“We see how geopolitical risks are increasing, and that’s why we’re uniting to repel any threat from any direction,” said Russian Lt. Gen. Alexander Lapin.
Kazakhstan
Partying from Dushanbe to Grozny
When Tajik President Emomali Rahmon turned 60, Vladimir Putin gave him a sniper rifle and promised to keep Russian troops stationed in Tajikistan until his 90th birthday.
Iran Wins Neighbors’ Pledge Not to Help U.S. Attack
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad played up a regional summit to fete Vladimir Putin as a friend of the Islamic Republic.
Iran Seeks to Undermine U.S. Energy Plan for Europe
Iran plans to import more oil and gas from Central Asia as it seeks to undermine a U.S.-backed project to build pipelines from the Caspian Sea to Europe.