MOSCOW, September 22. /TASS/. Russia monitored the US’ meeting with Central Asian countries on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, but Moscow’s main focus remains to continue its own dialogue with the states of the region, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"Asian countries, of course, have their own relations with the United States. Undoubtedly, it is the right of these countries to hold such meetings. We are following all this very closely. The main thing for us is not that, the main thing is continuing our dialogue," the Kremlin spokesman said, commenting on the outcome of the meeting between US President Joe Biden and Central Asian leaders on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.
"You know that Russia has its own dialogue with Central Asian countries, which is extremely important for us," Peskov pointed out. "We have our own integration processes, and that is what we are focusing on," the spokesman concluded.
The C5+1 format (Central Asian countries and the US) was established in 2015. Previous summits were held at the level of foreign ministers and experts. However, this latest meeting for the first time brought together heads of state in New York on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. It was attended by Presidents Joe Biden of the United States, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan, Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan and Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan.