Russia is no longer treating Central Asia as its “backyard” – report

Central Asia has ceased to be a traditional core of Russia’s foreign economic policy and has instead become a key region in its eastward reorientation. This is stated in a report by Russia’s Foundation for the Development of Civil Society on advancing cooperation between Russia and Central Asian countries.

According to the document, since 2022 Central Asia has not only preserved stable channels of trade, investment, logistics, and humanitarian cooperation with Russia, but has also significantly expanded them, emerging as a space where a new model of Eurasian integration is taking shape.

“Central Asia is not Russia’s ‘periphery’ or ‘backyard,’ but has become a supporting continental contour of its economic strategy,” the report says.

The authors emphasize that the historical and institutional foundation—shared Soviet heritage, common standards, language, as well as energy and transport infrastructure—has played a crucial role in sustaining these ties. This, they argue, enabled countries in the region to adapt to the challenges of 2022–2024 by relying on mechanisms of the CIS, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and bilateral formats.

The report notes that Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are integrated into the EAEU as the core of institutional interaction, while Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan use more flexible cooperation formats through the CIS and intergovernmental commissions, ensuring overall consistency and predictability.

At the same time, experts point out that the geopolitical dimension is becoming increasingly complex. Central Asia is turning into a zone of competition among Russia, China, the United States, the European Union, and Turkey, although direct confrontation has so far been avoided. Russia continues to maintain leadership in security and humanitarian issues, while Central Asian states pursue a multi-vector foreign policy.

The report also highlights areas for expanding cooperation, including energy, agriculture, development of the North–South and China–Central Asia–Russia transport corridors, a transition to settlements in national currencies, and joint projects in artificial intelligence and big data.

Recommendations for officials

A separate section of the report is devoted to recommendations for Russian officials. The foundation proposes simplifying customs and sanitary procedures within the EAEU, introducing a unified digital customs portal, and expanding the use of national currency settlement mechanisms and financial messaging systems for Central Asian countries outside the EAEU.

In addition, experts recommend increasing support for non-resource exports, expanding the participation of Russian development institutions in infrastructure and industrial projects in the region, and strengthening cooperation in humanitarian and educational spheres, including opening branches of Russian universities and developing interregional ties.

The authors also address Central Asian officials, encouraging them to develop non-resource sectors of their economies, reduce bureaucratic barriers, and establish joint industrial zones with Russia. Businesses, in turn, are advised to make more active use of new logistics routes, create joint ventures, and introduce digital financial instruments.

According to the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society, despite sanctions and geoeconomic shifts, Russia and Central Asian countries are developing a model of “adaptation without isolation.” Managed adaptation through 2030 remains the most likely scenario, though deeper integration could transform Eurasia into a center of the global multipolar economy.