Russia says Uzbek leadership will handle protests in Karakalpakstan

MOSCOW

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia has no doubt that Uzbekistan's leadership will actively work to tackle the current issues that the country is facing.

When asked if Moscow is following events in Uzbekistan during a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov called the country Russia's "ally and important partner," adding that what is happening is an internal affair.

"Uzbekistan is our ally, a friendly country, and our very important partner. Everything that is happening in Uzbekistan is an internal affair of this country. We have no doubt that with the active work of the leadership of Uzbekistan, all existing problems will be resolved," he said.

Earlier, Uzbekistan's General Prosecutor's Office in the capital Tashkent said in a statement on Monday that at least 18 people were killed and 243 others were injured in the protest-hit autonomous region of Karakalpakstan on Friday and Saturday.

The statement said protests began in Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan, over proposed constitutional changes that would have affected the region’s autonomous status.

On Sunday, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev declared a state of emergency in the region. He also decided to abort constitutional amendments that sparked the violence.

Peskov also said that this year Putin will not congratulate US President Joe Biden on Independence Day because it has been "a culmination of the US unfriendly politics towards Russia."

"This is due to the fact that this year, in fact, has become the culmination of an unfriendly policy towards our country on the part of the United States. Therefore, in these conditions it can hardly be considered reasonable to send such a congratulatory message," he said.

On July 4, Americans celebrate the biggest national holiday, Independence Day, which commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence from British authority in 1776.

Kaliningrad crisis

Concerning Lithuania's ban on transit of Russian goods to its semi-exclave Kaliningrad region via the Baltic country, Peskov said Russia expects the situation to be settled and is preparing a response in the event of the worst-case scenario.

"We are waiting for the settlement of this situation. We hope for the best, but, of course, we are also considering various scenarios, in case of a worst-case scenario, in case of the worst development of the events," he said.

Located on the Baltic Sea, Kaliningrad is sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania and is separated overland from the main part of Russia by Lithuania, Latvia and Belarus. The majority of railway transit between Russia and Kaliningrad was carried out through Belarus and Lithuania.

On June 18, Kaliningrad Governor Anton Alikhanov announced that Lithuanian railways had notified the region's authorities of imposing restrictions on the transit of goods that are subject to EU sanctions from Russia to Kaliningrad.

According to Alikhanov, "everything under sanctions" is prohibited to be shipped via the territory of Lithuania.

Regarding reports of a Russian dry cargo ship carrying grain being seized in Türkiye at Ukraine's request, Peskov said he does not have information.

"Unfortunately, we do not have this information in the Kremlin. I think it makes sense to ask the Ministry of Transport or the Foreign Ministry because the Turkish side during the detention, if any, it must provide information through our embassy or Consulate General," he said.

Regarding Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's proposal to limit prices on Russia's oil, Peskov said it was a "separate statement" that was not backed up by any decisions.