Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said on Tuesday that the United States of America and NATO are trying to turn the Central Asian region into a bridgehead to threaten Russia’s southern borders.
According to the “Sputnik” agency, Galuzin said, speaking at the Third Central Asian Conference of the “Valdai” Dialogue Club, “The United States and NATO are trying to involve Central Asian countries in so-called partnership programs and training courses, and they do not stop demanding the resumption of joint exercises in the region and the deployment of their military infrastructure.”
He added, “It is clear that all these efforts are aimed at containing Russia, separating the region from our country, and gradually turning it into a bridgehead to threaten our southern borders.”