Kyrgyzstan In Its Struggle For Sovereignty

Can Russia strengthen the statehood of a friendly republic and improve Eurasian integration?

Among the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, each state has its own unique characteristics, advantages and vulnerabilities, which are used by our geopolitical opponents to destabilize. In this regard, attention should be paid to the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, which has recently undergone a series of serious trials. Not only does the geopolitical status and strategic position itself force the country‘s leadership to balance (at least between Russia and China), there is also significant influence from other actors — from Turkey and Arab countries, to the United States, UK and the EU. And the latter show stubborn persistence.

Last year was a turning point in the struggle for the sovereignty of Kyrgyzstan and the limitation of Western influence. It is no coincidence that there has been a surge in the activity of foreign agents in the country and cases of direct pressure from politicians from the United States and the EU. They not only expressed concern and organized protests, but also directly lobbied for the placement of biological laboratories under the guidance of the United States. [i]

In 2023, attempts were made to incite interethnic strife on the part of the West. [ii]

As Russia’s Rossiyskaya Gazeta wrote: “The confidants and conductors of Western propaganda in Kyrgyzstan are well known. According to the StanRadar information resource, this is the local branch of Radio Liberty Azattyk Media. In Russia, Radio Liberty is recognized as a foreign agent, funded by various Western foundations and institutions, the so–called independent information resources Kloop Media, Kaktus Media, “24.kg”, “Salaam Radio“, “ Govori.TV “, “Political Clinic” and others, as well as a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – “Media Policy Institute “, “ Media Development Center “, “Ginomic Media“ and others. The collective West does not spare “cookies“ for their maintenance. [i i i]

Local journalists also drew attention to the fact that there are many projects in the country that exist mainly with funds from foreign donors — the Soros Foundation, USAID, Sigrid Rausing Trust, NED (National Endowment for Democracy) and others. After examining the reports of NGOs receiving grants from foreign foundations, it was found that the “Healthcare“ section of the Soros Foundation occupies the main positions, but significant figures in this section (more than 200 thousand dollars) are formed, among others, by organizations protecting the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, asexuals and intersexuals.

“That is, in the section “Public Health“ grants are indicated, including those transferred to NGOs working on behalf of the LGBT in Kyrgyzstan,“ the journalists stated. Another NGO promoted a film insulting the feelings of believers, ignoring the warnings of the authorities and theologians, which caused the organizers to be sued. At the same time, the organization calls its mission the protection of human rights and freedoms.[iv]

Such deliberate distortion and forgery is a common practice in the work of Western structures, the purpose of which is to painfully transform society according to their own patterns, which are invariably based on economic interests (access to natural resources, market entry and squeezing out competitors).

Earlier, in the autumn of 2022, the government of Kyrgyzstan suspended the work of the Azattyk Media website for two months. The reason was the publication of unreliable materials about the Tajik–Kyrgyz armed conflict. On October 23, Kyrgyz security forces detained a number of politicians and leaders of non-governmental organizations, 12 people were arrested for two months on suspicion of organizing mass riots. [v]

The law on foreign Agents, adopted in March 2024, finally put an end to the issue of open Western influence, but this does not mean that it will completely disappear. Some agents will be re-registered, others will switch to shadow financing, and Western embassies will change their approaches to working with the authorities. An increase in the number of intermediaries is also likely. Sometimes, in order not to “be spotted”, the West uses Turkish proxies in the region, which engage various forces through the ideas of pan-Turkism and pan-Turanism.[vi]

Indirect impact methods will also be implemented. As an example, we can cite the analytical department of the British edition of the Economist, which a few months ago released a rather strange forecast on the situation in Kyrgyzstan, with an emphasis on investment attractiveness.

Thus, the summary says that “the risks to stability are high, as President Sadyr Dzhaparov strengthens his rule. New protests are likely. Mr. Dzhaparov‘s position will be undermined by a fragmented elite structure. In 2024, the main focus of the policy will be on strengthening financial stability. Economic activity will slow down in 2024 as a result of the government temporarily suspending gold exports in order to increase production and export capacities. Falling global oil prices partially reduce the trade deficit. Significant structural vulnerabilities will remain in the economy. The risk of a sovereign default is very high.“[vii]

Given the fact that the publication is British, and gold from Kyrgyzstan is traded on the London Stock Exchange, it is quite obvious that this “forecast“ had a political background with certain interests.

