The Eurasian Union can follow the example of the European and become not only an economic union, but also a territory with a common security policy. This opportunity, at least, was discussed in Bishkek – at the antiterrorist forum of the EAEC. Experts, who discussed this topic, gathered in the capital of Kyrgyzstan for the second time. The meeting was organized by the Security Council of the KR, the club of regional experts of the Kyrgyz Republic “Pikir”, the international association of the veterans of the special unit “Alpha” and the fund “Eurasians – a new wave” with the support of the republic’s presidential apparatus.
New format?
“When the union was only being set up, the leaders of our countries agreed that it will deal only with economic issues,” recalls Vyacheslav Kholodkov, head of the Center for Near East Studies of the RISS (Russian Institute for Strategic Studies.). – Political and military issues, as well as security issues were included in the functions of other organizations. However, life itself forces us to reconsider these agreements.
According to the expert, the economic development of the EAEC, which includes the creation of common markets for capital, goods, services and labor, is closely linked to the Union’s ability to protect the integration project from security threats, including the spread of religious extremism, terrorist and criminal groups, and drug trafficking.
Russia and Kyrgyzstan are developing interregional cooperation
“Ensuring security is becoming one of the key areas for cooperation between the countries within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union,” Igor Shestakov, co-chairman of the Club of Regional Experts of the Kyrgyz Republic “Pikir” agrees with the Russian expert. – Especially since the situation in the EAEC area is becoming increasingly threatening. Influence on the situation has both an aggravation of the situation in Afghanistan and a crisis in Syria, while recruiters of radical groups are increasingly paying attention to labor migrants.
Secretary of the Security Council of Kyrgyzstan Damir Sagynbayev is also convinced that radical groups are a big threat to the Eurasian Union. According to his information, the so-called “belt of instability” is gradually moving from the Syrian-Iraqi zone to Afghanistan and Pakistan, quickly and dangerously, as evidenced by the increased number of victims of terrorist attacks in these countries.
“These organizations continue to recruit.” Sleeping cells are given tasks: disruption of electoral processes, destabilization of the internal situation, intimidation of the population, undermining the constitutional order, “the secretary of the Security Council of Kyrgyzstan underlines. – The strengthening of cooperation ties between various terrorist groups and their desire to expand their influence beyond the limits of the already existing zones of activity is noted. At the same time, the same IGIL (banned on the territory of the Russian Federation – Ed.) Openly declares that it aims to attack the countries of Central Asia and the XUAR of China. It is already collecting information on sensitive areas of the borders.
Support and guarantees
– The participants of the Eurasian Union form the architecture of counteraction to destructive and destabilizing factors in the formats of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the CIS, “Damir Saninbaev explains. – The antiterrorist agenda of the union already includes the formation of the Eurasian ideology, the protection of the common information space, the counteraction to the financing of terrorism, the creation of a base of international terrorist organizations and the identification of the main areas of terrorist activity. The security and stability of the EAEC will serve as a guarantee for the development of new opportunities and further economic integration, based on the sovereignty of each participating country.
Russian parliamentarian, member of the State Duma international affairs committee Sergei Zheleznyak believes that the countries of the Eurasian Union need to harmonize the legislation in the sphere of security. “We must make sure that the radical underground does not use the difference in its approaches to the fight against terrorism,” he said. “However, we will not be able to effectively discuss the long-term security strategy of our countries without attention to education, intercultural dialogue, without a thoughtful attitude to labor migration.”
According to the intelligence services of Kyrgyzstan, during the last months the siloviki managed to detain eleven militants, trained by terrorists and transferred to the republic. According to the deputy chairman of the State Committee for National Security Asylbek Kozhobekov, the radicals are trying to settle in the territories of the EAPC countries and to establish illegal armed groups in the regions.
“Now in Afghanistan, in the camps of terrorist organizations, militants are trained, they are taught the tactics of conducting single combat in urban and mountain conditions,” he said. – Today in the arsenal of terrorists there are not only homemade mine explosive devices, but also all kinds of the most advanced weapons.
Educate the patriot
“One of the main components of countering terrorism is the ideological upbringing of the youth,” believes Yury Pogiba, president of the international association of veterans of the anti-terrorist unit Alfa. – A couple of years ago, the gangs consisted of 20-25-year-olds, and today 14-16-year-old teenagers join the ranks of such groups. If now we do not begin to work actively in this direction, tomorrow we will get young people who will become easy prey for emissaries of terrorist organizations.
“It’s very good that we began to recall the upbringing of patriotism,” the deputy of the Kyrgyz parliament, Yevgeny Strokov, agrees. “We need to develop a multicultural education, both within the country and within the framework of the EEA. These values must be vaccinated from preschool age and continue to do so throughout life. In my opinion, the priority task of the state is to educate in the person not only a highly qualified specialist, but also a citizen who feels responsible to his country and compatriots.
According to Sergei Ivanov, an adviser to the Belarusian embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic, the radicals are betting on youth not only in Central Asia, but also in other post-Soviet countries. “Therefore, all of us together should work together, first of all with our main partner – Russia – and colleagues from the countries of the Eurasian Union,” he said. “This work should be aimed at educating and counteracting those attempts that have recently been very actively undertaken, especially in connection with specific historical dates.”
Authoritatively
Sergey Zheleznyak, member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the State Duma of the Russian Federation:
– Such interrelated phenomena as extremism, terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and organized crime, are caused by the strategy of some geopolitical players. For example, during the time of the presence in the territory of Afghanistan of the American grouping, the planting of opium poppy increased by more than 30 times. With the connivance of the Western special services, children in this country are deprived of the opportunity to study. They impose alien religious dogmas to prepare a replacement for terrorists who die in the Middle East. Therefore, when speaking about the strategy of our security, we must understand that we are not dealing with a self-arising phenomenon. It is an organized and fairly well-managed process.
Opinion
Yuri Anufriev, President of the Eurasianist New Wave Foundation (Russia):
– Formation of the anti-terrorist strategy of the EAPS and ensuring security are at the heart of the Eurasian association not by chance. No economic or humanitarian projects will work if there is chaos, war or war in the countries. This can be clearly seen in the example of Syria and Iraq. Once successful states were destroyed to the ground, thousands of citizens became refugees, there can be no question of any economy in them.