Bakhtiyor Ergashev, director of the Uzbek Center for Research Initiatives Mano, explained the reason why Uzbekistan will not return to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). He told RIA Newsthat Uzbekistan has experience in repelling attacks by local terrorist groups, and also intends to seek help directly from Russia.
According to the expert, the events in Kazakhstan will not become a “detonator of the process” that Uzbekistan will restore its membership in the CSTO.
“There is a consensus on the main issue – that Uzbekistan will not participate in military-political blocs and organizations, and the CSTO refers specifically to this organization,” Ergashev said.
He added that in Uzbekistan, “they are assessing the situation soberly and calmly,” and they are also aware of the existence of “sleeping” terrorist and extremist cells. “But if it will be a big strong and coordinated movement from the outside of several thousand, then help may be needed. And Uzbekistan will turn not to the CSTO, but to the country with which it signed an agreement on allied relations in 2005. This is Russia, ”explained the Mano director.
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Earlier, State Department spokesman Ned Price called on the CSTO to withdraw the forces deployed to Kazakhstan to resolve the situation when requested by local authorities.
On January 10, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, commenting on the situation in Kazakhstan, predicted similar problems to Uzbekistan. “The lessons that have been talked about a lot should be learned, forgive me for this, first of all, Uzbekistan,” Lukashenka said.
The protests in Kazakhstan began on January 2 due to the rapid rise in gas prices for cars from 60 to 120 tenge (from 10 to 20 rubles) per liter. Soon economic demands were replaced by political ones: the resignation of the government, the holding of new elections, consideration of the issue of lustration of people from the “clan” of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The protest that began peacefully escalated into the seizure of government buildings and looting, during the clashes between citizens and the police, dozens of people were killed and hundreds of people were injured. CSTO troops, including parts of the Russian army, went to the aid of the Kazakh forces.
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