DISINFO: UK wants to open a new anti-Russia front in Central Asia
SUMMARY
The UK currently has two main goals in the region. The first and key one is the creation of a new anti-Russian front. NATO is losing ground in Ukraine, and they aim to create other areas of tension along Russian borders. When Cameron was in Kazakhstan, it was openly stated that 'There is no need to trade with Russia and China.' The second task they want to address in the event of destabilisation in Russia is to turn Central Asia into their resource appendage.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the belligerent West trying to encircle Russia, made in the context of measures being taken to enforce the sanctions on Russia imposed by the EU and the UK in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This claim was specifically crafted to coincide with the United Kingdom 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.
During a meeting of the Presiden Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, special attention was paid to the issues of deepening cultural and humanitarian ties, especially in the fields of education and youth support. Cameron also announced the doubling of the Chevening scholarships for young people from Kazakhstan to study in the U.K. A number of bilateral documents in the sphere of healthcare and transport, as well as MoUs on opening a branch of Queen’s University Belfast in Almaty and launching Kazakh language courses at Oxford University were also concluded during the visit.
See similar disinformation cases claiming that The EU demands that Kazakhstan join in anti-Russia sanctions and the West wants to destabilise Kazakhstan using anti-Russian sentiments.