West eager to transform Central Asia into bridgehead for threats against Russia — diplomat

GELENDZHIK, May 12. /TASS/. The West is trying to reshape the Central Asian region to serve its own interests in in hopes of turning regional countries into a bridgehead for security threats to Russia, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said at the sixth Central Asian Conference being hosted by the Valdai Discussion Club in Gelendzhik. "Central Asia lies in the heart of Eurasia. Today, we see that the West is not abandoning attempts to reshape this region to serve its needs, get access to its natural reserves, and establish control of transport corridors running across it. It is seeking to transform Central Asian countries into a bridgehead for posing threats to Russia’s security," the senior Russian diplomat said, addressing the event via video link. Galuzin described a multipolar world order in the making as quite tangible and objective developments. "This is evidenced by the number and potential of global influence centers. The process of establishing a new multipolar world order is being accompanied with substantial turbulence and growing conflict potential. And this conflict potential is being generally provoked by countries of the Western civilization that are reluctant to lose their dominance globally, first of all across Eurasia," he argued. Meanwhile, Galuzin continued, Russia is reaching out to Central Asia and embracing international relations with what he called a constructive agenda. "The initiative to build security architecture in Europe, an architecture that could rise to present-day challenges, put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is focused on the housekeeping of the continent. And the concept centers on promoting the principle of equal and shared security in real politics," he recalled. In terms of security, the Russian diplomat pointed at the exposure of the Central Asian region to external risks, mostly from international terror groups active in neighboring Afghanistan or "the unsettled Middle East," as well as from drugs and arms trafficking.