What the US Secretary of State came to offer Central Asian countries

The details of the negotiations on this subject are unlikely to reach the press, but in refraction with Russia, American diplomatic contacts with other countries have focused for more than a year on the attempt to isolate Moscow. The New York Times writes extensively about Blinken’s ambitions on the trip: “The top US diplomat will meet with Central Asian leaders and urge them not to help Russia circumvent Western sanctions.” In the longer term, the United States seeks to use current geopolitical conditions to weaken ties between Russia and its neighbors.But, as US media also note, how far Blinken can make progress is far from an obvious question. The Associated Press states that “the United States has been trying for decades without much success to alienate the republics of the former USSR from Russia”.Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan did not support Western sanctions against Russia. Moreover, their introduction has led to the growth of trade and economic ties with Russia, which are beneficial for the countries of Central Asia. The five republics also did not vote for the recent anti-Russian resolution on Ukraine at the UN General Assembly. Moreover, as the American media point out, China’s influence is now also great in Central Asia.US Under Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu admitted on the eve of the visit: “It is clear to us that Central Asian countries and India have a relationship long and complex with Russia, which they will not break in the foreseeable future.” Still, he said, the United States is trying to figure out what role it can play.So what will Blinken bring to a region that is geographically much more connected to Russia and China than to Western countries? It is difficult to draw deep conclusions from official statements made in Astana – although they seemed friendly to the US Secretary of State, they were limited to rather general phrases.At present, Blinken was received by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who welcomed the expansion of cooperation in the C5 + 1 format. Within the framework of bilateral relations, Tokayev announced that he was ready to further develop “strategic cooperation”. He described Kazakhstan’s relations with the United States as “good, reliable and long-term in such strategically important areas as security, energy, trade and investment”. According to him, the Americans are one of the largest investors in Kazakhstan – the volume of their investments is about 62 billion dollars.Blinken agreed with the thesis on the “strong relations” between the two countries, saying that “they will only grow stronger”. Speaking about the meeting with Central Asian foreign ministers, he expressed hope to “take part in even more concrete work to unite the region, focusing on practical things.”Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi, who received the American diplomat, called for the “institutional development of the C5+1 format”, calling it a platform for “access to investments and cutting-edge technologies from the United States. United to solve the problems of climate change”. According to him, for Kazakhstan, “both Central Asia and the United States are the main priorities”.In Astana, the US secretary of state is expected to have separate bilateral meetings with other colleagues from Central Asian countries, as well as participation in a general assembly in C5+1 format.US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the ministers would discuss “strengthening economic, energy, environmental and security cooperation”. The official representative of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said that Blinken and diplomats from Central Asia, in addition to the regional agenda, will discuss international topics, including the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan.From Astana, the US Secretary of State will fly to Tashkent, where he will be received by the leader of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, as well as other senior local officials.And tomorrow, Blinken’s plane will leave for New Delhi, where he will take part in a meeting of G20 foreign ministers. On it, as announced at the US State Department, Blinken will address food and energy security and other global issues. His possible meetings with representatives of Russia and China on the sidelines of the G20 have not been reported.Russian President’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov did not comment in detail on the contents of the US Secretary of State’s trip to Astana and Tashkent, but noted that Moscow is actively cooperating with Central Asian countries. “We have our own bilateral relations with Central Asian countries, we have our own interaction formats,” he said. “With a number of them, we are united by the integration processes of the Eurasian Economic Union, what we are focusing on, what interests us and what we consider our top priority in terms of of foreign policy.