Official spokesman to the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova commented on the statement of the co-chairman of the Just Russia - For Truth party, Zakhar Prilepin about the annexation of Uzbekistan and other territories of the former USSR to Russia.

“Russia and Uzbekistan are linked by comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance ties. And this is not just a nice phrase. They are really on the rise, as evidenced by the impressive results of the official visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh. M. Mirziyoyev to our country in October this year, the warm atmosphere that reigned at the meeting of the leaders of the two countries,” she said.

“We are fully committed to the agreements on strategic partnership of June 16, 2004 and allied relations of November 14, 2005. According to mutual obligations, our cooperation is built on the basis of respect for sovereignty, non-interference, friendship and good neighborliness. The work of representatives of the two countries in the CIS, SCO and the UN is imbued with the spirit of equality and mutual consideration of interests. In the interests of the socio-economic growth of Uzbekistan, Moscow is providing assistance to Tashkent, taking into account its status as an observer in the Eurasian Economic Union,” she noted.

“If we look more broadly, Russia and Central Asia are united by a common history, close human and cultural ties, trade, economic and direct economic relations. The heads of our states and governments set ministries, departments, and regional leaders the task of progressive development of privileged ties. In addition, we are always ready to come to each other’s aid, which has been repeatedly confirmed by deeds (mutual support during the coronavirus pandemic, humanitarian assistance to residents of the affected regions, supplies of Russian energy resources during periods of abnormal cold in Central Asia, etc.),” said Maria Zakharova.

“As for the migration issue, the Russian side has repeatedly emphasized that attracting labor resources from abroad, primarily from friendly countries, meets the interests of both Russia and the states that export such services. Currently, work is underway on a whole range of regulatory, organizational, information and other measures in order to make migration cooperation more orderly and mutually beneficial,” she noted.

“In connection with the above, it is quite obvious that Zakhar Prilepin’s statements are his personal opinion, which does not even remotely reflect the official position of the Russian Federation,” concluded the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan summoned the Russian Ambassador to Tashkent Oleg Malginov and told him that Zakhar Prilepin’s words were deliberately provocative and could negatively affect relations between the peoples of the two countries. The ambassador responded that these statements “had nothing even remotely to do with the official position of the leadership of the Russian Federation regarding a friendly and independent Uzbekistan.”

Prior to this, Uzbek MPs asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send a note to the Russian side and warned of criminal liability for attacks on the constitutional system of Uzbekistan. They also said that the Kremlin must take legal action “against such chauvinists who incite war and hostility between countries and peoples.”

On the same day, the Ministry of Defense of Uzbekistan stated that the country, in accordance with the Constitution, has sufficient Armed Forces to ensure its security.