SAMARKAND The EU announced a "new era" in ties with Central Asia on Friday at a major summit in Uzbekistan, as Brussels presses its influence in the region in the face of Russian and Chinese competition. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has accelerated the region's drift from Moscow's orbit, with major powers to both the West and East sensing an opening. The presidents of the five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — are holding a summit with