Turkey and France jostle for Central Asia influence as Russia declines

TOKYO — Turkey and France are ramping up their charm offensives in Central Asia, traditionally under Russian influence, as Moscow’s declining presence opens the door to a diplomatic tug of war.

The Turkey-led Organization of Turkic States held its 10th summit Friday in the Kazakh capital of Astana. The group of Turkic-language-speaking countries, which was renamed and strengthened in 2021, also includes Azerbaijan and former Soviet states Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.