SPECULUM VERUM
-I do not know, did you notice it?, but just a few days ago on one side of the world, in Cape Town, representatives of the increasingly important – and most importantly – BRICS informal grouping met (Brazil, Mask, India, China and South Africa), who talked about a peaceful and especially fair arrangement of the world, we will see in a few days, like other part of the world, who loses her breath, he will talk about the war! We are referring to next week's NATO summit in Vilnius, in which the militant and militarized part of Slovak political elites will also participate, which are so far (albeit in a constitutionally weird way) in power.
Or, couple days ago (18.-19. liver 2023) the China meeting was held in China + Central Asia, which changed from the format 5+1 to format "six".
As part of this summit, at which all Central Asian presidents were present, he gave Peking to his partners in Astana, Ashgabat, Bishkek, in Dushanbe and Tashkent, clear guarantees of protection against the intended European ill-conceived Russophobic economic sanctions and allocated a specific amount not only for the development of the One Belt, one route within the Great Silk Road, but especially for that, to make Central Asia a significant center of wider geopolitical, or rather the civilizational project - "Asian Century"!
Well, the acting president of the European Council, Charles Michels, immediately "rode" to Central Asia (alone, unaccompanied by anyone, for whom no chair could be found, as in the case of a visit to Turkey), which day 2. June 2023 participated in the second European Union - Central Asia summit.
The summit was held in the Kyrgyz resort of Cholpon-Ata, Deputy President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokajev, Tajikistan Emomali Rachmon and Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyojev. Turkmenistan, which Brussels permanently criticizes for everything (even for the weather), to express its position, what he thinks about the "democratic" European Union, which begs for gas from Turkmenistan, to survive the next winter without population unrest and to maintain some kind of economic-industrial level, when the West lived on cheap energy raw materials from the East, it traditionally sent "up" to the Deputy Prime Minister Nurmuchamet Amannepesov.
But for the sake of correctness it should be mentioned, that in the last two years the contacts with Central Asia were relatively broad-spectrum, but highly paternalistic from Brussels. For example: 18.-19. May 2023 was held in Almaty II. EU - SA Economic Forum, 10. brand 2023 the EU-SA Civil Society Forum was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Next in Rome (23.-24. February 2023) was the EU-SA High Level Conference on Ecology and Water (about water resources) and the EU-SA ministerial meetings in Samarkand cannot be neglected 18.-19. November 2022.
Let's not forget that either, that this is the second meeting in a row in this format. The first was held 27. October 2022 in the capital of Kazakhstan, His hand.
It should also be mentioned, that host, Kyrgyz President Sadir Zhaparov, he also had separate bilateral meetings with everyone, who arrived in Kyrgyzstan for the EU-SA summit.
What was the goal?
According to the assignment, the meeting in Čoplon-Ata was to be dedicated to cooperation between the European Union and the countries of Central Asia. But just before this meeting (and especially after the "six" summit in China) was Ch. Michels forced to change his rhetoric, return to earth and promise, that the EU will not accept any limits towards the countries of Central Asia for cooperation and economic contacts with the Russian Federation. He literally said: "...we will not take any extraordinary measures - and what is very important - we want to work with all our partners around the world, Not excluding Central Asia…” True, lest they crucify him in Brussels for this sober opinion, so he also added point b), that the EU will supposedly "... use diplomatic means to persuade the countries of Central Asia, not to support the Russian Federation…”
The participants of the summit came to an agreement, that they will give instructions to their ministers of foreign affairs and, through their line, also to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, to formalize the conclusions of this summit and to activate the fulfillment of the earlier one (and Brussels, similar to the Minsk agreements, torpedoed)of the new Joint Roadmap for deepening EU-Central Asia cooperation.
