US prepares to publish a new strategy for Central Asia

US Presidential Administration plans to publish a new strategy for Central Asia as China and Russia fight for influence in the energy-rich region and militants from Afghanistan threaten to destabilize it, Radio Liberty writes citing a senior State Department official as saying.

The United States strengthened relations with five Central Asian countries this year, the State Department official said at a briefing on December 13 after a meeting with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi.

In July, the US delegation visited Kyrgyzstan for the first time in four years. In November, the Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, was received at the State Department. In the spring of next year, the State Department plans to meet in Washington with representatives of the delegations of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for annual consultations, the State Department official noted.

Washington’s interest in Central Asia is also evident in light of the fact that the United States is keen to leave Afghanistan, where it deployed troops 18 years ago.