing so ambitious can be assured for the rest of the region, although Russia is trying to make itself feel indispensable by half-heartedly dangling investment, economic assistance and security guarantees.
Talking about the Kyrgyz leg of Sergey Lavrov’s mission, Medet Tiulegenov, a professor at Bishkek’s American University of Central Asia, or AUCA, described it as merely “procedural.”
The Russian foreign minister told reporters after talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart Chingiz Aidarbekov that Kyrgyzstan is eager to see Russia resume its involvement in hydroelectric dam projects
Aidarbekov confirmed that hydropower projects were discussed and expressed “deep interest” in Russian investments.
Kyrgyzstan is reportedly eager to show it is a totally committed partner. It has done so lately by signaling willingness to host a second Russian military airbase, this time in the south of the country.
Lavrov summarily shot down the idea. “There has been no talk about this at the official level,” he told reporters in Bishkek.
But security was higher on the agenda when Lavrov flew into Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, on February 5.
Russia’s contribution toward modernizing the armed forces of Tajikistan has centered on education. As Lavrov said while in Dushanbe, around 2,370 Tajik military personnel have undergone training in Russia. Another 600 Tajiks are doing courses at Russian Defense Ministry colleges.
Less eye-catching business in Dushanbe included the signing of the bilateral cooperation agenda for 2019. The overall picture speaks to Russian diplomatic forays in Tajikistan remaining narrow in scope.
The lack of purpose looks even more pronounced in Turkmenistan. The official pronouncements were characteristically upbeat and lacking in actual substance. Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov trotted out a hackneyed line about wishing to “expand [Turkmenistan’s] multifaceted ties with Russia.”
Lavrov responded in kind after his meeting with the Turkmen president, opining that Ashgabat was evidently eager to build on the bilateral strategic partnership sealed in 2017.
All well and good, but the only thing Turkmenistan wants or needs is money. Specifically in the form of payment for its natural gas, which Gazprom stopped buying at the start of 2016. All Lavrov’s visit produced was a throwaway line about how negotiations are still ongoing, which does not sound promising at all.
