IRKUTSK, March 4. /TASS/. The Fifth Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club has kicked off in Irkutsk in Siberia.

Its theme is "Russia and Central Asia: Cooperation in a Multipolar World."

The conference will be attended by over 50 experts and political figures from 10 countries, including Russia, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

According to its organizers, the conference aims to expand the intellectual discussion of the expert community in Russia and Central Asia under the conditions of cardinal changes in the world order.