In the era of global challenges and threats, the struggle in the world for markets of human and material resources and communications is becoming even more acute. In recent years, a particularly fierce geopolitical confrontation has been unfolding around Eurasia. The largest continent of the planet (accounting for 36% of the land area) is home to the bulk of the world’s natural resources, particularly in the Arctic and Siberia.
In addition, Eurasia has the most extensive network of continental transnational communications and developed technological potential. Let us not forget that it is home to ¾ of the world’s population (more than 5 billion people), representing five Eurasian civilizations (Hindu, Confucian, Islamic, Western Christian, Orthodox and Slavic) out of a total of 7-8 world civilizations.
Meanwhile, today it is Eurasia that accounts for about 80% of all international conflicts and local wars. For this reason, Russia, which occupies a large part of the Eurasian continent, is extremely interested in the security of this region. In this regard, it is not by chance that in his recent address to the Federal Assembly, President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is “ready for a substantive conversation with all interested countries and associations to create a new contour of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia in the foreseeable future.” “At the same time, I would like to emphasize again, I think this is important for everyone today. Without a sovereign, strong Russia, no lasting world order is possible,” the Russian leader pointed out.
As Vladimir Putin noted at the time, global trends are objective in nature, and with this in mind, Russia is striving to unite the efforts of the world majority to respond to global challenges, including the rapid transformation of the world economy, trade, finance, technology markets, when many former monopolies and stereotypes associated with them are collapsing.
For example, already in 2028, the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), taking into account the states that have recently become members of this association, will create about 37% of global GDP. While the similar indicator of the G7 countries will fall below 28%. To imagine such a thing 10-15 years ago seemed completely unrealistic. It should be noted that these high indicators of the renewed BRICS will largely be achieved at the expense of the countries of the East and South, which are part of Greater Eurasia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov continued the theme of security in Eurasia, which Vladimir Putin started, in his speech on March 13 at a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Gorchakov Foundation. According to him, it is necessary to create a new security system in Eurasia amid the degradation of Euro-Atlantic institutions, and Russia is focused on solving this problem. “At the regional level, amid the complete degradation of the OSCE as a Euro-Atlantic symbol, the task of forming a new architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia, which is designed to complement and strengthen the process of forming a large Eurasian partnership, which President Putin has repeatedly mentioned,” the Russian foreign minister said.
According to Sergei Lavrov, this partnership is formed through the joint efforts of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and ASEAN. According to the minister, the strengthening of this process will create a solid economic foundation for promoting the theme of security on the vast Eurasian continent.
At the same time, he recalled that in October 2023, practical work on forming the foundations of this system began. “Russia took part in the international conference in Minsk, which was organized by the Belarusian chairmanship of the CSTO. And it was devoted precisely to the processes of formation and prospects of creating a system of Eurasian security. The work continues on various platforms,” emphasized the Foreign Minister.
It should be noted here that Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov did not accidentally address the problem of ensuring security in Eurasia. It is no secret that the unprecedented Western sanctions against Russia have forced Moscow to turn its gaze to the East and South and intensify its relations with the countries of Greater Eurasia.
However, recent events in this region have shown the instability of Eurasia’s security system. Traditionally, regional security has been ensured by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which was created around Russia’s military power. At the same time, it should be recognized that recently Moscow’s role in Eurasia has somewhat diminished, while China’s growing influence, on the contrary, has intensified. This trend has been particularly pronounced since the January 2022 events in Kazakhstan and the beginning of the SWO in Ukraine, to which have been added the recent regional conflicts in the South Caucasus and Central Asia (CA).
In this regard, many Western experts believe that Russia is no longer capable of being the main provider of regional security, while China, on the contrary, is ready to do so. However, selectively – Chinese leader Xi Jinping has stated that Beijing will strongly support not the entire region, but only Kazakhstan in defense of its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. However, given the close partnership between Russia and China and their largely similar views on the world order, we can say with a certain degree of confidence that Moscow and Beijing together can create a kind of security bloc in Eurasia.
Yes, Russian-Chinese cooperation is of particular importance for Eurasian security under current conditions. But it should not be limited only to the development of trade and economic relations. It is extremely important that Moscow and Beijing coordinate their actions in foreign policy activities not only in the world, but also in the settlement of conflict situations on the Eurasian continent. Such close cooperation will make it possible to neutralize attempts to destabilize the situation in Eurasia from outside, the desire of third countries to interfere in the internal affairs of Russia and China, and to clash the interests of the two countries.
I would like to emphasize the special role that the SCO can play in ensuring security in Eurasia, where Beijing and Moscow play key roles. Thus, the expansion of this organization through the accession of Iran suggests that the SCO could become a bloc variant of the non-Western world that will ensure security in Eurasia. The soon accession of Belarus, and in the future Turkey and Azerbaijan, to the SCO will lead to the formation of the largest Eurasian structure capable of ensuring security in the region.
At the same time, it should be noted that at the moment neither the expanding SCO nor the shrinking CSTO seem to have any intention to deal with localized border conflicts within the region. This, in particular, is indicated by the situation between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, which has become systemic and has led to numerous casualties, including among the civilian population of both countries. It should be noted that these problems have not been discussed in any way within the SCO or among the members of the CSTO. None of the Central Asian countries has yet volunteered to become a mediator in resolving the Tajik-Kyrgyz conflict.
All this directly or indirectly actualizes the task of developing new, more effective mechanisms to ensure regional security in Eurasia in general and in Central Asia in particular. It is not quite clear yet what it should be. But it is clear that a new security architecture in the region must be built without an external Western patron. Of course, Vladimir Putin and Sergey Lavrov spoke first of all about building a global security architecture in Eurasia. However, it is necessary to start small. And in this regard, the solution of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border conflict could be the beginning of building a new system of collective security in the Eurasian space.
Source
infoshos.ru
