MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down Wednesday in Tajikistan for a three-day visit dominated by talks with the leaders of a region where Moscow’s historic dominance is under threat.
The Kremlin strongman is set to meet on Thursday with the heads of Central Asia’s five ex-Soviet states where China and Europe have been vying for influence in Russia’s backyard.
Tajik leader Emomali Rakhmon welcomed Putin on arrival in the capital Dushanbe, according to images broadcast on Russian television.
Putin is accompanied by his Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, who visited a Russian military base in the country Wednesday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told Russian news agencies that Putin is also set to meet Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday, following months of frostiness in Moscow-Baku relations.
Russia has attempted to maintain its grip on Central Asia through deals on energy, including gas deliveries and the building of nuclear reactors.
Though Moscow denies the existence of any tensions with China, Beijing has seen its presence in the region wax, while the European Union has made overtures to Central Asia’s leaders.
This year has seen two regional summits, with the EU in April followed by one with China in June, after a similar meeting with Turkiye in 2024.