Kremlin seeks to strengthen clout in central Asia
Kyiv Post ^ | Feb 07 2008, 03:20 | AP

Kremlin seeks to strengthen clout in central Asia Feb 07 2008, 03:20

© AP Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov walk side-by-side at their Feb. 6 meeting in the Kremlin.

MOSCOW (AP) – President Vladimir Putin sought to strengthen Russia’s economic and political clout in Central Asia during talks with the leader of strategically located, resource-rich Uzbekistan on Feb. 6.

During his meeting with longtime President Islam Karimov, Putin worked hard to secure Moscow’s grip on natural gas supplies from Uzbekistan, a key country in the ex-Soviet region.

Russia already has a monopoly on supplies from the region but is seeking to counter US- and EU-backed pipeline routes that would bypass its territory - and wants to fend off energy-hungry China.

The Kremlin scored a major victory in December when it signed a deal with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan for those countries’ Caspian Sea gas supplies to flow through Russia, draining the main potential source for the prospective US- and EU-backed Nabucco pipeline.

In another blow to Nabucco, Russia cut deals last month with Bulgaria and Serbia for the South Stream pipeline, which would carry Central Asian gas to Europe.

“We have confirmed our interest in timely implementation of agreements on the development of a gas pipeline network in the Central Asian region,” Putin said after the talks at the Kremlin. “We are aiming for active cooperation with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.”

Russian and Uzbek officials also signed a deal to integrate a Soviet-era Uzbek aircraft maker into Russia’s state-controlled United Aircraft Corp. The Tashkent Aircraft-Making Plant manufactures the Il-76 cargo planes.

Putin hailed Uzbekistan as “one of the most important strategic partners” in the region.

Karimov said the two leaders agreed to expand “multifaceted cooperation” between the two nations.

Uzbekistan is one of the most repressive countries in the region, and Karimov has edged closer to Russia and China amid Western criticism of Uzbek authorities’ brutal crackdown on a 2005 uprising in the city of Andijan.

That year, Karimov ordered the eviction of a US military base, and has integrated his country more closely into a regional security group led by Russia and China.

Karimov, who has been in power since before the collapse of the Soviet Union, has harshly stifled political opposition. In December, he was elected to a third consecutive term against three little-known candidates who all publicly supported him.

However, his visit to Moscow comes amid hints that he may be trying to improve relations with the West.

Karimov said recently that Uzbekistan wants good relations with the United States and Europe, and last month hosted the commander of US forces in Central Asia, calling the visit a “meaningful event.”

Amnesty granted recently to two prominent human rights figures also were seen as a sign of efforts to repair relations with the West.

Human Rights Watch said Feb. 5 that the move proved that EU economic sanctions against Uzbekistan were working, and urged the European Union to maintain pressure on Uzbekistan.