Executive Summary: Azerbaijan’s decision to allow commercial goods intended for Armenia to transit through its territory has been welcomed as the first major outcome following the August 8 meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders at the White House. The agreement on transit could not... MORE

Executive Summary: Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have expanded their diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation to the point that some in the region have begun to speak of them as a kind of “bloc” in opposition to those led by Moscow and Tehran. The trend reflects their... MORE

Executive Summary: The October 7 Summit of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) emphasized the organization’s growing role, introducing the OTS+ format to deepen multi-vector foreign policy and advance major initiatives. Leaders discussed enhancing regional security through proposals such as a... MORE

Executive Summary: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan used the UN General Assembly to secure major agreements with U.S. companies and U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, highlighting their efforts to attract investment and strengthen international partnerships, particularly in connectivity and energy. Uzbekistan announced over $100 billion in potential... MORE

Executive Summary: Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in his annual address to the nation on September 8, announced sweeping reforms, including digitalization and the creation of a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to modernize governance and boost efficiency. The new “Digital Qazaqstan” strategy aims to unify... MORE

Executive Summary: China Railway Container Transport Corp. Ltd, on August 7, joined the Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd, a joint railway venture between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia, to facilitate the development of the Middle Corridor. Progress on the Zangezur Corridor, rebranded as Trump Route for International... MORE

The Caspian Sea, once considered a “Russian lake,” is becoming a more multipolar space. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan have expanded their navies, built new security accords with each other, and increased cooperation with Türkiye. Russia has responded with naval cooperation with Iran, but this alliance... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine aimed to reassert dominance over the former Soviet space, but Ukraine’s resistance and sustained Western support have instead weakened Moscow’s influence in the region. Moscow’s war against Ukraine has led the former Soviet republics to pursue... MORE

Executive Summary: The Caspian Sea is becoming a site of geopolitical conflict as Russia is rapidly losing its dominance over the four other littoral states: Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan have been expanding their fleets and are now entering into security... MORE

(Part Two) Executive Summary: Kazakhstan has selected Russia’s Rosatom to construct its first post-Soviet nuclear power plant (NPP), despite earlier indications that China’s CNNC would win the bid. A second plant may still be awarded to CNNC. Environmental risks, particularly regarding Kazakhstan’s nuclear legacy, the... MORE