Eurasia News Digest (1-15 June, 2024)

Russia & Central Asia

Uzbekistan's Tashkent to hold 19th SCO Forum on June 5

The XIX meeting of the Forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will take place in Uzbekistan's Tashkent on June 5, chaired by the Uzbek side and organized by the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS). The Forum will address the theme, “The Role of the SCO in New Conditions: Uniting Efforts for Universal Security, Stability, and Prosperity.” Over 40 experts from 10 countries, including representatives from national research centers of SCO member states, specialists from SCO observer states and dialogue partners, and leaders from the SCO Secretariat and the SCO RATS Executive Committee, will participate. Click here to read… [2]

Russian and Kazakh legislators set up information exchange to study foreign influence

In what may prove an ominous development for non-governmental activists in Kazakhstan, Russian and Kazakh officials have established a parliamentary-level mechanism to share experience on combating “the influence of foreign agents,” according to a major Russian information agency. Interfax reported that the bilateral information exchange was agreed upon during a meeting in Almaty of the Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s Parliamentary Assembly. The report went on to quote a Russian MP, Vasily Piskarev, as saying the new mechanism would establish a regular channel to “exchange legal norms regarding the protection of sovereignty, in particular, countering foreign interference and countering the influence of foreign agents in internal politics.” Click here to read… [3]

Uzbekistan reports a big decline in Russia-bound labor migrants

In terms of the movement of people, there seems to be a lot more coming than going in Uzbekistan these days. Officials in Tashkent are reporting a surge in tourism and a steep decline in labor migration. Uzbek media is reporting the annual number of Uzbek labor migrants seeking work in Russia has fallen to about 1 million from an average in excess of 4 million a decade ago. According to presidential spokesman Sherzod Asadov, the decline reflects “the effectiveness of ongoing economic reforms.” President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s administration has also implemented a new regulatory framework designed to better manage labor flows, expand state support for unskilled laborers, and steer job seekers toward higher paying positions outside of Russia. Click here to read… [4]

Kyrgyzstan in frame for Russian gas giant's latest transit deal

Russian state controlled gas giant Gazprom has signed an expanded natural gas transportation agreement with Kazakhstan to enable shipments to landlocked Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. Gazprom said on Friday that it intends to deliver gas directly to two major gas consumers in Kyrgyzstan that operate power and heating facilities. The Russian company added that executive chairman Alexei Miller had signed an agreement with Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar to increase the reverse shipping capacity of the Central Asia-Centre (CAC) network of pipelines. The direction of flow on the network, built during the Soviet era to carry gas from Central Asia, was reversed last year to permit Gazprom to deliver gas to Uzbekistan. Click here to read… [5]

Kazakhstan contemplates $10-12bn nuclear power plant amid energy strategy overhaul

Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest nation, is considering a monumental shift in its energy strategy by embracing nuclear power as an alternative energy source at the legislative level. The construction of the first nuclear power plant is estimated to cost between $10bn-12bn. The Kazakh Energy Ministry has unveiled a proposal within the draft law on alternative energy sources. Open for public discussion until June 27, 2024, this initiative aims to overhaul the national framework for renewable energy, signaling a stride towards sustainability. Highlighting the need for legislative updates, the Ministry stressed three key challenges hindering the development of alternative energy sources in Kazakhstan. These include a low share of renewables in the country's energy mix, unfavorable conditions for non-renewable alternative energy sources, and a lack of regulatory clarity at the state level. Click here to read… [6]

China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan railway project gets off the ground

After spending some time on a sidetrack, the long-planned China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway may be ready to get back on the main line. The heads of state of the three participating nations have approved an intergovernmental agreement to transform the railway from “a vision into a reality,” according to the Xinhua news agency. It was a virtual signing ceremony for what, to date, has seemed like a chimerical project. Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov each affixed his signature to the agreement via video link. Specifics of the agreement were not immediately disclosed. Click here to read… [7]

