A planned US-Central Asia summit faces uncertainty as three of the five invited leaders have yet to confirm their attendance. While Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are set to attend the November 6 meeting, the leaders of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan remain silent.
This hesitation underscores the immense pressure on the Central Asian states, who are performing a delicate balancing act between their powerful neighbors and emerging Western partners.
The summit, announced by the Kazakh president, is seen as a key part of Washington’s strategy to increase its footprint in the resource-rich region. This diplomatic push comes as Russia’s long-term influence is being challenged.
The region has become a hotbed of diplomacy, with China, the EU, and Russia all holding their own high-level talks with the “Stans” earlier this year. Each power is vying for economic and strategic advantages.
The five nations possess significant deposits of rare earths and are eager to develop their role as a logistics hub for East-West trade, making them a focal point of global geopolitical maneuvering.