By: Staff
Leaders of Russia, Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan are all making stops in Central Asia as global powers seek to expand their influence in the traditionally Russia-dominated region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana on Thursday morning for talks with his counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The trip comes just a week after French President Emmanuel Macron also paid a visit there, hoping to “accelerate” economic cooperation.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, and Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar are visiting Uzbekistan on Thursday for a regional economic summit.
The flurry of engagement shows how the former Soviet countries are opening up to new partnerships as Russia’s grip on the region wanes.
Putin and Tokayev nevertheless praised their countries’ relationship before their planned meeting in Astana.
“Our strategic partnership is truly forward-looking,” Putin said.
Tokayev hailed an “alliance with a rich past and a bright future”.
But more than 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, with Russia locked in a bloody, 20-month war with Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian nations are eyeing partnerships with other world powers.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/9/pakistan-turkey-iran-leaders-visit-central-asia-in-diplomatic-push