Uzbekistan is interested in the soonest resolution of the conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Bakhtiyor Ergashev, Deputy Director for Geoeconomics and Geoculture of Central Asia at the Center for Traditional Cultures, said to Sodruzhestvo press club.

According to him, the countries are important for each other economically. But the two neighbors a priori have problems that periodically exacerbated. The sides tried to solve them not letting to lead to serious deterioration in relations as it is now. «There is an understanding that Atambayev’s harsh statements regarding Kazakhstan, its leader, EEU are also one of the causes of the conflict,» the expert believes.

According to Bakhtiyor Ergashev, Atambaev’s incorrect statements «on the verge of interference in internal affairs» played a very negative role.

«Restoration of good-neighborly relations, first of all, is necessary for Kyrgyzstan due to the large dependence of the economy on Kazakhstan. If we talk about third-party assistance in resolving the contradictions, not Uzbekistan should be a mediator in this case. It should be noted that the task of mediation between the leaders of the two countries (Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan), both in public and unofficial forms, still has to be resolved to a greater extent by Russia. Both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union, where Russia plays a systemic role, and it should act as an intermediary and resolve the contradictions between the two members of EEU,» Bakhtiyor Ergashev believes.