Russian media reports say Russia views relations of with Central Asia’s nations as priority of its foreign policy.

“Russia is actively cooperating with Central Asian countries and views this as a foreign policy priority,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on February 28. 

When asked if US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Kazakhstan could impact Russia’s relations with the countries of the region, Peskov said: “We maintain bilateral relations with Central Asian countries and we have our own cooperation platforms.  Together with some of them, we take part in integration processes within the Eurasian Economic Union, which is what we are guided by, what we are interested in and what we view as our key foreign policy priority.”

Peskov declined to further comment on the US top diplomat’s trip, saying that it was the prerogative of the Foreign Ministry.