Energy and Economy

 

Mitsubishi to Construct Urea Plant in Turkmenistan by 2029 

The Japanese industrial group signed a contract with Turkmenistan’s state-owned chemical company, SC Turkmenhimiya, to build a $1.3 billion urea plant on the coast of the Caspian Sea to produce up to 3,500 metric tons of urea and 2,000 metric tons of ammonia every day. The contract also included Turkish company Gap Inşaat;  the outputs from the plant will be used for the production of fertilizers.  

Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Reuters

Turkmenistan to Consider the Possibility of Implementing Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline Project 

On November 6, prior to the C5+1 Presidential Summit held in Washington, DC, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedow and U.S. President Donald Trump held bilateral discussions. The sides recognized the mutual benefits of expanding and diversifying international markets for Turkmen natural gas. It was also emphasized that after ongoing cooperation between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan concludes on the delimitation of the Caspian seabed, Turkmenistan “intends to consider the possibility of implementing the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline Project.” It was also noted that Turkmenistan intends to consider participating in the development of new opportunities for trade and transportation in the Central Asia-Caucasus region arising from the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) across the South Caucasus nations of Azerbaijan and Armenia into Türkiye and onward into Europe. 

Source: U.S. Department of State

Green Electricity Corridor Moves to Cost-Benefit Analysis by the European Union 

In the framework of a 10-year development plan, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) will consider weighing the feasibility of a joint energy project that has been proposed by a consortium of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary, and Romania. The project, titled the Black Sea Green Energy Corridor, was envisioned in 2022 and would connect Azerbaijan and Georgia to Romania via a power transmission cable. At maximum capacity, It aims to annually produce 4 gigawatts of electricity through solar and wind energy sources in Central Asia. 

Source: Eurasianet

Turkmenistan’s Electric Aspirations

Turkmen officials have announced the beginning of construction of an energy-efficient power plant on the Caspian shoreline, with the intention of producing enough electricity for domestic demands and exporting excess power. This site will contain a combined-cycle power plant with a projected annual generating capacity of about 1.6 gigawatts.  

Source: Eurasianet

High Rates of Measles Cases in Central Asia in the Past Year 

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the Central Asian states are among the countries that have the highest rates of measles cases in the world. With 1,392 cases per 1 million people, Kyrgyzstan has the highest prevalence in the world, and Kazakhstan and Tajikistan also found themselves in the top ten. Experts have reported that these countries’ reluctance to require vaccines has led to higher case rates of preventable diseases, including measles. 

Source: Eurasianet

Politics and Security  

 

C5+1 Summit and Business Conference 

All five Central Asian presidents arrived in Washington, D.C., this week for the C5+1 Summit, marking a decade since the platform’s launch in 2015. Hosted by President Donald Trump at the White House, the summit coincided with the C5+1 Business Conference at the Kennedy Center’s the REACH, which brought together senior U.S. officials, corporate executives, and investors from across the region. The 10th-anniversary meetings marked a turning point in U.S.–Central Asia relations: the announcement of the $25 billion “Deal Zone,” unveiled by the U.S. Department of Commerce, featured a dozen major trade and investment partnerships between the United States and the five Central Asian countries. The Caspian Policy Center covered the highlights and provided a complete rundown of deals and meetings last week. 

Source: Caspian Policy Center (Roundup), Caspian Policy Center (Highlights), International Trade Administration

Azerbaijan President Aliyev Receives NATO Delegation

A NATO delegation that included the permanent representatives of 13 NATO countries visited Baku, Azerbaijan, on November 6. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a meeting with the delegation. During the meeting, he highlighted efforts in Afghanistan and energy security as key areas for Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation. Aliyev also noted that after close cooperation with the Turkish army, the Azerbaijani army now meets NATO standards, underscoring the role of expanding relations between Azerbaijan and the NATO Alliance. The delegation noted that Azerbaijan is a valuable partner to NATO and congratulated President Aliyev on the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. 

Source: X, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

EU, Armenia Kickstart Visa Liberalization Action Plan  

On November 5, the European Commission’s Deputy Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs, Johannes Luchner, met with Armenia’s Interior Minister, Arpine Sargsyan, in Yerevan to present the European Union’s visa liberalization action plan for Armenia. According to Deputy Director-General Luchner, the plan contains reform measures spanning sectors from human rights to national security.  

Source: JAM-News, OC Media

President Trump Announces Kazakhstan Joining Abraham Accords 

During last week's C5+1 Summit, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords, a set of agreements aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and Muslim-majority countries. Kazakhstan will be the first Central Asian country to join. Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev explained that the significance of is country’s accession is primarily economic, describing the move as a “logical continuation” of Kazakhstan’s existing policy. On the website Truth Social, President Trump praised the decision as a major step forward for global peace and claimed to have held a call with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Tokayev.  

Source: The New York Times, Reuters