🗺 The tripolar world that can shift the world economy and politics towards a qualitatively new development track and lend long-term stability to international relations, as well as flexibility and manoeuvrability.

Over the past decades, the desire of post-Soviet Russia, neo-communist China and a number of other major powers, such as India, Brazil and Iran to form a stable multipolar world with a multi-coloured palette of political cultures and practices, has faced sharp opposition and aggressive policy from the United States, which in the international arena has been guided exclusively by American unilateralism.

 In this context, the current Russian special operation in Eastern Europe opens up a new era in international relations, since, in our opinion, Russia has finally established itself as one of the poles of world politics and economics.

Russia also has all the tools to perform the role of the gravitational centre of one of the three poles of the modern world:

✔️ the CSTO is a military-political instrument
✔️ the EAEU is an economic instrument
✔️ Eurasianism is a political, cultural and ideological instrument

We can state that Russia is aimed at maintaining a lasting peace and ensuring socio-political stability throughout Eurasia. Therefore, constructive and progressive forces in Tajikistan have fully supported and will continue to support our Russian partners in this matter, writes Rustam Khaydarov, Doctor of Philosophy, Deputy Director of Tajikistan’s Bahovaddinov Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Law.

🔗 On the Current Geopolitical Situation in Eurasia: A View from Tajikistan

#CentralAsianValdai2022

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🛡🌏 Security is not a result, but a process that must be continuous.

The events of August 2021 in Afghanistan have become an unprecedented test for Russia and the countries of Central Asia in their ability to respond to crises. Preventive operational measures, taken at the bilateral level as well as within the framework of the CSTO and the SCO, have made it possible to eliminate risks and reduce tension.

Russia and the countries of Central Asia have entered a new era of relations against the background of greater instability and unpredictability in the world. Difficulties cannot be avoided. However, Russia and the countries of Central Asia share a wealth of experience jointly overcoming emerging obstacles to independent development.

There is every reason to believe that Russia and the countries of Central Asia will easily pass the next "test" of the reliability of their interaction and the strength of their cooperation, writes Rashid Alimov, SCO Secretary-General (2016–2018).

🔗 Russia - Central Asia: How to Develop Cooperation Amid Unstable Conditions

#CentralAsianValdai2022

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🚞 Central Asia is a region with a large transit potential in the global transport system, but the lack of access to the sea and problems in the interaction between the countries of the region hinder the effective use of these opportunities.

Especially for the 2nd Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club we created an infographic on transport corridors of Central Asia. The full high-res infographic is available via this link.

#CentralAsianValdai2022

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

📍Today, on May 18, the 2nd Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club is continuing in Nizhny Novgorod.

This year’s theme is “Russia — Central Asia: Cooperation and Development Amid Instability”.

🌏 The Central Asian Conference will be attended by about 40 experts from 9 countries — Russia, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

📎 Programme of the 2nd Central Asian Conference

📆 May 18, Wednesday

09:30 – 11:30 — Open discussion on topical issues of the region. Watch live

The purpose of this session is to give experts an opportunity to assess the most important new areas of interaction between Russia and the countries of Central Asia within the framework of a free exchange of views and to identify those issues and problems that have not yet fully manifested themselves.

#CentralAsianValdai2022

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🎥 LIVE: at 9:30 an open discussion on topical issues of Central Asia is starting.

The discussion is hosted by the Valdai Club within the framework of its 2nd Central Asian Conference "Russia – Central Asia: Cooperation and Development Amid Instability".

https://vk.com/video-117768947_456239364

#CentralAsianValdai2022

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🇷🇺🌏 Farewell to the Comfort Zone: Russia and Central Asia in the New World

On Tuesday, May 17, the Second Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club began its work in Nizhny Novgorod.

During the opening ceremony, the participants of the conference were greeted by Gleb Nikitin, Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, and Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

According to the governor, the choice of Nizhny Novgorod as the venue for this event indicates the growing importance of the region on Russia's international agenda. Preparations for the 800th anniversary of the city, which was celebrated last year, became an occasion to rethink its role, he noted. The governor added that the cooperation of the Nizhny Novgorod region with the countries of Central Asia, which accounts for up to 10% of the total exports of the region, is of particular importance. Cardinal changes in the geopolitical situation are opening up more and more opportunities for the implementation of joint projects, he noted.

In turn, Andrey Rudenko spoke about the importance of Central Asia for Russia. He noted that Central Asia is a region that in our turbulent times is perceived as an island of stability. According to the deputy minister, the Central Asian partners "are sympathetic to the ongoing processes and are ready to give us a shoulder". In the context of geopolitical changes, Russia's foreign policy should be adjusted, and Central Asia will occupy an important, privileged place, he stressed.

The first, open session of the conference was devoted to geopolitical challenges and the joint development of the countries of the region and their neighbours. 

📝 Read our analytical note on the first day of the Conference.

#CentralAsianValdai2022

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🇦🇫 One of the lethal aspects of the Afghan crisis that would endanger international security dynamics concerns the inconsistent Afghanistan policy of the US and NATO member states.

Instead of complimenting the Afghan Taliban to stabilise and engage all stakeholders, the ideological battles are being waged on sectarian grounds. A new product of transnational terrorism is in the making.

