After the collapse of the Soviet Union, five states in Central Asia gained their independence. This situation has led to an increased interest in Central Asia from many parts of the world. Central Asian states that follow a multi-vector foreign policy; it has strengthened its ties with many countries and regions from the USA to China, from Russia to Europe. In this process, various countries from the Middle East also turned to Central Asia.
One of the countries that established relations with Central Asia and took various steps to strengthen these ties is Israel. While Central Asia’s rich underground resources and geopolitical location enable the region to become a center; states that want to improve their relations with the region; used commercial, economic, technical, educational and cultural issues as a tool. In this period, relations also developed over religious values, which are a part of culture. Because the local Muslim population and Jewish diasporas in the region have been the most important elements of this. The main objectives of Israel in developing its relations with the region were as follows:[1]
- Improving Israel’s image in Central Asia
- Encouraging the establishment of organizations that will improve bilateral relations
- Ensuring the trust of Central Asian countries in Israel at the point of military training and conducting military cooperation
In the 2000s, one of the most important issues of Israel’s relations with Central Asia was the economy. In July 2001, Israeli Minister of Infrastructure Avigdor Lieberman made a seven-day visit to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan with various business people. One of the purposes of this visit was to prepare for the visit of the then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in November of the same year.[2]
It is seen that the relations that developed after the visit in question have gained momentum in the last period. It can be said that the first of the main reasons for this is security. Because terrorist threats based in Afghanistan pose a significant threat both for the region and for the countries in its immediate vicinity. The secular structures of the Central Asian states facilitate Israel’s security-based cooperation.
However, the withdrawal of the United States of America (USA) from Afghanistan rendered the West ineffective in the region. The situation in question created a significant gap and disadvantage. In the face of this, it can be said that Israel is a candidate to fill this gap. Because, one of the most important sources of threat for the Tel-Aviv administration is the increase in radicalization in the world, Iran’s transformation into an influential actor in the region and the rise of anti-Israelism in Central Asia. In contrast, it is thought that Israel is trying to prevent these possibilities by being present in the region.
Israel uses defense agreements and arms exports as an important element in order to strengthen its relations with the states of the region. For example, a defense agreement was signed between Kazakhstan and Israel in 2014. In addition, Israeli defense companies have sold a variety of products to Kazakhstan, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), rockets, radar systems and communications equipment. It is also known that in 2019, the two states agreed to produce UAVs in Kazakhstan under the license of Israel’s Elbit Systems[3] and it is claimed that production started in May 2021.[4]
One of the reasons why Israel wants to strengthen its relations with Central Asia is its policy of competing with Iran and surrounding this country. Israel considers Iran a threat to itself. While this means an important problem between countries; strengthening relations with Central Asia due to its geopolitical position is of critical importance for Tel Aviv.
One of the main reasons for Israel to turn to Central Asia is the rich energy resources in the region. Because Israel has had bad relations with Iran and the surrounding Arab states for a long time. Situation in question prevented Israel from obtaining energy from its neighbors. However, Latin American countries, where leftist movements are strong, do not want to sell energy to Israel. While does not explain where Israel obtained the oil it bought; according to various claims, Astana supplies between 10% and 25% of Tel Aviv’s oil needs.[5]
One of the states that Israel wants to strengthen its relations in Central Asia is Uzbekistan. Moreover, because of the Jews of Bukhara, Uzbekistan is seen by Israel as a state with good cultural ties.[6] With the effect of this, the relations between the parties; it is developing with the dimensions of politics, diplomacy, economy, agriculture, tourism, health and culture. Uzbekistan Deputy Minister of Agriculture Alisher Turaev, who said that they received support from Tel Aviv, especially in terms of agricultural production, openly stated that Israel is one of the states that contributed to the success in the country.[7] An Uzbek-Israeli Business Forum was held in Tel Aviv on 28-29 June 2022 and it was aimed to develop relations in a multidimensional way.[8]
In addition to all these, Israel has relations with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan at various levels. Kyrgyzstan Deputy Foreign Minister Azizbek Madmarov and Israel’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Liat Vekselman met on 17 September 2020 and held a meeting to develop relations to include agriculture, medicine, education and tourism.[9]
On August 18, 2022, the Israeli delegation headed by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Simona Halper met with the delegation headed by Tajikistan Deputy Foreign Minister Muzaffar Husseinzade in Dushanbe. The main topics discussed by the parties were economy, science, energy, agriculture and tourism.[10]
In addition to all these, Tel-Aviv administration, which focuses on improving relations with Turkmenistan, opened an Embassy in Ashgabat in March 2023.[11] This shows that the diplomatic relations between the parties tend to widen and deepen.
