Latest Articles about Central Asia
ENERGY SECURITY DOMINATES SUMMER SUMMIT SCHEDULE
In mid-June, the heads of one North American, some Eurasian, and most European states travel non-stop, seeking to patch holes in the laboriously spun networks of cooperation. Russian President Vladimir Putin last week shook hands in the Kremlin with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and... MORE
CHINA EYES RUSSIA, CENTRAL ASIAN STATES AS SOURCE OF CHEAP ELECTRICITY
To feed its growing energy demands, Beijing views Russia and Central Asia as potential sources of low-cost electricity, prompting Russian officials to boost electricity exports to China. Central Asian states, notably Kyrgyzstan, are also attracted to China's massive energy market. China seeks to import electricity... MORE
TURKMEN GAS PRICE HIKE: IMPLICATIONS FOR RUSSIA AND EUROPE
On June 21, the government of Turkmenistan announced that it proposes to steeply raise the price of gas it sells to Gazprom: from $65 per 1,000 cubic meters at present to $100 in the second half of 2006. The volume of deliveries would remain constant... MORE
OIL TANKER SHIPMENTS — THE SHORT-TERM DEFAULT FOR TRANS-CASPIAN OIL
The agreement to connect Kazakhstan with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil transport system, signed by the Kazakh and Azeri presidents on June 19, brings the Caspian basin's eastern shore into the East-West energy corridor. This move took eight years of American political and energy diplomacy to accomplish,... MORE
KYRGYZ POLITICIANS BEGIN TO BREAK TIES TO CRIMINAL WORLD
Organized criminal groups in Kyrgyzstan have significantly weakened since the death of criminal kingpin Rysbek Akmatbayev on May 10. According to Deputy Minister of Interior Omurbek Suvanaliyev, today Kyrgyz law-enforcement agencies are able to curb criminal organizations and thwart the merger of the political and... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN-AZERBAIJAN OIL TRANSPORT AGREEMENT: NOT YET HISTORIC, BUT MIGHT BECOME SO
On June 16 in Almaty, Presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan signed a framework agreement to create a trans-Caspian "Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan oil transport system" that would feed Kazakh oil into the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. The agreement is being described as "historic" by the... MORE
KARIMOV GAMBLES ON RUSSIA, CHINA, AND GERMANY
Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov has staked much on his efforts to strengthen and sustain relations with both Russia and China. He predictably talked up Uzbekistan's ties with China during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Shanghai on June 15-16. Nonetheless, behind the scenes Karimov... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN SEEKS IRAN’S RECONCILIATION WITH THE WEST
During his June 6 visit to Tehran Kazakh Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev extended a message of friendship from President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In the letter the Kazakh leader emphasized that the Iranian nuclear crisis goes beyond Tehran's long-standing confrontation with Washington... MORE
KYRGYZ DEFENSE MINISTER CALLS FOR MORE FOREIGN AID
Kyrgyz Defense Minister Ismail Isakov has called for an increase in the levels of foreign assistance to help the beleaguered Kyrgyz armed forces. These appeals are rooted in his conviction that the Kyrgyz economy cannot afford the type of armed forces and security structures necessary... MORE
MOSCOW, GAZPROM COMBINE TO MOVE AHEAD OF UKRAINE IN BUYING TURKMEN EXPORTS
Russia is now Turkmenistan's top foreign trade partner thanks to sizable purchases of Turkmen natural gas in the first three months of 2006. Russia imported Turkmen goods worth $754 million (or 58% of all Turkmen exports), followed by Iran ($152 million or 12%), and Turkey... MORE