How this will impact the countries of the region, including Pakistan, Iran, Russia, and China, must be a matter of serious concern. This makes it more likely that ISIS, after destroying Afghan peace, might be deployed beyond the region because ISIS and other militant outfits have been used as a “peace disrupting” tool in different conflict zones.

The current and future conflicts may well be supplied with more recruits from Afghanistan, Europe and the Middle East.

Russia and the US must not demote Afghanistan over the Ukraine conflict. To avert the renewal of ISIS and other militant outfits in Afghanistan, Russia, the US, China, and Pakistan should continue to cooperate over Afghan peace, writes Muhammad Athar Javed,  Director General of Pakistan House.

🔗 Afghanistan and the Crisis in Europe: Kabul’s Prospects for Peace

#CentralAsianValdai2022 #Afghanistan

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🌏 Central Asia and the Era of New Bipolarity

On Wednesday, May 18, the Second Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club ended in Nizhny Novgorod.

That day, an open discussion took place on the urgent problems facing the region. In the framework of a free exchange of views, the participants assessed the most important new areas of interaction between Russia and the countries of Central Asia, identifying those issues and problems that have not yet fully manifested themselves. 

Let's recall that the theme of the conference was "Russia — Central Asia: Cooperation and Development Amid Instability". An open discussion showed that the question of how to live in an era of instability is the most topical for all participants, without exception.

📝 Read our analytical note on the second day of the Conference

#CentralAsianValdai2022

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🪆🌎 The demonization of Russia has become a fait accompli.

It is obvious that the current divide between Russia and the West is much wider, deeper and more resilient than it has ever been in the past – whether during the Cold War era or at any point in history before February 24, 2022.

If earlier, its foundation determined the geopolitical confrontation and the ever-increasing value gap, now all this has been transformed into concrete actions. A direct military-political challenge to the West from Russia and the hard line of the West, openly and brazenly aimed at the military defeat of Russia, are backed up by almost total sanctions pressure, as well as a pronounced strategy to demonise the enemy.

This value gap, amid a direct military-political confrontation, has quite naturally found its expression in information and media politics. Here we can talk about the final design of the so-called information bubbles with a unidirectional flow of information and a lack of the views and motives of the other side. This evolution of the information space, which began to take place in the global media in relation to the confrontation between Russia and the West in the previous period, has now reached its logical result in the conditions of a military conflict. 

The demonization of Russians, one and all, is becoming a significant feature of the information and psychological warfare that we observe in relation to the current conflict, writes Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

🔗 From the Demonization of the Enemy to the Demonization of Society: Collective Responsibility and Modern Warfare

#Norms_and_Values #Russophobia

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🇷🇺 In this difficult and turbulent period, the deepest revisionism will become a condition for the country’s survival, but it can also become its most important contribution to the formation of a new worldview for non-Western countries.

We, figuratively speaking, are fighting according to other people’s maps; we use the picture of the world created by the West in its own interests.

Only its deep revision will allow us to achieve success in clashing with the West and win the sympathy of non-Western countries that are in dire need of an alternative picture of the world, but do not have the necessary intellectual resources to create it, writes Vyacheslav Shuper.

🔗 Russia as the Cradle of Revisionism

#Norms_and_Values #Revisionism

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🇹🇯🇷🇺 The transport corridors of Russia and Central and South Asia can become development corridors.

For 30 years, Tajikistan and Russia have successfully coordinated efforts in the field of foreign policy support of socio-economic, migration, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and interacted in the field of defence policy and security, which is important for all of Central Asia.

The core element of the Tajik-Russian strategic partnership and alliance is the coordination of joint actions in the international arena in a bilateral format, as well as within the framework of global and regional organisations such as the UN, the CSTO, the CIS, the SCO, etc.

For Tajikistan, Russia continues to be the main trading partner. 

Russia and the states of Central and South Asia should form a set of ties in the field of economy, security, culture and sustainable development in the face of hybrid challenges to stability in the new macro-region stretching from the Arctic Ocean (with the access of the Central Asian states to the northern Arctic sea trade route) to the seaports of the Indian Ocean, writes Guzel Majtdinova.

🔗 Tajik-Russian Interregional Cooperation in a Turbulent World: Features of Integration and Co-Development

#CentralAsianValdai2022 #Asia_and_Eurasia #Tajikistan

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🇻🇪 Venezuela is one of the top five countries under US “sanctions” with over 400 government measures.

Venezuela was not only “sanctioned” or blocked. There was an outright persecution aimed at paralyzing the Venezuelan economy and pressuring the constitutional government of President Nicolas Maduro to the point of collapse.

Far from the expected outcome, Venezuela found creative ways to resist what has been in fact a blockade and responded to the illegality of US “sanctions” by creating a legal instrument known as the Anti-Blockade Law to defend Venezuela’s economy and sovereignty.

The Anti-Blockade Law has been key to Venezuela’s path to recovery, writes Carlos Ron, Venezuela’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for North America.

🔗 Using the Law to Fight Illegality: Venezuela’s Anti-Blockade Law

#Norms_and_Values #Venezuela #sanctions

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club