Analytics
The transport and infrastructure initiatives of China and the European Union show signs of unfolding strategic competition in the Eurasian region. With Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe and China have lost their shortest land trade route, while the importance of the Middle Corridor has increased. Currently, the parties are interested in establishing sustainable trade routes through Central Asia and the South Caucasus, but the tone of recent statements points to the need for constructive dialogue.
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On 30 November 2023, the annual Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC) on Climate Change begins in the United Arab Emirates. Central Asia, as a region vulnerable to the effects of climate change, should actively participate in these global climate policy negotiations. The main focus of the region should be to jointly promote commitments to reduce emissions, achieve carbon neutrality, and the region’s access to climate finance. However, countries need to build capacity to realise climate pledges and restructure institutional arrangements for the transition to a green economy. (more…)
The October analytical pieces in foreign press focused on the devastating accident at an ArcelorMittal mine in Kazakhstan, another controversial law in Kyrgyzstan, repressive tactics in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, power struggles in Turkmenistan, and Russia’s gas shipments in Uzbekistan. (more…)
Turkey’s reorientation towards priority cooperation with China and Russia may complicate Central Asian countries’ interaction with the European Union, according to Eldaniz Gusseinov, a specialist in European and International Studies at the Heartland Expert Analytical Center. Commenting on the prospects of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), Gusseinov suggested that the OTS needs to look for new niches for cooperation. (more…)
In September, foreign analytical articles on Central Asia focused on regional integration, energy issues, attacks on independent press, balancing foreign relations, and the 5th Consultative meeting of the Heads of State. (more…)
As discussions intensify over Greater Eurasian integration and cooperation in transport and logistics—with a special focus on involving Central Asian nations—it’s become crucial to establish a format for meetings among Central Asian leaders to bolster regional collaboration. The Consultative Meeting of Central Asian countries, convened on September 14, 2023, serves as a foundational stone for processes in Greater Eurasia, marking significant achievements including the formation of a joint commission to oversee the execution of agreements aimed at enhancing land transport connectivity in Central Asia.
IWPR experts believe that the first summit of the Central Asian and US presidents held in New York is mainly symbolic in nature. They believe that the most important decisions for these countries will continue to be taken at the bilateral level. For the US, however, it is important for the Central Asian countries to comply with sanctions against Russia in order to prevent the export of dual-use goods to Russia. (more…)
Foreign analytical articles of August highlighted several important trends in the region, including increased civic engagement in Kazakhstan, strengthening US sanctions against companies in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan’s growing relations with international actors in the infrastructure and energy spheres, dynamics in regional cooperation, etc. (more…)
Kazakhstani authorities need to pay more attention to the consequences of nuclear testing in the Semipalatinsk region, says Aigerim Musabalinova, PhD, a national expert on children’s rights, researcher and consultant. A brief study conducted in September 2022 in the field of education revealed that there has yet to be an attempt at the state level to assess the damage done to the region and the people. (more…)
The Central Asian countries were analyzed by foreign outlets in light of Kazakhstan’s strained relations with Russia, growing authoritarianism in Kyrgyzstan, army enlisting measures in Tajikistan, new census data from Turkmenistan, presidential elections in Uzbekistan, and other important developments in the region.