Overview
- Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told the Valdai Central Asian Conference that Western countries aim to turn the region into a base for threats against Russia.
- Speaking at the forum in Gelendzhik on Tuesday, he said the West wants access to natural resources and control of transit corridors that cut across Central Asia.
- Galuzin argued a new multipolar order is taking shape and said Western states fuel conflict to hold on to influence across Eurasia.
- Foreign Ministry official Alexander Sternik accused Washington of blanketing the region with deals to lock up critical minerals and key trade routes.
- Russia cast its outreach as a constructive security agenda while pointing to risks from Afghanistan and trafficking, as Central Asian governments balance ties with Moscow, the West, and China.