Energy and Economy 

Kazakhstan Will Ship Oil Through Georgia after Drone Attacks on the CPC Pipeline 

Tengizchevroil oil exports will continue through the Batumi Port in Georgia after drone attacks on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, which handles over 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports. 20,000 tons of oil from Kazakhstan’s Tengiz oil field are currently enroute to KazTransOil’s oil terminal at Batumi Port, where it will be loaded onto tankers and shipped across the Black Sea to Türkiye.  

Source: Fergana.News  

SOCAR Buys Itochu’s Stake in ACG Joint Venture 

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR)’s stake in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) oil fields venture has increased from 31.65 percent to 35.3 percent after SOCAR’s purchase of Itochu’s stake. Itochu is a private Japanese investment company that acquired its 3.65 percent stake in the project in 1996. ACG is operated by British Petroleum, but SOCAR has the largest share of the project, which operates on Azerbaijan’s largest oil field.  

Source: News.az 

Cove Capital Announces Feasibility Study for Tungsten Project in Kazakhstan  

Cove Kaz Capital Group LLC stated that it commenced a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) of the Northern Katpar tungsten project in July 2026, with projected DFS completion at the end of 2027. The company signed contracts with several engineering firms to oversee the study and assess the project, including DRA Global, ERM, and Knight Piésold. The purpose of the DFS is to assess any geological obstacles, sustainability, and potential externalities from extraction. Cove Capital owns a 70 percent stake of the deposit, which are held by Severny Katpar LLC, and initial estimates of the deposit indicate around 1.4 million tons of tungsten trioxide.   

Source: Business Wire  

Tajikistan and China Discuss Petroleum Cooperation 

Tajikistani and Chinese officials discussed importing petroleum products from China on July 29. Tajikistan's Minister of Energy and Water Resources and China's Ambassador to Tajikistan met in Dushanbe to enhance economic and energy cooperation. Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev simultaneously met in Astana to discuss sending additional Kazakh petroleum products to Tajikistan. On July 10, Tajikistan noted that it had sufficient fuel for only 60 days. These negotiations seek to resolve the urgent crisis caused by strikes on Russian fuel infrastructure. 

Source: The Caspian Post, The Times of Central Asia 

Kazakhstan Raises OPEC+ Crude Oil Production Target 

Kazakhstan's OPEC+ production target will rise by 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) in September to 1.628 million bpd, as seven producers agreed to a combined increase of 188,000 bpd. The move completes the restoration of 1.65 million bpd in voluntary cuts first announced in April 2023. 

Source: The Times of Central Asia 

Trans-Caspian Fiber-Optic Cable Installation Begins 

Installation has officially begun on the Trans-Caspian Fiber-Optic Communication Line that will connect Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. The project represents a major milestone in regional digital connectivity. The subsea cable is being laid from Sumgayit toward Aktau after being transported from Kazakhstan’s Port of Kuryk. Once completed, the cable is expected to strengthen and secure high-capacity data transmission between Central Asia and the South Caucasus and enhance the development of the Middle Corridor as both a transportation and digital connectivity corridor linking Asia and Europe. According to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, subsea cable installation is expected to take 15–20 days under favorable weather conditions, while commissioning and further technological works and eventual commissioning are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. 

Source: Vestnik Kavkaza 

Politics and Security 

Central Asian, Azerbaijani Presidents Sign Declaration at Cholpon-Ata Consultative Meeting 

On July 31, the six Central Asian and Azerbaijani heads of state convened to sign the Cholpon-Ata Declaration at the annual Consultative Meeting. The Declaration reaffirms the presidents’ commitment to strengthening regional cooperation and security, sustainable development, and building up regional transportation corridors. During the meeting, they also discussed regional trade, tourism, energy and energy security, and development goals. 

Source: Fergana.News, Andalou Ajansi 

Armenia Elects New Speaker of Parliament and Appoints Members of New Government 

Armenia’s newly elected parliament selected Ruben Rubinyan as its new speaker on August 3. Rubinyan served as Armenia’s Special Representative for the normalization of relations with Türkiye from 2022 to 2026. Armenia’s President Vahagn Khachaturyan, who has served as president since 2022, also announced the ministers in the country’s new government, including the reappointment of Mher Grigoryan and Tigran Khachatryan as deputy prime ministers, along with Ararat Mirzoyan as foreign minister. Khachaturyan also officially declared Pashinyan as prime minister on August 2.  

Sources: hetq.am, Public Radio of Armenia 

Two Injured in Demining Operation in Azerbaijan 

Two Azerbaijani citizens were injured Monday when a landmine exploded in the village of Chardakhli, Azerbaijan. The men were carrying out demining work in the Aghdara District, which Azerbaijan captured as part of its 2023 offensive against the breakaway self-declared state of Artsakh. Local and international organizations have been working together to clear the mines, most of which were laid during conflicts in the 1990s. So far, 433 people have become victims of landmines in Azerbaijan since the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020. 

Source: Azernews, Azernews 

Kazakhstan Releases its First Amur Tiger into the Wild  

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology announced the reintroduction of its first tiger into the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve. The Amur tiger, an adult female named Umit, is one of four wild-caught tigers acquired from Russia in May 2025. After the extinction of the Caspian, or Turan, tiger in 1948, Kazakhstan is aiming to reintroduce the apex predator to its forests and plains, and Amur tigers have nearly identical genetic sequencing.  

Source: Kazinform