During the period of existence of the present Central Asian republics within the unified socialist state, the distribution of electric power was solved, taking into account the needs of all republics and total economic efficiency. At that time, the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic’s sole headquarters oversaw the Central Asian energy system, which functioned outside from the USSR energy system. Because the Republican and economic district lines did not quite align, few people were able to “pull the blanket on themselves.” However, everyone was given what they needed, neither more nor less…

On 3 November 2023, the 10^th anniversary summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) began in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Following its results, a number of documents were signed – such as the “Astana Act”, “Declaration of the 10th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States”, “Decision of the Heads of State on awarding the status of Financial Centres of the Turkic World”, “Decision on granting observer status to the Economic Cooperation Organization in the Organization of Turkic States”, as well as “Joint Action Plan (road map) of the Organization of Turkic…

The ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine (and NATO) has brought many changes to the global political order, with many states shifting their alliances in favor of new ones. More recently, the West, i.e., the US and the EU, have begun to renew their engagement with countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The belief that because Russia is busy in Ukraine and there is a vacuum in the region, the ongoing regional and global scenario presents an optimal situation for them to exploit. A recent report in the US-government run United States Institute of Peace said that “Central Asian…

The ever-expanding list of Western sanctions on Russia has an unexpected and less-than-desirable effect. Central Asian countries are experiencing unheard-of growth due to Russian businesses and investors moving to the region. A brief look at Tajikistan’s 7.5% GDP growth, Uzbekistan’s predicted 6.5%, Kazakhstan at 5%, followed by Kyrgyzstan with 4.6%, and the brilliant economic warfare waged by the West is a losing proposition. North Americans and Europeans are the only people being hurt by the proxy war in Ukraine and its economic facets…

The first summit between the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) was held recently in the Saudi city of Jeddah, and generated considerable media interest in the Middle East. Observers in the region have described the summit as “historic,” “promising” and “having a great potential.” They cite the joint declaration approved in the final session of the summit. In this document the two groups of nations emphasize…

The China-Central Summit held last month attracted a lot of international attention. In the West, the summit was seen as a major step towards Chinese consolidation in the otherwise resource-rich region historically dominated by Russia. More specifically, the Western mainstream media, or Western political pundits, saw the summit as Beijing’s bid to fill the so-called ‘void’ created by Russia’s preoccupation with Ukraine. The argument presented to the Western audience says that China is “replacing” Russia in Central Asia. Thus, the China-Russia alliance…

In an attempt to maintain its waning global influence the United States does not lessen its desire to strengthen itself in Central Asia (CA), which remains one of the most important arenas of conflict with Russia and China. And this was amply confirmed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s actions in Astana on February...

Against the background of the developments in Ukraine in recent days, the US, in the context of adjusting its policy in Central Asia (CA), urgently convened a C5+1 online meeting on February 28, with the participation of foreign ministers: Kazakhstan’s Mukhtar Tileuberdi, Kyrgyzstan’s Ruslan Kazakbaev, Tajikistan’s Sirojiddin...