Pompeo, on Central Asia tour, warns of China and Russia’s influence
- US secretary of state tours two Central Asian ‘Stans’ to bolster ties
- John Kerry toured the region in 2015 – the last US secretary of state to visit
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday was visiting ex-Soviet Central Asia for talks with leaders of two countries where Russia and China enjoy privileged interests.
Pompeo was to meet the leadership of oil-rich Kazakhstan in capital Nur-Sultan before flying to Uzbekistan, a country of 33 million that is emerging from nearly three decades of isolation.
The visit was part of a tour of four ex-Soviet countries.
Ahead of the visit, Pompeo stressed that the Central Asian countries on his itinerary “want to be sovereign and independent” and said Washington had “an important opportunity to help them achieve that”.
But the secretary of state also acknowledged “a lot of activity (in the region) – Chinese activity, Russian activity”.
Washington has often struggled to keep a foothold in Central Asian states that were part of the Soviet Union up to its collapse in 1991.
