Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

Russia Worried About Spread of Arab Spring to Muslim Central Asian Republics

 

Central Asia cannot be viewed through "Arab Spring" prism: Russian FM

BISHKEK, April 5, 2012 (Xinhua) --

Visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov opposed attempts to apply the "Arab Spring" scenarios in Central Asia, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday.

"We very much do not want the Arab Spring events, in which less and less attention is being paid to the rule of international law and the tune is more and more being called by unilateral geopolitical interests, to become a tradition and especially do not want anyone to view the Central Asian region through the prism of these processes," Lavrov said during a speech at Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Foreign states should have full respect for Central Asia's regional history and traditions, he added.

Lavrov is visiting Kyrgyzstan on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Editor: yan

 

Nor do we want a “Sheikh” Lavrov

By TARIQ ALHOMAYED

Arab News, April 7, 2012

 

On March 21, 2012, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that some countries in the region will want to establish Sunni rule in Syria following the fall of the tyrant of Damascus.

This statement raised a storm in the Arab world, and I dubbed it a “gaffe” in my column “Mullah Lavrov” published on March 22, whilst the Russians, of course, raised an “official” objection to this article!

However today, nearly two weeks after Larvov’s statement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken action to address this dangerous statement about Sunni rule in Syria, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov saying that Lavrov’s statement “was taken out of context and misunderstood”adding that those who live in Russia are well aware that “the majority of Muslims in Russia are Sunnis!”

In reality, it is well-known that the majority of Muslims in Russia are Sunnis. I was personally part of a delegation that accompanied current Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Salman — then governor of Riyadh — during one of his visits to Moscow. I heard him, first-hand, addressing a delegation of Russia’s Muslims, during which he called on them to be citizens who respect their country and its laws, and to avoid listening to any external voices, adding that their strength lies in their commitment to their country. Therefore it is well-known that the majority of Russia’s Muslims are Sunnis, however the resentment over Lavrov’s comments was not just in defense of the Sunnis; what is required is not for the Russian foreign minister to become “Sheikh Lavrov”instead of “Mullah Lavrov,” rather what is required is simpler and more important than this!

What is required is for Russia, and particularly its politicians — including Lavrov —to care about the innocent Syrian blood that is being shed, for these innocent Syrian people have done nothing wrong except to reject the rule of Assad, the tyrant. What is required from Moscow is for it to cease defending a killer, who has slaughtered more than 10,000 Syrians, whilst also being responsible for the detention of close to 50,000 Syrians, not to mention thousands of refugees! It is not required that Moscow becomes the champion of the Sunnis, for the majority of those who criticized Lavrov’s statement against the Sunnis — which contrary to the claims of the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, was clear and not taken out of context — were not supporters of sectarianism or those obsessed with defending the Sunnis, rather their intention was to stop the Assad regime’s killing machine and protect all of Syria, and this is something that can only be achieved by the ouster of the Assad regime. This is the same Assad regime whose victims include members of all communities and sects, whether in Iraq, Lebanon, or within Syria itself.

What Moscow, and particularly the decision-makers there, are unaware of today, is that if Russia were a partner in the Arab stock market, it would have been declared bankrupt thanks to the deterioration of its reputation and the hatred felt by the Arab world toward it. If the US veto in the interests of Israel had harmed Washington, then the Russian veto to protect Assad the tyrant has caused Moscow’s stock to drop completely throughout the Arab world. This appears to be something that Moscow is yet to grasp, but there can be no doubt that the Russians will ultimately pay the price for this.

Therefore whilst we criticized “Mullah Lavrov,” this does not mean that we want him to become “Sheikh Lavrov,” rather all that is requires is for Russia to halt its defense of Bashar -Assad, the tyrant and killer of children. This is not a Sunni/Shiite issue whatsoever, for we want to protect the fabric of the Syrian state, even more than the Russians do!