DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, October 9. Russia is firmly committed to strengthening its strategic partnership and alliance with the countries of Central Asia while deepening mutually beneficial political, economic, and humanitarian ties, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin said at the Central Asia-Russia summit in Dushanbe, Trend reports.
“We have already achieved tangible results in all these areas,” Putin noted, emphasizing that by the end of last year, Russia’s trade turnover with the five Central Asian states exceeded $45 billion. “This is a solid outcome, but given the region’s population and economic potential, the growth opportunities remain vast,” he added, comparing it to Russia’s trade with Belarus, which stands at more than $50 billion despite a smaller population of 10 million.
The Russian president also underlined that mutual trade grew by about 4 percent from January through July 2025 and pointed to the ongoing transition toward greater use of national currencies in settlements.
“For contract payments, the Russian System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS) and similar mechanisms in your countries are being widely used. The practice of opening direct correspondent accounts between our countries’ credit institutions has also become widespread,” Putin stated.
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