https://www.euractiv.com/news/kyrgyzstan-in-eu-crosshairs-over-russia-sanctions-circumvention/
The EU has been trying to establish better ties with Central Asia, but all of this has been sidetracked by the Ukraine War and the West's anti-Moscow posture. The nations of Central Asia deal with both Russia and China which are their neighbours with some nations leaning toward Beijing and others toward Moscow.
In the days after 9/11 the US hoped to make serious inroads and yet Washington continues to be held at arm's length. No nation is willing to throw in with the United States - all the more as it increasingly appears unstable and untrustworthy, and at times erratic. Kyrgyzstan in particular has been a source of some ire as of all the Central Asia republics it has remained solidly in the pro-Moscow camp.
And so the leadership in Brussels has decided now is the time to start putting some additional pressure on Bishkek. It began in 2020 with European criticism of the 2020 Parliamentary election. This led to the rule of Sadyr Japarov who has at times angered business and political elements in Washington as well as both the EU and UK. The nation has been repeatedly targeted by Western media and propaganda - even among Evangelicals as there is some government clampdown on 'sects'. For its part, Bishkek was angered by the fact that it was subject to a CIA propaganda campaign during Covid which sought to discredit Chinese-manufactured vaccines. Undoubtedly people died because of this.
Kyrgyzstan's location is critical. It borders China to the East and other Central Asia republics on the north, west, and south. Adjacent to Xinjiang, it's a piece of real estate the CCP watches closely and even now hosts both railroads and pipelines connecting China to Central Asia. As militants seem to be ramping up attacks in Central Asia and as Afghanistan wrestles with stability - all eyes in the region are watching.
The EU wants to stop Kyrgyzstan from helping Moscow evade sanctions even while the nation serves as a trafficking hub for opium moving from Afghanistan in the direction of Europe. This latter point simply complicates the situation as every investigation reveals not just the activity of organised crime but intelligence agencies at work. To my knowledge there's never been a serious international drug investigation that doesn't lead back (in some capacity) to intelligence agencies. Their role in the region is well established and given the CIA's loss in Afghanistan, you can be sure they've been looking for new connections and opportunities.
Is the EU simply trying to close a loophole vis-à-vis Russia and its Ukraine War? Or are Western powers hoping to destabilize the government in a land that holds so much geopolitical and economic importance? It's probably a bit of both.
This is where something like BRICS comes into play. While Kyrgyzstan is not on the list of potential members, neighbouring states such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are looking to join. These actions by the EU will push Kyrgyzstan in that direction. It may not have the economic ability to join at present, but BRICS will undoubtedly welcome the Kirghiz with open arms if that means a further weakening of Western hands in the region.
It should also be noted that Brussels wants to use the so-called 'Anti-Circumvention Tool' and thus Kyrgyzstan is an easy target that has little means of retaliation. The fallout from this move will be studied by strategists and economic planners.
And yet as the article indicates, Brussels is currently frustrated by the increasing resistance coming out of Budapest - a growing anti-Brussels bloc that is forcing the EU into a kind of constitutional crisis. These discussions regarding Kyrgyzstan may be all for naught. We'll know in the coming months.
See also:
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2020/10/kyrgyzstans-latest-round-of-unrest.html
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2025/01/new-religious-legislation-in-kyrgyzstan.html
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-multifaceted-and-dynamic.html
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2024/07/imperial-power-and-central-asian.html
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