The ministerial meeting in the C5+1 format took place in Astana

A meeting of the heads of foreign policy agencies of Central Asian countries and the USA took place in the capital of Kazakhstan.

Photo: Internet

On February 28, a ministerial meeting in the C5+1 format was held in Astana with the participation of the foreign ministers of Central Asian countries and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Previously, Russian authorities expressed dissatisfaction with the rapprochement between the USA and Central Asian countries and urged Central Asian nations to be cautious in their dialogue with the West, especially with the USA. Russia believes that the USA intends to reduce Russian influence in Central Asian countries.

On the other hand, the U.S. Secretary of State stated that the main goal of this meeting is to “strengthen cooperation” and to protect independence, prosperity, and to address issues through dialogue and joint efforts. Antony Blinken stated at the final press conference that the USA will allocate 25 million USD for the Central Asia Economic Resilience Initiative.

Without going into details, the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that “the parties exchanged views on current issues of the international and regional agenda, including the situation in Afghanistan, the fight against terrorism and extremism, as well as other security challenges and threats, and emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation among the countries of the region.”

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, most countries in the world supported Ukraine, while some supported Russia. Among the supporters of Ukraine were most Western countries and some Eastern countries.

The West, led by the USA, believes that Central Asian countries support Russia in this war, and therefore they are trying to reduce Russia’s influence in the Central Asian region by providing more assistance to these countries.