As a result, Israel is trying to strengthen its relations with Central Asia. It is possible to say that the studies in this direction have gained momentum in the last period. It can be said that relations dating back to 30 years have made significant progress, especially in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The biggest difficulty in the development of relations between the parties is that it is not easy to establish a geographical link. However, in terms of developing relations, it can be said that the main route is the route that reaches the Mediterranean via the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus. As a matter of fact, Israel focuses on economy, defense, security, geopolitical and cultural dimensions in the process of developing relations. Therefore, the multi-vector policies of the Central Asian states and Israel’s interest in the region show that relations will become stronger despite various difficulties.
[1] Jasim Unis al-Hariri, “Israeli Penetration of Central Asian Nations and Repercussions for Relations with the Arab World”, Contemporary Arab Affairs, 4(3), 2011, p. 323-324.
[2] Antoine Blua, “Israel Emerges as a Player in Central Asia”, Eurasianet, https://eurasianet.org/israel-emerges-as-a-player-in-central-asia, (Date of Accession: 29.03.2023).
[3] Nazrin Gadimova, “Israeli UAVs Will Soon Be Manufactured in Kazakhstan”, Caspian News, https://caspiannews.com/news-detail/israeli-uavs-will-soon-be-manufactured-in-kazakhstan-2019-8-8-40/, (Date of Accession: 29.03.2023).
[4] David Rosenberg, “Oil, Cyber and Weapons: Inside Israel’s Relationship With Kazakhstan”, Haaretz, https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-01-11/ty-article/oil-cyber-weapons-relations-israel-kazakhstan-protests/0000017f-e5da-dc7e-adff-f5fffdeb0000, (Date of Accession: 29.03.2023).
[5] Rosenberg, op.cit.
[6] Cnaan Liphshiz, “Dwindling at home, Central Asia’s Bukharian Jews Thrive in Diaspora”, The Times of Israel, https://www.timesofisrael.com/dwindling-at-home-central-asias-bukharian-jews-thrive-in-diaspora/, (Date of Accession: 29.03.2023).
[7] Zachy Hennessey, “Uzbekistan and Israel are Strengthening Their Relationship”, The Jerusalem Post, https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-705377, (Date of Accession: 29.03.2023).
[8] “An Uzbek-Israeli Business Forum Was Held in Tel Aviv”, Invest, https://invest.gov.uz/mediacenter/news/an-uzbek-israeli-business-forum-was-held-in-tel-aviv/, (Date of Accession: 29.03.2023).
[9] “Israel Ready to Deepen Bilateral Relations with Kyrgyzstan”, Kabar, http://en.kabar.kg/news/israel-ready-to-deepen-bilateral-relations-with-kyrgyzstan/, (Date of Accession: 29.03.2023).
[10] “Tajikistan and Israel Discuss Current State and Prospects of Cooperation”, Central Asia News, https://centralasia.news/16749-tajikistan-and-israel-discuss-current-state-and-prospects-of-cooperation.html, (Date of Accession: 29.03.2023).
[11] “Israel Opens Permanent Representation in Turkmenistan-Minister”, Azernews, https://www.azernews.az/region/207225.html, (Date of Accession: 29.03.2023).
