Astana, Kazakhstan, Feb 28 (AFP/APP):Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday vowed US support for Kazakhstan’s independence as he sought greater engagement in Central Asia, where traditional alliances with Russia have been rattled by the Ukraine invasion.
Blinken will also visit Uzbekistan and meet foreign ministers of all five former Soviet republics of Central Asia on his first trip to the region where neighbouring China also plays a key role.
“As you know well, the United States strongly supports Kazakhstan’s sovereignty, its independence, its territorial integrity,” Blinken said in talks at the foreign ministry in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.
“Sometimes we just say those words and they actually have no meaning. And of course, in this particular time, they have even more resonance than usual,” Blinken said, referring to Russia’s assault on Ukraine a year ago.
Blinken later headed to the imposing palace in the capital to meet President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev who voiced “appreciation” for US support for Kazakhstan’s sovereignty.
Tokayev said, without explanation before the press, that he had received three personal messages from President Joe Biden.
“We have built very good and reliable long-term partnerships in so many strategically important areas” with the United States, Tokayev said.
Blinken told him that the United States has made “important strides” for greater ties with Kazakhstan in recent years and would look for practical ways to do more with Central Asian nations — which also include Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
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