GELENDZHIK, May 12. /TASS/. Russia cooperates with Central Asian countries in various spheres on equal terms, no hidden agendas or dictating involved, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Third CIS Department Alexander Sternik said.
"We strictly adhere to the principle of consensus in Central Asia, contrary to speculation, neither dictating nor shaking a finger at anyone, but offering equal interaction in economics, security, trade, and the humanitarian sphere," he said during the first session of the sixth Central Asian Conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
"We do not demand anything nor ingratiate ourselves deceitfully like some extra-regional players, but instead develop cooperation with the region with respect and, at times, strategic patience," Sternik added.
The diplomat noted that, for Russia, the priority in cooperation with the countries of this region is "a commitment to friendly foundations of relations and a focus on continuing mutually beneficial projects" in this regard.
Sternik said that their partners generally manage to maintain this line under colossal pressure from the so-called collective West using alternating 'carrots and sticks' because the West dislikes Russia's traditional good-neighborly relations with this region.
