Prilepin said he supports “the idea of joining the territories of those countries, for example, Uzbekistan to the Russian Federation and teaching them Russian there before they come here.”

Maria Zakharova noted that Russia and Uzbekistan are linked by comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance relations and emphasized that Prilepin’s words are his personal opinion.

“Russia and Uzbekistan are connected by comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance relations and it’s not just a fancy statement. The results of the official visit of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to our country in October this year, and the warm atmosphere prevailing at the large-scale meeting are clear proof of this.

We are fully committed to the agreements on the strategic partnership of June 16, 2004, and the alliance relations of November 14, 2005. According to mutual commitments, our cooperation is built on the basis of respect for sovereignty, non-interference, friendship, and good neighborliness. The cooperation of the two countries within the CIS, SCO, and UN is imbued with the spirit of equal rights and mutual consideration of interests.

If we look more broadly, Russia and Central Asia are united by a common history, close human and cultural as well as direct economic ties. The leaders of our states and governments set the task of consistent development of preferential relations before the heads of ministries, agencies, and regions. In addition, we are always ready to help each other, which has been confirmed several times (mutual aid during the coronavirus pandemic, humanitarian aid to the residents of the affected areas, the supply of Russian energy resources during the period of abnormal cold in Central Asia, etc.).

As for the topic of migration, the Russian side has repeatedly emphasized that attracting labor resources from abroad, first of all from friendly countries, meets the interests of both Russia and countries that export such services. Currently, a number of regulatory, organizational, informational, and other measures are being carried out in order to ensure cooperation in the field of migration to be more orderly and mutually beneficial.

So, based on that I can say Zakhar Prilepin’s statement is his personal opinion and does not even come close to the official position of the Russian Federation,” Zakharova said.