Blinken to tout U.S. engagement on trip to former Soviet Central Asia

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will tout the benefits of cooperation for Central Asian nations with deep ties to Washington’s adversaries Russia and China during a visit next week, the top State Department official for the region said on Friday.
Blinken will travel to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and meet with counterparts from all five Central Asian countries that used to be ruled from Moscow and have strong trade links with Beijing, ahead of a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in New Delhi on Wednesday.
In Central Asia, Blinken will “be looking to draw a line under how our engagement is different from the engagement of Moscow and Beijing,” said Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs.
“We have something to offer in terms of engagement economically but we also have something to offer in terms of the values that we bring to the table,” Lu told reporters on a phone call previewing the trip.