In fact, Kyrgyzstan resumed the sale of gold to the UK in April 2024, since earlier in 2021, the London Bullion Market Association temporarily excluded the Kyrgyzaltyn precious metals refinery from the list of reliable suppliers.

The International Republican Institute (IRI) from the US, which is undesirable in Russia, did the same, stuffing about the results of yet another “National Survey“ with data on the popularity of the country’s politicians. Thus, it tried to explicitly contrast the two leading politicians of the republic – President Sadyr Dzhaparov and the head of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) Kamchybek Tashiev.

Actually, in two years, the results of the research have changed within the statistical margin of error, but they were interpreted in a very definite way. For example, it is claimed that the level of trust in Dzhaparov has allegedly decreased by as much as… 1% in two years (from 38% to 37%), while Tashiev‘s has increased from 18% to 22%. Another 12% are sympathetic to the native of the Osh region, MP Nurjigit Kadyrbekov. The remaining votes “went to“ 17 other politicians, including two women (Elvira Surabaldieva and Roza Otunbayeva), as well as, note, Russian President Vladimir Putin. Distrust of all politicians has also increased dramatically. If in May 2023 only 8% of respondents replied that they did not trust anyone, then in January 2024 their number increased to 20%. [ix]

The interest in such manipulations is obvious – it is an artificial decrease in the rating and attractiveness of the country, creating the appearance of an unfavorable situation with subsequent political changes. Since Kyrgyzstan has gone through two color revolutions, people there know the price of such destabilizations.

And now let’s ask ourselves — how interested is Russia in stability in Kyrgyzstan? Is the presence of a large number of migrant workers from Kyrgyzstan in Russia a certain marker of our bilateral relations? How important are Russian–Kyrgyz relations in the context of Eurasian integration and our common historical memory?

It is obvious that now Russia can and should assist in strengthening the sovereignty of Kyrgyzstan and providing additional incentives for Kyrgyz society from Eurasian integration. Not only at the level of economic opportunities, which are prescribed in the Eurasian Economic Union treaties, but also at the level of narratives. Indeed, in the neighborhood of Kazakhstan, which is geographically several times larger than Kyrgyzstan, and taking into account the ideas of Nursultan Nazarbayev about the Eurasian Union, a certain jealousy arises. The Kyrgyz are naturally interested in what we have to do with it.

And here the explanation is the history of both the Yenisei Kyrgyz, which gives a strong connection with Russia‘s Siberia, and the ancient Kyrgyz statehood, with the epic “Manas“ and other elements of the historical pride of the Kyrgyz.

And the fact that since the time of the Russian Empire, Russian researchers and scientists have made a huge contribution to Kyrgyzstan serves as additional bonds of a common historical fate.

It is enough to recall the names of Ivan Unkovsky (who was engaged in research on the Central Asian Kyrgyz in the first half of the XVIII century) and Peter Rychkov (whose research on the Altai Kyrgyz dates back to the first half of the XVIII century), Philip Efremov (Osh and Kashgar) and Vasily Radlov (deciphering the letters of the Orkhon–Yenisei script), [x] Nikolai Aristov (late XIX century) and Vasily Bartold (already in Soviet times, his fundamental work “The Kyrgyz: A Historical essay“).

Without any doubt, Nikolai Przhevalsky, whose grave and monument are located in the city of Karakol, is of great importance to both Russians and Kyrgyz. The village of Przhevalsky Pier in Kyrgyzstan was named in honor of this outstanding traveler and Russian general.

The Soviet era also marks the contribution of Russian scientists to the sciences and arts of Kyrgyzstan. Pyotr Fedorovich Shubin is considered the founder of classical Kyrgyz music and the creator of the first orchestra of national Kyrgyz instruments. And Igor Alekseevich Batmanov is the founder of Kyrgyz grammar, one of the initiators of the reform of the transition of the Kyrgyz language from Latin to Cyrillic. By the way, in April 2024, several deputies of the Parliament of the republic proposed switching from Cyrillic to Latin.[xi] But later this topic was removed from the agenda, although under certain conditions there will again be instigators lobbying for this issue.

Although in the 90s there was a peak in the fascination with nationalism and the creation of one’s own identity, Kyrgyzstan did not go as far as in Ukraine and neighboring Kazakhstan (unfortunately, there were also false historical theories with a political context). And in the current conditions and the new concept of Russia‘s foreign policy, Moscow can significantly expand the information support for Eurasian integration. And the focus on the common historical past and Kyrgyz antiquities will play a positive role.