It is the latest in a series of alternatives to Western-controlled multilateral institutions. In the eyes of Russia, it is a valuable instrument to achieve its autonomy from the United States and Europe. Moscow’s possible exclusion from the UN Security Council could mark the end of the post-World War II balance.
Moscow () – Asian countries are preparing the counterweight to the “billions of gold” of Western rule. This was expressed in high-sounding statements at the summit in Astana in recent days, during the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Measures in ASIA (CICA), which seeks to transform itself into an international organization similar to the UN. The Kazakhstan meeting was held within the framework of a solemn jubilee, as it was the 30th summit of the CICA leaders, and expressed the conception of a new geopolitical unit, which wants to complement or even compete with the G20 formula.
The tone of the statements was reinforced by the ambitions of the host: President Kasym-Žomart Tokaev is preparing for the electoral race that on November 20 should project him as a reference figure of the “new Asia”, between the warmongering Russia of Putin and Xi Jinping’s neo-Confucian China. The Kazakh leader clarified: “we are not creating a new institution, but marking the transition to a new phase of institutional development.” Asia is becoming aware of its growing responsibility on the international chessboard and this has led to the creation of CICA, to which all member countries will contribute to finance new economic, cultural and political development projects as needed.
CICA is a legacy of the “eternal president” Nursultan Nazarbayev, founder of many Eurasian cooperation initiatives. In 1992 it was proposed to promote the opening of new channels of dialogue and the implementation of projects in the field of security throughout Asia. 29 member states officially belong to this conference, including Kuwait, which has recently joined. Eight other countries and five international organizations participate as observers, including the Eurasian Economic Commission, Turkmenistan and Belarus. The CSTO, the Russian-led “Eurasian NATO”, is also connected to this initiative.
Russian President Putin invited the CICA countries to develop trade using national currencies as a basis, given and considering their problems with Western sanctions. The Kremlin leader expressed his desire to counteract the “billion gold” (from the West), and defined the situation in Afghanistan as a priority in terms of Asian security. Russia intends to present itself as the guarantor of all of Central Asia, a clash ground with the Chinese giant. According to Putin, “it is necessary to collaborate in the economic revival of the Afghan country”, forcing the United States to compensate for the damage inflicted on Kabul, and unfreezing the Afghan resources blocked “illegally” because of the Americans.
As for Afghanistan, the Uzbek president Mirziyoyev, one of those most interested in pacifying the region, pointed out that the Afghan problem is taking a back seat in the international community’s urgencies. He proposed the formation of an international negotiating table to resolve all issues related to changes in Taliban policy over the past year.
The anti-Western controversy was supported by Moscow’s most faithful ally, Belarusian President Lukashenko, who stated that “the collective West is constantly trying to destabilize the situation in the post-Soviet space, and is fueling the foci of a Third World War.” For his part, the Turkish Erdogan tried to maintain his “great peacemaker” line, calling for “stopping the bloodbath in Ukraine”, because “we see the consequences of the Ukrainian crisis at a regional and global level, and a just peace can only It can be achieved through diplomacy.
As the Director of Ethno-National Strategies in St. Petersburg, Aleksandr Kobrinskij, pointed out, “Kazakhstan is increasingly presenting itself as a space for international mediation, at a stage when everyone clearly sees that the UN is running out, and perhaps is headed for its demise.” The possible exclusion of Russia from the UN Security Council could mark the end of the diplomatic balance that has been maintained since the end of World War II, and future scenarios have yet to be defined.
