MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Russia is concerned about NATO's attempts to manipulate Central Asian countries and turn the region into a bridgehead threatening Russia's security, Sergey Overchenko, the deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s third department of the CIS Countries, said during a discussion on the platform of the Valdai discussion club.
"We, of course, cannot but feel concerned about the attempts of NATO countries to manipulate the internal political situation in Central Asia, to dictate their standards, to try to reformat the region according to their templates, to turn Central Asia into a bridgehead threatening Russia's security," he said. "Our partners are being promised heavy investment, which, of course, the region needs. We understand that. They are being promised expanded access of goods from Central Asia to the European market, while at the same time they demand strict compliance with anti-Russian restrictions under the threat of so-called secondary sanctions".
According to Overchenko, the US and NATO are trying to "entice" the Central Asian countries into so-called partnership programs and continuing unflagging attempts to bring their military infrastructure to the region.
"For this, equipment from NATO and relevant software are being used. Alongside this, the public opinion is being molded by controlled media and non-governmental organizations," Overchenko pointed out.
He noted that the non-governmental organizations in Central Asian countries, created and financed from abroad, are "channels for plotting color revolutions in the future."
"The strategic aims of our adversaries is obvious," Overchenko added.