Galuzin stated in an interview with TASS news agency that the United States and the European Union have notably intensified contacts with Central Asian nations.

“They expect our partners to condemn the special operation in Ukraine, join the illegal sanctions against Russia and restrict cooperation with our country as a whole,” the diplomat said.

He noted that US- and EU-controlled NGOs, along with bloggers and some media outlets operating in Central Asia, are trying to turn Russia into an enemy of the peoples of the region.

“Obviously, there is a specific goal behind all of this: to undermine the alliance relations and strategic partnership between Russia and countries of Central Asia, as a way to destroy the integration processes of the post-Soviet space,” the deputy minister said.

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