Skip to main content

Eurasianet

Main Menu

  • Regions
  • Topics
  • Media
  • About
  • Search
  • Newsletter
  • русский
  • Support us
X

Caucasus

Armenia
Azerbaijan
Georgia

Central Asia

Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan

Conflict Zones

Abkhazia
Nagorno Karabakh
South Ossetia

Eastern Europe

Belarus
Moldova
Russia
The Baltics
Ukraine

Eurasian Fringe

Afghanistan
China
EU
Iran
Mongolia
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
X

Environment

Economy

Politics

Kazakhstan's Bloody January 2022
Kyrgyzstan 2020 unrest

Security

Society

American diplomats in Central Asia
Arts and Culture
Coronavirus
Student spotlight
X

Visual Stories

Podcast
Video

Blogs

Tamada Tales
The Bug Pit

Podcasts

EurasiaChat
Expert Opinions
The Central Asianist
X
You can search using keywords to narrow down the list.

Russia Turns Down Kyrgyzstan's Plea for Military Support

Deirdre Tynan Jun 12, 2010

Russia has no plans yet to intervene in southern Kyrgyzstan as it is an “internal conflict,” a spokeswoman for President Dmitry Medvedev said.

Instead, a meeting of the security council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will be held on Monday, June 14, to formulate a response, Natalia Timakova said at a press conference in Moscow on June 12.

“This is an internal conflict and Russia does not see conditions for participating in its settlement,” she said.

On June 12, the head of the Kyrgyz interim government, Roza Otunbayeva, described the situation in Osh as “out of control” and made an appeal to Russia to send troops to help restore order. However, Russia is not prepared to offer immediate military assistance as any decision to do so “may only be taken in accordance with the UN Charter and after consultations with all members of [the CSTO],” Timakova insisted.

Paul Quinn-Judge, the Central Asia project director for the International Crisis Group, said Moscow’s response to Otunbayeva’s request is evidence of “confusion and concern” over how to proceed. 

“There is considerable doubt in Moscow about committing [to Kyrgyzstan] if they would be the only force involved,” he said. 

Separately, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, held a telephone conversation on June 12, Russian news agencies report.

Quinn-Judge added it is likely Medvedev was sounding out Karmiov’s position on the possible deployment of Russian troops to southern Kyrgyzstan.

According to Kyrgyz media outlets, 75 people have died in the inter-ethnic clashes, almost 1,000 have been injured, and up to 6,000 people – mostly women and children – have fled Osh seeking refuge in Uzbekistan.

 

Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none.

Popular

Tajikistan: Taliban take control of consulate
Kyrgyzstan: Lawmaker agrees to resign after restaurant brawl
Ayzirek Imanaliyeva
EurasiaChat: Lingering tensions with the Taliban
Aigerim Toleukhanova, Alisher Khamidov

Eurasianet

  • About
  • Team
  • Contribute
  • Republishing
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact
Eurasianet © 2023