Central Asia Digest | April 2024
Political Developments British Foreign Secretary David Cameron paid a five-day visit to all five Central Asian states (and Mongolia). This was the first time a British foreign secretary ever visited Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, and the first to visit Uzbekistan since 1997. Prior to Cameron’s tour, the government said the foreign secretary would use […]
Central Asia Digest | January 2024
Political Developments Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Beijing and announced that China and Uzbekistan will develop an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era, and promote the building of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future from a higher starting point. They asserted that the two sides […]
Central Asia Digest | December 2023
Political Developments The global significance of Central Asia has been steadily growing. The past year, marked by the tumultuous war in Ukraine and the ensuing confrontation between Russia and the West, has not only reshaped Eurasia’s political landscape but has also highlighted the increasingly critical role of Central Asia in the intricate balance of […]
Central Asia Digest | November 2023
Political Developments On a visit to Kazakhstan, French President Emmanuel Macron in a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, praised Kazakhstan for refusing to support Moscow in the Ukraine crisis. Kazakhstan has established itself as a major link in the new China-Europe trade route that circumvents Russia and as a substitute supplier of crude to […]
Central Asia Digest | September 2023
HIGHLIGHTS ● Political Developments● Economic Developments● India-Central Asia Relations Political Developments President Biden became the first U.S. president to meet with leaders from five Central Asian nations in a group on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session on 19th September, 2023. President Biden termed the meeting as a ‘historic moment.’ Even though the […]
Central Asia Digest | August 2023
HIGHLIGHTS ● Political Developments ● Economic Developments ● India-Central Asia Relations Political Developments Turkmenistan warned Russia against trying to extend its influence over the Central Asia-China natural gas supply chain after Moscow said more countries could join its “gas union” with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan all pump gas to China via a […]
Central Asia Digest | July 2023
HIGHLIGHTS ● Political Developments● Economic Developments● India-Central Asia Relations Political Developments In mid-July, the heads of state of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—and the five Central Asian republics (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) convened in Jeddah for the first summit between the two regions. […]
Central Asia Digest | June 2023
HIGHLIGHTS ● Political Developments● Economic Developments● India-Central Asia Relations Political Developments Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recently rejected his Belarusian counterpart’s proposal to join the Russia-Belarus “Union State,” calling the offer a “joke.” The proposal came after Russia decided to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus for the first time since the fall of the Soviet […]
Central Asia Digest | May 2023
HIGHLIGHTS ● Political Developments● Economic Developments● India-Central Asia Relations Political Developments The first in-person China-Central Asia (C+C5) Summit was held in the north-western Chinese city of Xi’an on 18th-19th May. The Summit marked “the first diplomatic event that China will host this year.” China had organized a virtual C+C5 Summit on 25th January, 2022. Presidents of China, […]
Central Asia Digest | April 2023
HIGHLIGHTS ● Political Developments● Economic Developments● India-Central Asia Relations Political Developments The growing resentment towards China’s debt diplomacy and land encroachment in Central Asia has resulted in over 150 anti-China protests in recent years, with Kyrgyzstan being the worst affected, followed by Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Experts suggest the number could rise due to rising unemployment […]