Kyrgyzstan coup exposes EU’s void in central Asia

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 31/03/05

Europe's special envoy to Kyrgyzstan has urged the European Union to rethink its policy towards central Asia following last week's upheaval in Bishkek.

OSCE emissary Alojz Peterle, a member of the European Parliament, told European Voice that the EU's policy so far had failed to take into account the importance of the region in terms of security.

"I think that the EU should reconsider its strategic relations with this area," he said.

Peterle, former prime minister of Slovenia, was the only Western politician in Bishkek during the overthrow of the government, acting as a mediator between opposition and government forces.

So far EU diplomats and officials have been hesitant about engaging strongly with the area, which lies adjacent to China and Russia. The countries of central Asia have not featured in the EU's Neighbourhood Policy, aimed at stabilising and democratising states close to the EU's borders.

During a recent visit to Brussels Nurtay Abykayev, the chair of the Kazak senate, pressed EU policymakers to consider an action plan for Kazakhstan as part of the European Neighbourhood Policy.

But reluctance is widespread and little movement is expected before Kazakhstan - the region's biggest and most developed state - holds presidential elections, expected in December this year. But events in Kyrgyzstan may increase calls for the EU act.

"I think that this development deserves the special attention of the European institutions," said Peterle. "The developments there are really important for security in the broader sense, in the broader area. I think we need more of today's so-called action plans."

"Developments might occur that could have very unpleasant consequences," he said, adding that religious or inter-ethnic tensions or differences in the countries in the region "could be used for escalating the conflict".

To some observers, the rise of the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan serves as a warning about the risk of underground Islamic groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir gaining a strong foothold in the absence of tangible economic and democratic reforms.

"I would prefer a stronger engagement of the European Union," said Peterle, adding that "so far we were lucky".

"For the strength of the political crisis, many expected a lot of bloodshed. You can quickly get fire here or there, there was already a civil war in Tajikistan and problems in Kyrgyzstan before, so in terms of security, stability and democracy we should be very attentive."

But Peterle cautioned that attention has to be paid to "the way politics is done there, there are clans, there are families, it's another understanding of co-operation".

"It is not enough to apply a European or central European view to that area, some models are not transferable".

He stressed the need for Kyrgyzstan to work with Russia, saying that "the economic situation is not promising". "I am sure that if the US, the EU and Russia would compete in who will assist Kyrgyzstan more this would be very welcome competition," he said.

Following the upheaval at the end of March 2005 in Bishkek, Europe's special envoy to Kyrgyzstan urged the European Union to rethink its policy towards central Asia. OSCE emissary Alojz Peterle, a Member of the European Parliament, said that the EU's policy so far had failed to take into account the importance of the region in terms of security. So far EU diplomats and officials had been hesitant about engaging strongly with the area, which lies adjacent to China and Russia. The countries of central Asia had not featured in the EU's Neighbourhood Policy, aimed at stabilising and democratising states close to the EU's borders.