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Russia views relations with Central Asian nations as priority, Kremlin says

Dmitry Peskov declined to further comment on Antony Blinken’s visit to Kazakhstan, saying that it was the prerogative of the Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW, February 28. /TASS/. Russia views relations with Central Asian nations as a foreign policy priority, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

When asked if US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Kazakhstan could impact Russia’s relations with the countries of the region, Peskov said: "We maintain bilateral relations with Central Asian countries and we have our own cooperation platforms. Together with some of them, we take part in integration processes within the Eurasian Economic Union, which is what we are guided by, what we are interested in and what we view as our key foreign policy priority."

He declined to further comment on the US top diplomat’s trip, saying that it was the prerogative of the Foreign Ministry.

Last night, Blinken arrived in the Kazakh capital on his first official visit. He has already held a meeting with Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. While in Astana, the US secretary of state will also meet with the foreign ministers of Central Asian countries. The C5+1 platform, which brings together the five Central Asian nations (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and the United States, was created in 2015 to discuss regional economic, environmental and security issues. From Kazakhstan, Blinken will travel to Uzbekistan and then to India.

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