BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Kyrgyzstan's outgoing president says the ex-Soviet nation has no choice but to join a Russia-dominated economic bloc and eventually enter the more ambitious alliance envisioned by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Putin has proposed forming a "Eurasian Union" of former Soviet nations, saying the bloc could become a major global player competing for influence with the United States, the European Union and Asia. He said the new bloc will grow from the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which Kyrgyzstan is expected to join.
Roza Otunbayeva also said Friday that the future withdrawal of NATO forces from nearby Afghanistan will leave Kyrgyzstan vulnerable to security threats.
She added that Kyrgyzstan’s close economic links with Russia and Kazakhstan make closer integration inevitable.