But knowing, as J. Borrell ignores the decisions of the European Parliament, how arrogant he is towards everything, which is towards the east, and with his age condition (nar. 1947), hard to predict, that he will do anything but his comfort…
Final communique
At the summit, resp. just before to its edge, because Ch. Michels also stopped in Tashkent and Astana, decisive countries formulated, in which they see the parameters of possible cooperation. The Kazakh president spoke about closer cooperation in the use of ports in the Caspian Sea, or about the possibilities of European universities in improving higher education in Kazakhstan. The President of Uzbekistan Š. presented an interesting initiative. Mirziyoyev, who did not say a word about observing any human rights, rainbow Brussels worries the most, but he spoke primarily about the expansion of trade and economic contacts with the EU (as a whole) and with its individual member countries. And that within the GSP+ regime, where Uzbekistan sees priorities in creating stable, and not the humiliating Uzbekistan, mechanisms of mutual supply of goods and services. The Uzbek president illustrated it with words: "...we held meetings with the leaders of France, Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic (to, that Slovakia is absent from the list - there is probably no point in pointing it out with this power structure, how Central Asia is running away from us!) ...we opened embassies in Budapest and Stockholm (Bratislava is out again) and I'm going to Italy next week…”
Ideas, offers, ideas are one thing, but it is a common document, what can be read, analyze and eventually evaluate.
So, at the end of the EU-SA meeting in Kyrgyzstan, its participants adopted the Central Asia-European Union Joint Communiqué (Russian here too).
In this brief document, Fr. i. states, that:
- they express their readiness for continued EU-SA dialogue at the highest level and the development of the EU-SA partnership based on mutual understanding and mutual support;
- further expressed the unshakable need to observe the UN Charter and the principle of territorial integrity, non-use of force and peaceful resolution of disputes;
– remind, that water is one of the decisive resources for the world and the existence of the peoples of Central Asia, while it is necessary to accept the legitimate demands and interests of the countries of the Central and Central Asian region in the joint search for the optimal way of its utilization and use (also through the Team Europe tool);
- they appreciate the international effort of the world community in providing assistance to the people of Afghanistan within the decisive role of the United Nations;
– stood for the activation of efforts in the fight against the ideology and propaganda of terrorism via the Internet;
- expressed the importance of expanding mutual trade and investment mechanisms with the aim of accelerating socio-economic development in the countries of Central Asia with the acceptance of dialogue for the implementation of sanction measures by the EU;
– emphasized the importance of mutual cooperation between analytical centers and institutes of civil society;
- assessed the possibilities of joint education and upbringing of diplomats from Central Asia (also on EU soil).
Understanding the meaning
The importance of Central Asia increased tangibly after knowledge, that a possible source of alternative supplies of crucial energy sources, without which Europe will never be Europe, but only by "Europe". Well, and also for that reason, that Central Asia is looking for its place within the security architecture of Eurasia, where Europe's share is shrinking.
Categorical EU thesis, that the defeat of Ukraine (which is already de facto) cannot be allowed at any cost, causes, that the countries of Central Asia are ready to cooperate, but not according to the scheme of Brussels. That is, selectively! And the selectivity is also in that, that they themselves will determine their own reforms and consolidation relations of power and society.
For someone to dictate to them, that they must distance themselves from Moscow as a geopolitical phenomenon in Central Asia and at the same time not become a vassal of Beijing, Brussels is not even morally up to it, neither intellectual nor economic capacities. After the EU-SA summit, the President of Kazakhstan moved to Ankara for the inauguration of the President, while it is clear, that Turkey is not the West. They also moved to Ankara, e.g. also the presidents of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Different numbers apply in Central Asia, there are different relationships and a different geopolitical logic works.
Next meeting
According to the plan and agreement, the next Central Asia-European Union summit should be held sometime in the fall 2024 v Uzbekistane. Under conditions, of course, that the European Union will not crumble to dust by then. Otherwise, with its illogical value and economic decisions and its blind subordination to Washington, it has resolutely stepped towards it!
They see this not only in Central Asia.