Uzbekistan summons Russian ambassador after nationalist writer and politician Zakhar Prilepin suggests annexing ‘territories where migrants come from’
Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to Uzbekistan, Oleg Malginov, after Russian nationalist writer and politician Zakhar Prilepin said that Russia should “annex” Uzbekistan, reports the ministry’s press service.
The ministry said that such “thoughtless” statements “carry a knowingly provocative character and can negatively impact historically friendly relations” between the two countries.
Russia’s ambassador said that “Prilepin’s statements have nothing even remotely in common with the official position of the Russian leadership.”
Prilepin made the comments while discussing issues with migrants, saying that they could be solved by annexing new territories:
I actually still sincerely advocate that these territories, where migrant workers come to us from, should just be annexed and to teach them the Russian language there. Not to teach them here, but there, in Uzbekistan.
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