Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna/Pool via REUTERSPresident Vladimir Putin on Thursday urged the leaders of five Central Asian states to boost their trade with Russia, as Moscow seeks to build back its influence in a region that is also being courted by China. He told a summit in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, that there was therefore good potential for growth. The five Central Asian states were ruled from Moscow until 1991 as part of the Soviet Union, and Russia still regards the region as part of its sphere of influence. Millions of Central Asian migrants are employed in Russia, filling labour shortages there and sending home remittances that help support their economies. A bland joint communique from the summit said the Central Asian states "noted the importance of further strengthening their strategic partnership with Russia".
