Eurasia News Digest (1-15 February, 2024)

Russia and Central Asia

Condor Energies secures gas field contract in Uzbekistan

Condor Energies Inc. (TSX: CDR), a Canadian energy company, has announced a contract with Uzbekistan to enhance production at a cluster of natural gas-condensate fields. The deal with the Uzbekistan government involves increasing domestic natural gas supply and aims to improve recovery rates while reducing carbon emissions. The project, in collaboration with JSC Uzbekneftegaz, Uzbekistan's national oil and gas company, will see Condor implementing advanced technologies and operating techniques similar to those used in Western Canada. The company is set to receive a share of net revenues from the increased production, in return for covering all project costs. Click here to read... [2]

Kazakhstan, Australia to Co-Chair IAEA International Conference on Nuclear Security in May

Kazakhstan and Australia will host the International Conference on Nuclear Safety (ICONS-2024) under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on May 20-24 in Vienna, reported the Foreign Ministry’s press service on Feb. 5. Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations (UN) Mukhtar Tileuberdi and Permanent Representative of Australia to the UN Ian Biggs held a joint briefing on Feb. 5 on the ICONS-2024 preparation in the UN office in Vienna. According to the ministry, the event will be one of the key events in Vienna, bringing together the heads of foreign services and relevant ministries and more than 2,000 nuclear security experts from 178 IAEA member states. Click here to read... [3]

Turkmenistan Sends 2,000 Tons of Liquefied Gas To Kyrgyzstan

On February 5th, 57 tank railcars with 2,000 tons of liquefied gas arrived in Kyrgyzstan as humanitarian aid from Turkmenistan, to help Bishkek recover after an explosion at its thermal power plant on February 2nd. Three workers at the power plant were seriously injured in the explosion, which left parts of the city without hot water and heating. After the accident, neighboring Kazakhstan increased the supply of electricity from its Zhambyl power plant to Kyrgyzstan, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said on February 3rd. Click here to read... [4]

Kazakh President Accepts Government's Resignation

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the government's resignation on Monday Feb 5, his office said in a statement, naming Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar as acting prime minister. Tokayev's office did not say why the cabinet had resigned. Government reshuffles are routine in the oil-rich Central Asian nation where much of the political power is concentrated in the hands of the president. Click here to read... [5]

Putin Will Visit Turkey Soon to Discuss New Black Sea Grain Export Ideas for Ukraine, Minister Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey soon, the Turkish foreign minister said late Sunday. It would be Putin’s first trip to a NATO country since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the A Haber private TV channel that Putin's meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will focus on a new way to allow Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea. He did not mention a date for the visit, but Turkish media has reported that Putin will come on Feb. 12. Click here to read... [6]

Kazakhstan And Kyrgyzstan Address Border and Water Issues

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan will be working together to open an additional checkpoint for goods vehicles on their countries’ border. They are also set to further their cooperation in the water and energy sectors. These agreements were reached at a meeting between the Kazakh prime minister, Alikhan Smailov, and the chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s cabinet of ministers Akylbek Japarov in Almaty on February 1st. Kyrgyzstan has complained for years about long lines at the Kazakh border for its cargo trucks bringing goods to Russia through Kazakhstan. The most recent big traffic jam occurred on the Kyrgyz side of the border in August 2023, when more than 600 trucks were stuck at the crossing. Click here to read... [7]

Japarov Accuses U.S. Of Interfering in Kyrgyzstan's Internal Affairs

Kyrgyzstan has published the text of a letter by President Sadyr Japarov to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in which the Central Asian nation's leader accused the United States of interfering in his country's internal affairs. On February 9, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said minister Jeenbek Kulubaev met with the U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Lesslie Viguerie and handed over Japarov's response to a letter by Blinken that reportedly expressed concern over ongoing discussions by Kyrgyz lawmakers of a controversial bill that would allow authorities to register organizations as "foreign representatives," legislation that critics say mirrors repressive Russian laws on "foreign agents." Click here to read... [8]

Inaugural C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue among the United States and Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan

On February 8th, the U.S. Department of State hosted the inaugural meeting of the C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue (CMD), an initiative announced by President Biden and the presidents of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan at the September 19, 2023, C5+1 Presidential Summit in New York. Following the largest mining conference in Africa, Mining Indaba, where Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez advanced cooperation on securing and strengthening critical mineral supply chains, he chaired the C5+1 discussion on goals and objectives of the CMD, which will seek to increase the region’s involvement in global critical minerals supply chains, strengthen economic cooperation, and advance the clean energy transition, while also protecting Central Asia’s unique ecosystems. Click here to read... [9]

World Bank Initiates Caspian Sea Research to Address Looming Crisis

he World Bank intends to conduct research on the study of the decline in the Caspian Sea level, one of the urgent problems for the region’s community, reported Aktau port’s press service on Feb. 7. “Our goal is to find answers to several questions: is the decline due to reduced inflows from key rivers, amplified evaporation rates driven by climate change, or just a cyclical fluctuation? The implications are profound, affecting both the environment and the critical trade routes the Caspian Sea supports,” wrote Victor Aragones, senior transport economist at the World Bank, in a social media post. Click here to read... [10]

Time for the U.S. to Cement a “Nuclear-Weapon-Free” Central Asia

The Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (CANWFZ) Treaty, which came into force in 2009, represented a significant advance in international efforts to limit nuclear proliferation. Initiated by the five Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—it aims to enhance regional and global security by guaranteeing that the region remains free of nuclear weapons. In May 2014, all five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council signed a Protocol to the CANWFZ Treaty (the permanent five include China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, who also happen to be five signatories of the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT, that have nuclear weapons). This Protocol legally binds them not to use or to threaten to use nuclear weapons against any of the CANWFZ signatories – i.e., the above-listed five Central Asian countries. Click here to read... [11]

Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan Move to Simplify Travel Rules for Each Other’s Citizens

Citizens of Uzbekistan will now be able to stay in Azerbaijan without registration for up to 15 days, according to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. The same rules apply to citizens of Azerbaijan in Uzbekistan, due to a protocol entering into force that amends an agreement between the government of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan on visa-free travel. Previously, the period of stay without registration in Uzbekistan was five days, and in Azerbaijan for Uzbeks — 10 days. The visa-free regime between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan is already in force: Uzbeks can stay in Azerbaijan for no more than 90 days, and Azeris in Uzbekistan for no more than 30 days. Click here to read... [12]

Iran and the South Caucasus

Pashinyan chairs EEU prime ministerial meeting in Kazakhstan

The Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting, a prime ministerial session of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) chaired by Armenia’s Nikol Pashinyan has kicked off in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Armenia holds the EEU presidency for 2024. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov and Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko are participating in the meeting. Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Zhaparov cancelled his trip to Kazakhstan to return to his country because of an emergency situation at a power plant in Bishkek. His deputy Adylbek Kasymaliyev is representing Kyrgyzstan at the meeting. Click here to read... [13]

Azerbaijan, Serbia sign bilateral military cooperation plan

At the meeting held at the International Military Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Defense, the current situation and development prospects of military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Serbia were discussed, as well as a detailed exchange of views on topics of mutual interest was held, the Defense Ministry’s press service told News.Az. At the end of the meeting, a Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan between the Defense Ministries of Azerbaijan and Serbia for 2024 was signed. Click here to read... [14]

Baku, Yerevan Hold Latest Round of Talks on Border Delimitation

Senior Armenian and Azerbaijani officials held another round of direct talks on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, a key hurdle to a comprehensive peace deal between the two nations. The sixth joint session of Armenian and Azerbaijani government commissions on border demarcation and delimitation took place on January 31 at a section of the heavily militarized frontier. It was co-chaired by Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Shahin Mustfayev. The two sides issued very short and identical statements that shed no light on the agenda of the negotiations and gave no other details. Nor did they report any agreements. Click here to read... [15]

SSSG Says it Intercepted Bomb Shipment from Ukraine to Russia via Georgia

The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) announced on February 5 that it has seized special explosive devices and a large amount of explosive substances as a result of operational search and investigation activities. At the special briefing the Head of the Counterterrorism Department, Bacha Mgeladze, said that two electric car batteries had been seized which has been used as containers to store a total of six special explosive devices. According to the SSSG, MIA forensic unit determined that the seized explosive devices contained C-4, a plastic explosive substance used in military combat units for demolition. It is activated by a special electronic detonator and a special timer. Both detonators and timers, six in all, were found in the containers. Click here to read... [16]

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister meets with Secretary General of SCO

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov met with Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Zhang Ming, who is on a visit to our country in connection with the observation of the extraordinary election of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. During the meeting, the prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the SCO, as well as issues related to the extraordinary presidential election were discussed. Click here to read... [17]

BP plans to drill 18 wells in the Caspian Sea in 2024

BP-Azerbaijan plans to drill 12 production wells in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) field block in 2024, said BP Vice President for Wells in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey Jim O'Leary. “In 2024, it is planned to drill 18 wells on the ACG block, including 12 production wells, 3 water injection wells, 2 gas injection wells and one well as part of the deep-gas project,” O’Leary said on Friday at the IADS Drilling Caspian conference in Baku. According to him, in 2023 the company drilled 17 wells on the ACG block, including 9 production wells. Click here to read... [18]

Irakli Kobakhidze officially becomes Georgia PM

The Parliament of Georgia expressed confidence in the new government led by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, reports Georgia News. In addition to the prime minister, there is another change in the new government. Juansher Burchuladze has been replaced by deputy chairperson of the parliament, Irakli Chikovani, as Minister of Defense. Kobakhidze, 45, has become the seventh prime minister of the Georgian Dream Party, which has been in power in Georgia since the fall of 2012. His predecessor, Irakli Garibashvili, was appointed to this position twice. Click here to read... [19]

Azerbaijan's Aliyev Officially Wins by a Landslide in an Election that Monitors Say Was Restrictive

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has officially won another term in office with 92.12% of the vote, the country’s Central Election Commission. Election monitors, however, have expressed concern about the vote. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said that the election took place in a restrictive environment with no real political competition. Aliyev has been in power for more than 20 years. He had called an early vote while he was enjoying a surge in popularity after his forces swiftly reclaimed the Karabakh region from ethnic Armenian separatists who had controlled it for three decades. He is now heading into another seven-year term in office. Click here to read... [20]

Russia to Pursue “Normalization with Georgia” Despite Absence of Diplomatic Relations

In his interview with the Russian news agency TASS published on February 10, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin said that “Russia intends to further facilitate the normalization of ties with Georgia” despite the absence of diplomatic relations, the restoration of which is “unfortunately…subject to political demands that contradict the new realities in the region.” The Russian deputy Foreign Minister noted “the positive dynamics of trade and economic interaction” between two countries. According to him, “the difficult period” between Georgia and Russia, caused by “the well-known provocation of Georgian radicals in 2019” has been overcome “thanks to the pragmatism of the Georgian authorities.” Click here to read... [21]