Russia’s Lavrov intervenes in Central Asia–EU ties, criticizes Western engagement while defending Moscow’s influence

Russia is firmly opposed to Western attempts to establish dominance in the Central Asian region, Lavrov stated at the press conference held at the conclusion of his visit to Uzbekistan.

Responding to a question about the formats of Central Asia-Russia and Central Asia-European Union cooperation, Lavrov emphasized that collaboration in such formats can only be based on mutually beneficial agreements that align with the interests of all participants in the process.

He added that Russia is against "the politicization of cooperative processes and the introduction of ideological elements related to attempts by certain groups of countries to establish dominance in this or other geopolitical spaces."

According to Lavrov, such attempts are clearly evident in the approaches of "Western colleagues" toward their relations with the Central Asian "Quintet."

"In particular, EU member states and the leadership of the European Commission in Brussels stand out, as they are openly trying to advance their agenda in the region with a clear anti-Russian bias," Lavrov said. "We are not opposed to our allies and strategic partners pursuing a multi-vector policy. We ourselves are always interested in achieving mutually beneficial agreements in all geopolitical and geographic domains. However, some of Central Asia’s partners, primarily Western countries, are not only proposing mutually beneficial projects but are also trying to advance their own interests by allocating funds to programs aimed at deeper penetration into the governmental structures of Central Asian states, including sensitive areas such as borders, statistics, and customs operations."

Lavrov noted that this is "unacceptable." He claimed that Central Asian states "clearly understand the goals being pursued by Western countries."

"For this reason, we advocate for freeing the cooperative processes between Central Asia and external partners from such blatant attempts at interference in internal affairs, to call things by their proper names. We could never engage in such actions with anyone," the Russian Foreign Minister stated.