Valdai Club

As a Eurasian power, Russia has historically sought to develop relations with various centres of power and with all its neighbours, particularly in times of crisis along its borders. Today processes of structural transformation in our economy, diversification of foreign economic ties, and the strengthening of cooperation with our neighbours are accelerating—and among the causes is the search for new solutions in the context of the crisis in Ukraine, notes Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, in his address at the Valdai Club during the presentation of the report “Russia and Its Neighbours: Mutual Responsibility and Joint Development”.

The military-political conflict between Russia and the West over Ukraine represents a pivotal event in the evolution of relations between Russia and neighbouring countries. The trajectory of its impact is not linear: it is determined by changes taking place in the domestic development of all its participants and by shifts in the broader international context. By the time the special military operation had started, the former Soviet Union’s space had transformed profoundly which affected all aspects of politics.

The discourse on multi-vector policy in Central Asia is developing as a contemporary version of multipolarity at the macro and micro regional level and is not restricted to the boundaries of the nation-state. It is increasingly ignoring international borders in favour of both a local focus and regional integration.