UK Unifies Central Asia Strategy to Counter Russian Influence
The United Kingdom is fundamentally shifting its foreign policy towards Central Asia, moving from ad-hoc engagement with individual nations to a unified, strategic approach aimed at bolstering its influence and challenging Russia’s regional dominance. This new direction is spearheaded by the creation of a single All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Central Asia, signaling a more assertive British presence in the region.
Led by Labour MP Pamela Cox, the APPG aims to replace a previously fragmented and ineffective model of cooperation. The group’s primary objective is to deepen the UK’s understanding and influence over all emerging and existing logistics corridors running through Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. The initiative is designed to catalyze inter-parliamentary dialogue and drive mutually beneficial projects across a wide range of sectors.
The new parliamentary group includes 20 influential members from both houses of the British Parliament, such as Lord John Alderdice, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the region, and Emily Thornberry, a senior foreign affairs figure. In a recent meeting with the Uzbek embassy, Cox affirmed her commitment to strengthening ties and proposed direct cooperation between the APPG and the Friendship Group with Great Britain in Uzbekistan’s Oliy Majlis (parliament).
This strategic overhaul follows a 2023 report, “Countries at the Crossroads: UK engagement in Central Asia,” which criticized the ineffectiveness of London’s past engagement with the five Central Asian governments. The report, whose recommendations underpinned a “C5+1” meeting of foreign ministers in 2024, explicitly called for London to more actively counter Russian influence. The shift was also prompted by a less-than-warm reception for UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron during a recent tour of the region.
A cornerstone of London’s new strategy is its focus on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the “Middle Corridor.” This route, connecting Asia to Europe through Kazakhstan, the South Caucasus, and Turkey, is seen as a vital alternative that bypasses Russia. At a recent high-level meeting in the House of Lords, the UK reaffirmed its strategic commitment to developing the TITR to enhance regional energy security and trade.
The UK is backing this strategy with significant financial muscle. Lord Alderdice detailed concrete steps, including a new £20 billion funding package for transport infrastructure. The UK’s export finance agency has already completed a deal in Azerbaijan’s aviation sector and is assessing port and rail projects in Kazakhstan and Georgia. Further underscoring this financial integration, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan collectively raised $10 billion last year through sovereign bonds on the London Stock Exchange to fund strategic connectivity projects.
According to Igor Shestakov, director of the “Oy Ordo” expert center, London is gradually “emerging from the fog” of its presence in Central Asia. “For all the years of independence of the Central Asian countries, Great Britain has conducted active but extremely subtle work, which was often behind the scenes, unlike loud American initiatives,” Shestakov said. “The British acted selectively, without excessive PR, but with serious financial investments.”
Shestakov points to the UK’s deep, often unseen, influence, citing a USAID parliamentarism program in Kyrgyzstan in 2011 that was 90% funded by London. He highlighted the UK’s strong economic foothold in Kazakhstan through long-standing ties and multibillion-dollar investments in oil and gas, and a growing interest in critical minerals. In Turkmenistan, British firms have been key in auditing and developing its vast gas reserves. “Their style is to shape the agenda while remaining in the shadows,” Shestakov concluded.