Russia views the multi-vector policy of Central Asian countries, which Moscow considers allies and strategic partners, with understanding. This follows from recent official statements by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
At a press conference on 18 February, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, addressing the topic of interaction with Central Asia, stated: “I can confirm that the states of Central Asia are our closest neighbors, allies, and strategic partners. It is quite natural that we are interested in the stability, security, and prosperity of this region, increasing the economic, resource, and technological independence of each of its states, and preserving their cultural and national identities.”
According to her, Russia “views with understanding the ‘multi-vector’ nature of the foreign policy of Central Asian states,” which is driven by their desire to expand mutually beneficial cooperation with all countries, primarily from the perspective of their internal socio-economic development.
Nevertheless, “Russia is one of Central Asia’s top trading partners, with total trade turnover in the first nine months of 2025 reaching around $35 billion,” the speaker noted.
At the same time, Zakharova emphasized the lack of an alternative to Moscow’s involvement in regional security issues. “And when it comes to security, there’s simply no visible alternative to Russia. I’m talking about our military presence in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and the close cooperation between our relevant agencies to tackle shared threats: international terrorism, Islamic radicalism, and drug trafficking,” she said.
The official also drew attention to the development of cooperation in a six-party format, in addition to bilateral contacts.
“The second Central Asia-Russia Summit, held in Dushanbe on October 9, 2025, showed just how much demand there is for this mechanism. Right now, we’re working on implementing the Joint Action Plan for 2025-2027,” she added.
Zakharova specified that the Plan includes sections such as Trade and Economy, Energy, Transport, Health and Sanitary-Epidemiological Well-being, Cultural and Humanitarian Cooperation, Ecology, and Migration. ///nCa, 19 February 2026