US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised the outcome of his trip to Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, emphasizing that this helped to further strengthen the partnership of the United States with these republics.

“In Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, I emphasized the importance of peace, security and prosperity for the inhabitants of all our countries. I can say with confidence that our partnership has become even stronger after this visit, ”the head of the State Department wrote on his Twitter page.

In Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, I underscored the importance of peace, security, and prosperity for the people of all our nations. I can say with confidence that our partnerships are even stronger after this visit. pic.twitter.com/1ND3zSXF73

- Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 3, 2020

Recall, on the eve of Pompeo, he completed his tour in several countries of the former Soviet Union - in four days he met with the leadership of Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Moreover, during the negotiations, he somehow touched on the issue of relations between these states with Russia and repeatedly touched on the topic of sovereignty.

So, during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the US Secretary of State stated that he was aware of the long history of Belarusian-Russian relations and “did not talk about the choice” between Moscow and Washington.

  • President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a meeting
  • AFP
  • © Nikolay PETROV / BELTA

“We are not talking about a choice between us (USA. - RT ) and them (Russia. - RT ). We are talking about diplomatic relations, ”BelTA state news agency quotes Pompeo as saying.

At the same time, the Secretary of State noted that the United States "wants to help Belarus be a sovereign state."

During a joint press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Tleuberdi, Pompeo recalled that Washington was one of the first to support the separation of the republic from the USSR.

“Almost 30 years ago, just a day after the declaration of independence of Kazakhstan in 1991, my predecessor, US Secretary of State James Baker, came here to support your vision of a sovereign, prosperous state,” said Pompeo.

And during a joint press conference by US Secretary of State and Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov Pompeo, answering a journalist’s question about the “potential threat” from China, he did not fail to recall that Uzbekistan is located in the region where Russia is located.

“Uzbekistan has a long border. In the region where this country is located, there are also Russia and China. We want Uzbekistan to have the opportunity to make the right decisions, to observe the transparent rule of law in the country, to get investments there, and America is here to help in this, ”said Pompeo.

"Alienate from Russia"

As political analyst Alexander Asafov said in a conversation with RT, Pompeo’s visits to Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan indicate that the United States intends to strengthen its influence in the post-Soviet countries.

At the same time, the main task of this trip of the US Secretary of State, as Konstantin Blokhin, an expert of the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in an interview with RT, is to "alienate countries that are in good neighborly relations with Russia.

However, the analyst emphasizes that Minsk, Nur-Sultan and Tashkent “will not mindlessly follow the White House”.

“These three players have before their eyes an example of the Orange Revolution, which was implemented in Ukraine by pro-Western forces and led to the collapse of the country,” the expert noted.

Alexander Asafov also draws attention to the fact that despite all the "triumphant reports" of the American side, Pompeo’s tour demonstrates "the failure of the subversive US policy in these republics."

“This tour is also demonstrated by the United States' awareness that, despite the external media gloss, Washington was unable to impose its interests on these states through NGO tools, the media, the development of the dissident movement and the education of an alternative political elite,” the expert said.

American side promises

At a meeting with the leadership of each country, Pompeo also made a number of promises on the economic development of the republics.

So, in Minsk, Pompeo expressed the hope that the United States and Belarus will be able to build partnerships “in the direction of investment” so that the Belarusian side “has sovereignty and independence”. And after negotiations with Lukashenko, the head of the State Department told reporters that the United States was ready to provide the republic with “100% oil at competitive prices”, again mentioning the desire of the United States “to help Belarus be a sovereign state.”

The US Secretary of State promised Nur Sultan protection from the influence of his own sanctions policy. This was announced by the Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs during a joint press conference with Pompeo.

“The US Department of State will continue to provide support to Kazakhstan to protect our entities from the effects of sanctions,” Tleuberdi said.

Earlier, the leadership of Kazakhstan reported on the negative impact of US anti-Russian sanctions on the economy of the republic. This statement was made by Timur Suleimenov, then Minister of Economy, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2019.

Recall that the first package of restrictions on Russia was introduced by the American side in March 2014 after a referendum in Crimea, according to which the peninsula reunited with Russia. In late January 2020, the US Treasury Department expanded anti-Russian sanctions.

  • President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a meeting
  • Reuters
  • © Kevin Lamarque / POOL

The financial issue was also discussed at a meeting of Pompeo with the leader of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. On the website of the US State Department, it is noted that Washington allocates about $ 100 million "through American programs" to "support the reform of the president" of the republic.

"US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasized that the United States strongly supports the ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan, as well as the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state," the US Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Alexander Asafov called Pompeo's “empty” promises to support Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan financially, through investments and oil supplies.

“The United States has repeatedly made promises, and then took their words back. In this case, such statements by Pompeo do not imply their mandatory implementation. After all, such promises are usually followed by harsh political conditions, ”the analyst said.

At the same time, Asafov regarded the promise to allocate $ 100 million to Uzbekistan as the fact that Washington did not manage to reach an agreement with the leadership of this country, and he decided to achieve loyalty thanks to such an "infusion of funds."

However, the expert pointed out that the amount "is actually quite small."

“It is impossible to do something serious with this money. In addition, this is not constant regular assistance, it does not have targeted use. The United States pretends to try to help for free, but after that they will necessarily demand something in return, ”the expert said.

At the same time, experts note that Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to some extent are trying, through negotiations with the United States, to "increase their political capital."

“The visit of Pompeo helps these countries to increase their status in the international arena, to increase their subjectivity. This is a diplomatic game. At the same time, Washington is not really going to invest billions of dollars in these states free of charge, and there they understand it, ”Konstantin Blokhin said.

According to Alexander Asafov, despite the fact that negotiations with Pompeo can be used by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan "as an element of some political bargaining with Russia," these republics nevertheless "recognize the importance of developing partnership with Moscow."

“Due to the visit of Pompeo, these states will not adjust their international policies, let alone slow down the pace of cooperation with Russia due to the geopolitical location of our countries and long-standing good neighborly relations,” the analyst concluded.