Russia's interests in Central Asia are important, but the region deserves multiple partnership opportunities

 

Russia's interests in Central Asia are important, but the region deserves multiple partnership opportunities – Richard Boucher

 

The United States recognizes Russia's important interests in Central Asia, but would like the region's states to have numerous partners, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher told Interfax.

 

"We certainly recognize that Russia has very important interests in this region. Russia is a very important partner for these countries. But they deserve all the opportunities: the opportunities of Russia, Europe, China, India, Pakistan and the United States. And, frankly, my counterparts here [in Russia] put it the same way I do," he said.

 

 "We need to help them have their independence secure and to have their own sovereign choices," he said.

 

"We are also not in competition with any other country there," he said.

 

"We all need to stop the drug flow and the terrorism. We all need to develop their economic choices. So whatever we do, or Russia does, or Europe does, is good for us all," he said.

 

Central Asian countries need to diversify opportunities for their oil and gas exports, Boucher said.

 

"We need multiple routes for the export of oil and gas. So we would like to see the expansion of pipelines through Russia, welcome pipelines to China and look for ways of hooking up to other pipelines to Europe. We are supporting efforts to export electricity to Pakistan. They need multiple routes, multiple options and multiple choices," he said.

 

Boucher said that the U.S. intended to increase its involvement in energy projects and field delivery in the Caspian region. "But only a small piece of that is for government. We can help to do the feasibility studies, but in the end it will be countries and companies, who make the decisions about which projects to do and which not to do. And as we see on most of these projects there are many international bidders and sometimes Americans win and sometimes it's others," he said.

 

Commenting on whether the U.S. was interested in promoting oil and gas export from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, he said: "These countries deserve the opportunity for investment, the opportunity to export and to get world prices for their oil and gas."
 North Korea's latest nuclear test is "a provocative act", which calls for a response from the international community, Boucher said.

 

The White House has made it absolutely clear that it was a provocative act, which runs counter to the aspirations of the whole of the international community, Boucher said, adding that measures will have to be taken within the United Nations.

 

The high-ranking diplomat also described the underground test as a dangerous step.
 U.S. President George W. Bush has already contacted his counterparts from all nations involved in the search for a solution to the impasse over North Korea's nuclear program, he said.

 

Representatives of five of the countries involved are discussing the issue now, Boucher said. If one takes a look at remarks made in these countries, one can see that they have a lot in common, the diplomat said. All countries unanimously denounced the test, he added.

 

The step by the North Korean authorities comes as a great disappointment for the Korean people because more interesting possibilities of cooperation with the rest of the world were offered to them, Boucher said.

 

International efforts to catch Osama Bin Laden will succeed, he said.
 "We'll get Bin Laden some day," he said. However, "we have to keep after the entire network, the entire structure," he said.

 

"If I knew where he was, we would get him. If the Afghans and the Pakistanis knew where he was, they would get him too," he said.

 

Boucher confirmed that Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

 

Commenting on the fight against drug trafficking in Afghanistan, he said: "We think that the anti-drug effort has been better this year than last."

 

Opportunities for cooperation between the United States and Uzbekistan still exist, Boucher said.

 

Commenting on how bilateral relations are developing after the withdrawal of the U.S. military base from Uzbekistan, he said: "I think that we still have a basis for cooperation with Uzbekistan. During my trip there we identified common interests - security areas, economic areas and even political and democratic development."

 

"Uzbekistan is a very difficult place to get anything done. They close down companies and local organizations. Making this cooperation real has been very difficult," he said.

 

"So we will continue to press them to do what is necessary for real cooperation and what is necessary to respect your population and to cooperate with your neighbors. But, how far this goes, will depend on the government of Uzbekistan," he said.