Professor Luca Anceschi, Professor of Eurasian Studies, has been engaged over the last few months with House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee in their inquiry on the UK’s engagement in Central Asia.

After providing written evidence to the committee and being invited to provide oral evidence to the committee in June 2023, the committee’s report was published on Friday 10 November.

View on public squares, gardens, buildings and roads in Astana, KazakhstanSource: Andy Bay on Pixelbay https://pixabay.com/photos/astana-kazakhstan-1895404/

The report, entitled Countries at crossroads: The UK’s Engagement in Central Asia, uses the evidence presented by Professor Anceschi directly in its calls for the UK to adopt a 'values-led approach' to its engagement in the region.

In his evidence to the Committee and in his research, Professor Anceschi notes that COVID-related restrictions provided an opportunity for regimes in Central Asia to 'regenerate' – what he refers to as 'post-pandemic authoritarian retrenchment':

"Here, we witnessed the regional elites engaging in a multilevel strategy of disinformation, data manipulation and outright repression that had the net effect to shrink further the space available to independent media operators in a region where state outlets were already exerting a nearly complete monopoly over information policy."

The report calls for high-level, consistent diplomatic engagement with Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - whilst ensuring that the UK financial services cannot be used as a conduit for illicit finance flows from the region.

The Committee’s inclusion of Professor Anceschi’s research and expertise directly in their report to Government demonstrates the value of engagement with UK Parliamentary Committees, where our research can directly influence the way that Parliament scrutinises the work and approach of UK government by providing the most timely and robust insights to Parliamentarians.

Read more and get the full report on the UK Parliament website


Photo credit: View of Astana, Kazakhstan, by Andy Bay from Pixabay

First published: 13 November 2023