Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned on Tuesday, during a state visit to Kazakhstan, that Iran may be trying to use Kyrgyzstan as a smuggling route or in a scheme to circumvent sanctions.
Herzog said this during a meeting in Astana, the Kazakhstani capital, with rabbis from Central Asia. During the meeting at Astana’s synagogue, Rabbi Arye Raichman of Kyrgyzstan mentioned the visit on Monday to the Kyrgyzstani capital of Bishkek by Reza Talai Nik, the deputy minister of defense of Iran.
“We thought it was surprising, given the timing,” Raichman said, referencing the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S.-Israeli alliance.
Kyrgyzstani media reported that the purpose of Nik’s visit was to attend a meeting of the defense ministers of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
But Herzog said the issue required some investigation. “Nothing is a coincidence here, and the Iranians may be trying to use Kyrgyzstan as a smuggling route, trying to get materials we’re trying to prevent. We need to keep an eye on this and I will flag this issue in Jerusalem,” he said.
Also present in the meeting with Herzog was Yoav Bistritsky, Israel’s ambassador to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Participants touched on a recent antisemitic incident in a hotel in the city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan, whose management placed a sign in the lobby reading, “Jews and animals not allowed.”
Rabbi Raichman said authorities were not encouraging antisemitism in Kyrgyzstan, though some “troubling incidents” have emerged recently. Bistritsky said that such incidents were “mostly connected to Israel, around the Swords of Iron operation” in Gaza.
Raichman noted the existence of “attempts to spread Islamism in Kyrgyzstan,” pointing to “great resources being invested in this effort,” implying the involvement of Iran or other sources.
