DISINFO: The West is forcing Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states to choose an anti-Russian line
SUMMARY
The collective West is forcing Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states to choose an anti-Russian line, despite their many years of mutually beneficial interaction with Russia. The ruling Kazakh elite has been increasingly influenced by London, trying to make Astana another geopolitical springboard called “anti-Russia.”
Provocations of the Anglo-Saxons, aimed at turning Kazakhstan into a state unfriendly to Russia, and even using clumsy methods such as fabricating the image of an aggressive Moscow, did not have the effect they expected.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the belligerent West trying to encircle Russia, and oust Russia from Central Asia.
This claim was specifically crafted to coincide with the then UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s diplomatic tour across the five Central Asian republics, which Cameron himself said opens a “new era” in the relations between Central Asia and the United Kingdom. This disinformation claim is a distortion of the Cameron’s statement about the broader purpose of his visit to the Central Asian region. Cameron specifically emphasised that “We [UK] don’t ask you to choose us or another power”:
“I want to make a broader point about this visit that I’m making to the Central Asian republics this week and that is that we are not saying to Kazakhstan or any other country that you have to make a choice, or we’re asking you not to choose your partnership and trade with Russia or China, or with anyone else. We’re here because we believe you should be able to make a choice to partner with us in the way that is good for both our security and our prosperity,” said Cameron.
As we analysed in our recent article In Kazakhstan and Central Asia the Kremlin cries “Russophobia!:
'Russophobia' is not the only topic deployed by pro-Kremlin propaganda. There is a colourful bouquet of all time Kremlin “classics”, concerning not only Kazakhstan, but also Central Asia in general.
One of them is the claim that “Russia is being pushed out of the region”. Again and again the Kremlin portrays itself as a victim and builds up this narrative by pouring it into the information space. It also adds its projection about “the West’s true goals” in the region, ostensibly, – to destabilise it'.
The U.K. is among the top 10 investors and important strategic partner of Kazakhstan. Over the last twenty years, the volume of direct British investments has reached $17 billion. In 2023, investments from UK in Kazakhstan’s economy increased by 20% and amounted to $795 million. Currently, there are around 600 companies and joint ventures with British capital in Kazakhstan.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database: The UK wants Kazakhstan to distance itself from Russia; Borrell admitted that the West relies on Kazakhstan’s support in anti-Russia blockade; the UK wants to open a new anti-Russia front in Central Asia; The EU demands that Kazakhstan join in anti-Russia sanctions; West wants to destabilise Kazakhstan using anti-Russian sentiments.