US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken went on an Asian tour
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Monday went on a visit to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and India. In his official Twitter account, Blinken stated that he would take part in the G20 ministerial meeting in India, and also noted that he hopes to develop partnerships in Central Asia.
"Today I am going on a trip to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and India. This will be my first trip as Secretary of State to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and I look forward to further developing our partnership in Central Asia. From there I will go to India for the #G20 ministerial," Blinken wrote.
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu Yi at a briefing about Blinken's upcoming trip, answering journalists' questions, noted: "It is clear to us that the countries of Central Asia and India have long and complicated relations with Russia. I don't think they will end these relations in the near future... We have repeatedly told our partners from Central Asia, the entire Indo-Pacific region and the whole world that we are not asking countries to choose between us and Russia or us and China. Instead, we are interested in showing that the United States has something to offer, that we can be a reliable partner."
― This year, we have allocated $41.5 million in new aid to Central Asia to support food security, as well as to support economies to help them explore new export routes, retrain the workforce and stimulate private sector growth. I think you will see, when the Secretary is in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, additional announcements about our deepening participation in this region. So, I hope that by the end of this visit you will see that we take interaction with the five Central Asian states very seriously," Lu said.
The Secretary of State's tour to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and India will last from February 28 to March 3, the US State Department said. On March 1, Anthony Blinken will arrive in India to attend the G20 foreign ministers' meeting. On March 3, the Secretary of State will also take part in the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Asian Quartet, which includes the USA, India, Japan and Australia.
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