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VoA News (22 September 2023)

Senior U.S. officials are upbeat about the prospects for improved relations with Central Asia’s five republics following a first-of-its-kind summit between the region’s leaders and President Joe Biden in New York this week.

“I think we've heard an openness from all our Central Asian colleagues and really a desire for more engagement with the United States,” said Nicholas Berliner, special assistant to the U.S. president and senior director for Russia and Central Asia at the National Security Council.

Biden “cares about the region,” Berliner said in an interview with VOA after the summit. “And I think if there were any doubts about the level of interest on the part of the United States in Central Asia, hopefully today's summit has put those to rest.”

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