Dushanbe. June 25. “Asia-Plus” — Ghost of Tajik war, the bloodiest conflict in Asia since the collapse of the USSR in which more than 100,000 people have been killed, now threatens Central Asia, Dmitry Alexandrov, Expert from the Department of the Near-Abroad Countries of the Russian Strategic Research Institute, told the United Russian Portal.
Alexandrov refused to draw the direct analogy between situation in Tajikistan and in Kyrgyzstan. “Kyrgyzstan’s so-called frozen conflict smoldered for the past 20 years and would smolder further but it was fired up by external provocations and mistakes of the previous and new governments of the republic. On the one hand, everyone in the region clearly understand – and this can be compared with Tajikistan’s conflict, which is quite similar to this one – that both winners and defeated side will loose with further escalation of this conflict into military phase,” Alexandrov has said.
However, he believes that even unbiased understanding of situation will not help to overcome ambitions. “On the one hand, former president Bakiev and his followers are trying to preserve their positions at the republic’s political arena and, on the other hand, new political forces are trying to deal with political development instead of dealing with pressing problems. It is quite clear that Kyrgyzstan needs strong president, not parliamentary republic,” he said.
