GELENDZHIK, May 12. /TASS/. The situation around the Strait of Hormuz clearly demonstrates that Russia and its Central Asian neighbors must prioritize protecting statehood and the security of national leaders in their relations, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Third CIS Department Alexander Sternik said at the Russia and Central Asia in a Changing Global Environment session at the 6th Central Asian Conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
The diplomat noted that today, cooperation between Russia and the countries of the Central Asian region is taking place against the backdrop of a new objective reality in a "rapidly changing world," and "only a blind person could fail to notice such multipolarity." "This is happening at a time when the events in the Strait of Hormuz have become yet another lesson for states attempting to ensure their sovereignty. And the protection of statehood and the physical security of heads of state are becoming a special priority today and require reliable allies," Sternik emphasized.
"Before our very eyes, [the new reality] is manifested in the desire of the Central Asian ‘five’ to consolidate, to assume an independent role as a constituent of the Eurasian continental cooperation architecture," the Foreign Ministry department head noted. "We respect this centripetal trend and are actively participating in the formation of, I would say, a new model of interaction between Central Asia and Russia."