Russia will protect its relations with Central Asia from Western actions

By Rhod Mackenzie

Russia is taking steps to safeguard the security of its relationships with the countries of Central Asian from the unethical actions of the West, this was announced on October 8 by Alexander Sternik, the Director of the Department for CIS countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"Sanction apologists are attempting to bribe our allies with incentives and compensation for their potential losses," he said. They travel to the capitals of the region for this purpose. We consider all the risk factors and implement measures to safeguard our completely lawful relationships from flagrant blackmail and unfair competition," he stated to the media at a press conferene.

Sternik remarked that the Western sanctions have not yielded the desired outcome envisaged by their creators because the Russian economy adapts "on the go" and continues to show good levels of growth.

According to the diplomat, economic sanctions only taint the global trust and disturb the work of energy and food industries. Sternik stressed and that this has caused suffering for numerous nations, including the European Union who instigated them .

In particular, he remembered the Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's statement at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek in October. The statement underlined Kazakhstan's opposition to the imposition of the negative economic sanctions due to their adverse effects on global trade and their negative effect on a large number of countries.
Earlier, on 4th November, the head of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, announced the preparation of the 12th round of sanctions against Russia. She stated that these would incorporate novel restrictions on exports and imports, affecting the reduction of the price cap on Russian oil and policies to evade sanctions by the Russian Federation.

On 12th September, the World Trade Organization released a report validating the harmful effects of the sanctions imposed on Russia towards the economies of a majority of nations across the globe. Countries with stronger affiliations inevitably suffer material losses.

Additionally, between February 2022 and May 2023, over 100 British firms confessed to the government about breaching sanctions against Russia. It should be noted that breaching sanctions could lead to criminal prosecution and unlimited fines. Nevertheless, in certain instances, authorities may simply issue a warning rather than impose sanctions.