US, NATO Trying to Turn Central Asia into Foothold to Threaten Russia: Diplomat
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The US and NATO are trying to turn the Central Asia region into a foothold for threatening Russia's southern borders, a Russian diplomat said.
In comments on Tuesday, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said the US and NATO are trying to engage Central Asian countries in so-called partner programs and trainings and do not stop speaking about the resumption of joint exercises in the region and the deployment of their military infrastructure.
"These efforts obviously aim at containing Russia, separating the region from our country and gradually turning it into a springboard for threatening our southern borders," Galuzin said at Valdai Discussion Club, Sputnik reported.
In a recent interview with TASS, Russian Foreign Ministry ambassador-at-large Nikolay Korchunov warned that NATO’s actions may lead to an escalation in the Arctic Region.
"We see no signs of improvement with regard to military security in the Arctic. NATO expansion continues in the region, the scope of the alliance’s military exercises there is on the rise, and its non-Arctic member states actively participate in them. Their military potential in high latitudes continues to grow," he said.