Putin's Unconventional Kyrgyzstan Visit Amid ICC Warrants and Geopolitical Maneuvers

 

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Despite the ICC arrest warrant, Russia's Putin made an unusual visit to Kyrgyzstan.

The Russian leader is expected to visit China next week after a two-day visit to Bishkek.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Kyrgyzstan on his first foreign visit since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for alleged war crimes.

Putin's two-day visit to Bishkek will conclude with his participation in a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), an intergovernmental organization made up of former Soviet republics, amid claims of waning Russian influence in the region.

Vladimir Putin, who has rarely left Russia after the country has sent its troops into Ukraine in early 2022, is also expected to travel to China next week for the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.

During a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sudir Japarov on Thursday, Putin reiterated Russia's importance as a trading partner and Kyrgyzstan's largest investor and said the two sides would further develop cooperation.

"I would like to thank the President for the invitation. We have good reasons (to be here), but even without a reason, the visit is long overdue," Putin said.

The Russian leader also highlighted double-digit growth in Russian-Kyrgyz trade, which some analysts in the West suspect is due to Russian businesses lifting sanctions.

Last week, Kyrgyzstan's central bank urged local banks to tighten controls to improve compliance with Western sanctions against Moscow.

In July, the US imposed sanctions on four Kyrgyz companies for re-exporting electronic components and other technology to Russia.

In Kyrgyzstan, Putin is also expected to attend events marking the 20th anniversary of the opening of Russia's airbase near the town of Kant, allowing Moscow to project power in the region.

The ICC issued warrants in March for Putin and Russia's rights commissioner, Maria Leva Belova, for allegedly deporting thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Russia, which does not recognize the ICC's authority, has rejected the warrant as "illegal".

Kyrgyzstan and China are also not members of the ICC and therefore not subject to its jurisdiction.

Still, Russia has been cautious on foreign trips in the past, sending Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Putin's place at the BRICS summit in August.

(Source: Al-Jazeera)