Russia has a positive attitude towards the development of equal, mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the countries of Central Asia and is ready to make a significant contribution to ensuring the security of the Central Asian region. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova during a press briefing on Wednesday, 24 May.
“We consider the strengthening of ties between them [CA-China] in various spheres as one of the factors of maintaining stability and stimulating economic growth in the region both in the short and long term,” she stressed, assessing the outcomes of the recent summit of the six countries in Xi’an.
“The security, stability and well-being of the countries of the region are in the interests of both Russia and China, as well as their own. We are ready to strengthen mutual coordination to support the countries of Central Asia in ensuring their sovereignty and national development, we will not accept attempts to import “color revolutions” and external interference in the affairs of the region”, she added.
Russia continues to make a significant contribution to ensuring the security of the region, the speaker continued.
Russia and the EAEU account for up to 40% of the trade turnover of Central Asia. Today, more than 10 thousand Russian and joint ventures have been opened in the region, creating about 900 thousand jobs.
170 thousand citizens of Central Asian countries study at Russian universities, including 68 thousand – at the expense of the Russian budget.
As stated by Zakharova, Russia expects that the development of cooperation between China and the countries of Central Asia will make an important contribution to the integration of the goals of the EAEU with the BRI in line with the construction of a Greater Eurasian Partnership. ///nCa, 25 May 2023