TOMSK, May 16. /TASS/. Western countries use the news media and nongovernmental organizations under their control to lead an anti-Russian campaign in Central Asia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said on Tuesday.

He made the statement at the third Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club in Tomsk.

"This (deterrence of Russia - TASS) is the aim of the media campaign that is being led in Central Asia with the help of controllable news media and NGOs to convince the local population, especially the youth, to reject Russia, blot out its positive image from public consciousness through attempts at baseless discreditation of our shared history and incitement of nationalist sentiment," he said.

Galuzin said the Central Asian region is viewed by Western countries exclusively as a tool of "the policy to contain Russia and China, control this crossroads of trade routes from Asia to Europe and back."

The deputy foreign minister also said Russia uses a different approach toward Central Asia.

"For us, this is a neighboring region with which we have a common history, a multi-level and extensive system of mutually beneficial and equal relations based on treating each other as allies, strategic partnership, and integration," Galuzin continued. "We cannot forget about the uniting role of the Russian language as a means of interethnic communication, including between the peoples inhabiting Central Asia," the senior diplomat said.