U.S. and Central Asia Further Trade, Economic and Investment Cooperation

The 15th meeting of the U.S.-Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council was held in Astana on 13 June. TIFA was signed in Washington in June 2004 by the United States, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to expand international trade, attract foreign investment, and establish trade relations between Central Asian countries and Afghanistan. The US-Central Asian Trade and Investment Council was established within its framework. Reporting from Astana, the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration, said that the agenda had covered prospects for diversifying trade and expanding investment cooperation. Representatives of the six countries also discussed the development of new trade routes to improve supply chain resilience and diversify the economy. Click here to read… [8]

Kazakhstan to Launch $160 Million PepsiCo Snack Production Plant in 2026

Kazakhstan plans to launch a full-scale snack production plant, based on American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation PepsiCo and valued at $160 million of private foreign investment, in 2026. Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov discussed this project at a meeting with David Manzini, President of PepsiCo for Central Asia, Russia, Belarus, and the Caucasus on June 14. Set to become the largest of its kind in Central Asia, the plant will be built in the Almaty Region and will produce salty snacks, including Lays potato chips. Its initial capacity will be up to 16,000 tons of finished products annually, with an increase to 21,000 tons projected for 2027. During construction, up to a thousand people will be employed, and the operational phase will create approximately 350 qualified jobs. Click here to read… [9]

Central Asian States rally for water and climate solutions Subtitle: Dushanbe Forum tackles critical water and climate challenges, signaling a united regional approach

The high-level Central Asian Forum on 'Water and Climate Change', organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the European Union and the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan, has become a cornerstone of the 3rd High-level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” 2018-2028. The region's reliance on glaciers and snowmelt for approximately 90 percent of its water resources is at risk due to climate change, with projections of a 20 percent decrease in freshwater availability by 2050. The Forum facilitated vital discussions among government representatives, development partners, and stakeholders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Click here to read… [10]

Iran and the South Caucasus

Kazakhstan Works with Armenia and Azerbaijan for South Caucasus Peace

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev hosted peace talks between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers. These constructive negotiations were strictly bilateral, with Kazakhstan absent from the room and only providing the venue for the meeting. The event illustrates the dedication by Tokayev and his foreign policy to regional stability and mediation. Kazakhstan has done this sort of thing in the past; it hosted Russia–Turkey–Iran talks over Syria until last year. It was also mentioned as a place for bilateral Russia–Ukraine negotiations, although that idea never materialized. Click here to read… [11]

Ilham Aliyev held one-on-one meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara

Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held a one-on-one meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, in Ankara. The heads of state hailed the successful development of brotherly, friendly, and allied relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye in all areas. During the meeting, the Presidents discussed the expansion of energy, transportation, economic, and trade relations between the two countries, as well as cooperation in defense, military industry, and other fields. They particularly noted the expansion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway's capabilities and emphasized the importance of the joint activities carried out by the two countries regarding the development of the Middle Corridor. Click here to read… [12]

Violence erupts in Armenia

Dozens were injured in clashes between protesters and security forces near the National Assembly building on June 12 following an announcement by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that a peace deal with Azerbaijan is close to being finalized. Pashinyan defended the actions of police, insisting they acted “strictly within the framework of the law.” Armenia and Azerbaijan have held multiple rounds of talks aimed at delimiting their mutual border and agreeing on a lasting settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. As part of the peace process, Pashinyan, earlier in 2024 agreed to a territorial handover to Azerbaijan that sparked widespread domestic opposition. Speaking with Armenian journalists, Pashinyan described the draft treaty text as “quite mature.” Click here to read… [13]

Russian court declares Georgian Legion a terrorist organization

The court of the Russian Federation declared the Georgian Legion a terrorist organization and put it on the list of terrorist organizations, Russian media reports based on the press service of the Federal Security Service. “Based on the evidence collected by FSB, the military court declared the paramilitary group Georgian National Legion as a terrorist organization. On the basis of this decision and the federal law on combating terrorism, the group was put on the unified federal list of organizations recognized as terrorist organizations in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation,” – the FSB said. According to their information, the formation was created in 2014 under the patronage of the Main Intelligence Division of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and currently, its members participate in hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and also participate in the organization of subversive and terrorist acts on the territory of Russia. Click here to read… [14]