DUSHANBE, February 28, 2013, Asia-Plus — A United States Government delegation led by Lynne Tracy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia and David Sedney, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia is in Dushanbe on a working visit, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe said.
The U.S. delegation that arrived in the Tajik capital on February 27 also includes Ambassador James Warlick, Department of State Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Major General Lawrence Nicholson, Deputy Chief of Staff to ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) Joint Command.
The main purpose of the visit is for the U.S. delegation to discuss developments in Afghanistan with Tajik officials.
Meanwhile, Russian news agency, Itar-Tass, reports that the U.S. Government sees no terrorist threat in Central Asia after the planned U.S. withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan in 2014. Itar-Tass reported that referring to statements delivered by Robert Blake, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs and Justin Siberell, Deputy Coordinator for Regional Affairs and Programs in the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State in the House on Foreign Affairs.
Radio Liberty reports that Assistant Secretary Blake told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on February 27 that although the United States sees no “imminent Islamic militant threat to Central Asian states,” the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) is looking for opportunities to expand its presence in the region as part of a long-term strategy to broaden its influence.
Mr. Blake reportedly said Central Asian states faced challenges that could fuel radicalism and threaten U.S. interests in the region.
He said the United States was working with those governments to help them address cross-border challenges like terrorism and proliferation.
But he also said that Washington won’t stop pressing regional leaders on the need to implement democratic and human rights reforms, RFE/RL reports.
