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In this review, we reflect on the tumultuous yet diplomatically active year of 2023, a period marked by heightened global interest and a flurry of significant agreements and initiatives in Central Asia. As we pivot to 2024, a year potentially less auspicious on the global stage, we anticipate a shift in focus towards the domestic policy priorities of world powers. This recalibration, however, comes with its own set of challenges, given the longstanding unresolved issues in Central Asia. While a temporary lull in international conflicts might offer a reprieve, nations in the region must remain alert and strategically prepare for emerging hurdles. The effective management of internal affairs will be pivotal in ensuring continued peace and stability across the region.
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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…)
Power sector is one of the most attractive sectors of Kazakhstan economy for Chinese investors. The volume of investments from China to this sphere has already exceeded 25 billion dollars in the last 17 years. China is interested not only in petroleum and gas projects, but also in renewable energy, which is of special interest to Kazakhstan.
China’s decision to speed up construction of the D gas pipeline Turkmenistan-China running through the territory of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan marks a significant step in expanding its participation in the power sector of Central Asia.
President Biden’s administration is trying to use the rapidly changing geopolitical situation in Central Asia to its advantage, said Parviz Mullodzhanov, Ph.D., a political scientist, orientalist and independent researcher from Tajikistan. An important US motive is the desire to block the flow of sanctioned goods to Russia through Central Asia, Parviz Mullodzhanov said commenting on the outcome of the first C5+1 summit. (more…)
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…)
Kazakhstan’s civil society is eying the rapprochement with China with suspicion. This is primarily because people don’t trust their own elites, said Temur Umarov, a researcher at the Carnegie Moscow Centre for Russian and Eurasian Studies in Berlin.
Central Asia became more attractive for Beijing since the Russian invasion of Ukraine made the northern trade routes unavailable to use for China. Growing vacuum of influence in the region is going to be filled by China, believes Brian Carlson, the head of the Global Security Team at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) think tank. (more…)
As Moscow’s grip falters, and Beijing ups its influence, the region is seeing intriguing moves towards collective agreement and integration. (more…)