Geopolitics of separatism

Abstract

         The "Middle Corridor" - the route through the Caspian, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to Europe is the shortest route, and the countries located along it initially had enormous prospects for sovereign development. Today, a new trans-Eurasian route for the transit of goods from China to Europe through the South Caucasus has turned out to be in demand for the world economy, and understanding of the prospects and importance of this route is increasing exponentially. As well as the difficulty of total control over this route, even from the side of superpowers claiming world hegemony. Unfortunately, along the route of the "Middle Corridor" "mines" were laid by certain forces in the form of separatist projects - "Artsakh", Abkhaz and Tskhival, etc. There are attempts to kindle new separate and local wars. In principle, they tried to launch separatist projects, with the redrawing of borders, and eventually launched them in other parts of the post-Soviet space (Pridnestrovie, Crimea, Donbass). But in the early 90s of the last century, the greatest "density" of separatist projects and their greatest "bloodyness" were organized precisely in the South Caucasus, on the territory of Azerbaijan and Georgia. At the same time, several other “sleeping” cells” of potential separatism were also formed. In particular, the project of "Javakhk" separatism in the Georgian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Landmines were laid for potential conflicts and separatism in Central Asia. In Central Asia, in contrast to the South Caucasus, where 3 such "mines" (Karabakh, Abkhazia, Tskhinvali region,) were detonated in the early 90s, they are already trying to kindle similar wars. These are the following regions:

1. Karakalpakstan - an integral part of Uzbekistan, which has the status of autonomy, where in the summer of 2022, with outside interference, riots were organized. Karakalpakstan occupies a unique position, bordering on one side with Kazakhstan, on the other side with Turkmenistan, and instability in this autonomy can spread to both states, in fact “blocking” the Middle Corridor in its Central Asian part. Fortunately, the Uzbek authorities managed to nip in the bud the attempts of separatist destabilization.
2. The border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the Ferghana Valley. The Soviet government artificially carried out a "national-state delimitation" here, organizing numerous enclaves of neighboring republics on the territory of the Kirghiz SSR. And it would be naive to believe that the forces that organized the separatist conflicts in the South Caucasus and elsewhere, raising the issue of allegedly "disputable borders", would not have tried to plant a "time bomb" here as well. They tried to “blow up” it in 2022, provoking border military clashes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. And this happened just when the issue of transit along the "New Silk Road" and the "Middle Corridor" through Central Asia acquired particular relevance. 3. Kazakhstan. Here, back in January 2022, before the start of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, against the backdrop of unrest, certain forces tried to incite separatism in the Kazakh regions populated by ethnic Russians, in particular in Northern Kazakhstan. Moreover, representatives of the same Armenian lobby, who previously supported the “Artsakh” and other separatist projects in the South Caucasus, and since February 2022 have been the main propagandists of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, have provocatively raised the issue of supposedly “primordially Russian lands” in Kazakhstan. And recently, the same forces have begun a new propaganda wave about the alleged "infringement of the rights of Russians in Kazakhstan." Although that propaganda runs counter to reality, when thousands of Russians flee to Kazakhstan from total mobilization and being sent as "cannon fodder" to Ukraine. Initially, it was assumed that small countries such as Azerbaijan or Georgia simply did not have enough strength to independently " clear mines" "Middle Corridor", stop the occupation of their territories and put an end to separatism. On November 15, 2022, the French Senate adopted an anti-Azerbaijani resolution supporting separatism, which called on the government of President Emmanuel Macron to impose sanctions against Azerbaijan. The document also calls on Baku to withdraw its troops from the area of the Lachin corridor (i.e. from its own internationally recognized territory!) and from the border regions, where there was not even demarcation and delimitation, and which for some reason are considered “Armenian territory” by the French Senate. Although, in order to determine where the "territory of Armenia" is and where it is not, in general, it is necessary to conclude a peace agreement and demarcate and delimit the border, which just slows down Yerevan. However, the most dangerous thing is that the French Senate again, its provocative resolution, raises the issue of creating a separatist pseudo-state on Azerbaijani territory and "creating a humanitarian office in Nagorno-Karabakh." The decision of the French Senate hits not only Azerbaijan, but also Georgia, in fact, preventing the restoration of the country's territorial integrity. After all, it is no secret that separatism in Samachablo and Abkhazia is interconnected with so-called separatism. "Artsakh". Self-proclaimed so-called. “The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) recognized the “independence” of Abkhazia and the so-called. "South Ossetia", long before Russia did it in 2008, which occupied these regions of Georgia. France, in view of the obvious weakening of the position of the Russian Federation, which got involved in a military adventure with aggression against Ukraine, "main sponsor" of separatism in the South Caucasus