Among the challenges facing the Central Asian countries today are hydro-energy issues, military security and the protection of territorial integrity and sovereignty, and sanctions. However, not least among these challenges are NGOs and international organizations funded by foreign states, asserts Kaldan Ernazarova, Director of the Public Relations Development Institute of Central Asian Countries.
She shared her opinion at the international conference: “The Future Image of Central Asian Countries in a Changing World 2024: Global Threats and Challenges. Allies and Adversaries in Solving Economic and Humanitarian Issues,” organized by the CEI "Oy Ordo" in partnership with the IAP "Vostochny Express 24."
- In four out of the five Central Asian countries, international structures and local non-governmental organizations are very active. Many of them are not only addressing social issues but are also tools of foreign state intervention in our countries' internal affairs. They try to influence the economic agenda and domestic policies of the states, and to some extent, they affect foreign policy activities. For example, they introduce Russophobic, Sinophobic, and nationalist agendas into the public discourse. Or they create grounds for conflicts between neighboring countries on the same water issues, suggesting to upstream countries the idea that water should be sold while promoting opposite theses in downstream countries, - said the speaker.
According to her, NGOs promote values that are unconventional for the Central Asian population and influence the worldview of citizens, primarily the youth, by substituting concepts and rewriting history.
- Their efforts lead to the de-statization in our countries. In essence, under the slogans of promoting democracy, ensuring citizens' rights and freedoms, and upholding freedom of speech, NGOs introduce a destabilizing component into the socio-political space of each country and the entire region. Therefore, this factor also requires close attention from Central Asian countries. Especially considering that the same Soros Foundation, as reported by the media, provides significant financial support to terrorist groups, and USAID allocates funds for the construction of the Kushtapa Canal in Afghanistan. They did not hold any consultation or negotiations with the countries of our region, even though the canal's launch would primarily negatively affect Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. These are just two examples that show the actual goals and objectives of international structures in Central Asia, - the expert noted.
According to K. Ernazarova, this issue must be addressed through joint efforts. When entering even one Central Asian country, Western funds and non-governmental structures implement programs through a network of NGOs in other countries, covering the entire region, not just the country where they have an official presence.
In turn, Ernest Karybekov, head of the Institute for Water Use and Hydro-Energy Resources Issues of Central Asia, emphasized that to formulate an image of the future, the past cannot be forgotten.
- The Kyrgyz have a saying: those who do not know the past will not find their way to the future. Therefore, we must not forget our history. I am not talking about millennia – the times of Manas, the Altai civilization, and so on. But let's refer to history within a century – to the times of the Soviet Union, how we lived, how relationships between our republics were built. There was always enough water and energy resources. We relied on traditional things not only in ideology but also in the economy. And this united us – the republics of the former USSR. This is our past that should not be forgotten, - emphasized the expert.
Talking about the image of the future of Central Asia, humanitarian issues expert and former Deputy Minister of Education of Kyrgyzstan Umutkan Tynalieva drew attention to language policy in the region's countries, emphasizing that each state builds its language policy based on historical characteristics and with an orientation towards the future. In Kyrgyzstan, the Russian language has the status of an official language, in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan it is the language of interethnic communication, and in Turkmenistan, it is on the verge of disappearing.
- Against the general backdrop of Central Asian countries, the development of the Russian language in our republic looks quite optimistic, but unfortunately, there is opportunistic populism among some representatives of the political elite. Occasionally, some politicians voice the need to restrict the use of the Russian language in the country's public life. They argue that the use of the Russian language supposedly hinders the development of the state language of the republic. Yes, the state language needs to be developed, but not by restricting or displacing other languages. A multilingual country has a future, while a monolingual one does not. Moreover, the Russian language in Central Asia is the foundation of interethnic interaction and mutual cooperation, - the expert noted.
According to her, this factor motivates Western players to interfere in language processes, manipulate political situations, using both local politicians and some non-governmental organizations.
- The future of the Russian language in Central Asian countries can have three possible outcomes. The positive outcome is the preservation of its status as an official or interethnic language, followed by proper support for its development at the state level, and the maintenance and provision of a communicative field in the country's public life. The second outcome is the development of the language despite subjective and objective factors, with partial state support. For example, the Russian language holds the second place in the internet space, offering vast amounts of scientific and other information, digital technologies, and communication. The third, unfortunate outcome is the complete abolition of the statuses of official and interethnic language, the transition of all educational institutions solely to the state language, and the creation of conditions under which the Russian language loses its significance and disappears from the country's communicative field, - explained U. Tynalieva.
She mentioned that within the CIS, Russia conducts certain policies to support the Russian language, but some economic preferences to expand Russian-language educational infrastructure cannot fully guarantee its preservation. In this situation, a unified systemic policy of all Commonwealth countries is necessary to create an ideological humanitarian framework based on the recognition of the Russian language's significance as the foundation of interethnic interaction.
Source: CEI "Oy Ordo"
CentralasianLIGHT.org
May 25, 2024