Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the European Union of attempting to drive Russia out of Central Asia, and said the bloc was failing, in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

Moscow’s sway over a region it considers its sphere of influence has waned since the offensive in Ukraine, with Europe, Russia, China, Turkey and Iran all vying for influence in Central Asia.

“The European Union isn’t hiding its intentions to restrain [Russia] in every possible way and push it out of Central Asia and the South Caucasus,” Lavrov said.

“These attempts are futile. We have been historically present there and are not going to disappear,” he said.

Lavrov was giving an interview on the sidelines of a visit to Kazakhstan this week, during which Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The Russian leadership’s trip to Kazakhstan came a week after a separate visit to the country by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The French leader had praised a country “which refuses to be at the bottom of the subjugation of a few powers,” an implied reference to Russia.

Lavrov responded, saying Macron’s statements were “quite brazen, for diplomatic language.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Western countries were investing in Central Asia for the sake of ousting Russia.

Former Soviet republics in Central Asia – which are seeking to diversify their international partnerships – saw a flurry of diplomatic activity this week, including with the Turkish and Iranian leaders visiting Uzbekistan.

Source: South China Morning Post

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Turkmen Ambassador to Pakistan, Atajan Movlamov, and acting Pakistani Foreign Minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani, has met to discuss the implementation of joint energy projects.

During their meeting in Islamabad, they touched upon the current state of bilateral relations and the progress of significant joint energy initiatives. Both sides expressed their readiness to enhance ties across various areas of mutual interest, as reported by the Turkmen news website Orient.tm on September 5.

The Pakistani minister lauded Turkmenistan’s foreign policy and emphasized the significance of gas pipeline projects connecting the two nations with neighboring countries like Afghanistan and India for Pakistan’s energy needs. He also underscored the importance of collaborative ventures such as TAPI (Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan – India) and TAP (Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan) for Pakistan.

Earlier, on June 8, Turkmenistan and Pakistan inked a joint plan in Islamabad to expedite the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.

During a meeting with a Turkmen delegation, led by Minister of State and Chairman of the state gas company Turkmengaz, Maksat Babayev, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed the Pakistani government’s commitment to hastening the completion of the TAPI gas pipeline and TAP power transmission line projects, which are pivotal in meeting the country’s energy requirements.

At the ceremony, the prime minister described TAPI as a “highly significant project” for regional prosperity and envisioned it ushering in a new era of regional cooperation. Sharif also pledged that every effort would be made to accelerate the implementation of TAPI.

In late April, Turkmenistan initiated the export of liquefied gas to Pakistan through Afghanistan’s Kandahar for the first time. Initially, 50 gas tankers were transported from Turkmenistan.

Mohammad Yunus Mohmand, the head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, noted that gas had previously been transported to Pakistan through Iran. According to him, “with the resumption of power by the Islamic Emirate,” the country has emerged as a safe transit route, facilitating substantial exports in this direction.

Yasser Basir, an international firm, commenced the export of natural gas, involving 50 gas tankers, each carrying 30 tons of gas, from Turkmenistan to Kandahar. Subsequently, the gas was sent to Pakistan through the Spin Boldak land port. While the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project remains stalled, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce has confirmed the successful export of Turkmen gas from Afghanistan to Pakistan via trucks.

Once completed, the TAPI pipeline aims to connect Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and India via Afghanistan. Spanning 1,830 kilometers, the project is expected to annually deliver 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Galkynysh, the world’s second-largest gas field, to the Indian city of Fazilka, near the Pakistan border.

The Afghan segment of the pipeline will traverse from the northwest border with Turkmenistan southward through the western city of Herat and on to Kandahar, near the Pakistan border. Despite its inception in Afghanistan in 2018 while the Taliban was in conflict with the Western-backed government in Kabul, the Taliban administration has pledged its support for the project, considering it a vital component of the nation’s future economic infrastructure.

Source: Caspian News

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AKIPRESS.COM – Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin received Ambassador of Iran Mohammad Taghi Saberi due to completion of his diplomatic mission on August 21.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state and prospects of expanding bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Iran, the Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan reported.

The Minister thanked the Ambassador of Iran for the joint fruitful work and expressed confidence that he will further make significant contribution to the expansion of the multifaceted Tajik-Iranian cooperation.

Source: Akipress

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ASTANA – Kazakhstan is committed to continuing a balanced multi-vector pragmatic foreign policy aimed at preventing current signs of geopolitical fragmentation of the international community, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu said at an Aug. 18 meeting with heads of  the United Nations representative offices accredited in the country, reported the Foreign Ministry.

During his visit to the UN Plaza building in Almaty, Nurtleu congratulated on the 30th anniversary of the UN presence in Kazakhstan and highlighted the high level of interaction between the parties during this period.

The minister recalled Kazakhstan’s initiative to establish the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.

“I believe this center will become a catalyst for achieving sustainable development and prosperity in the region,” he said.

Given that the UN agencies based in Almaty have a regional mandate, the meeting covered issues of regional cooperation within the UN and ongoing projects addressing relevant challenges in Central Asia.

The UN representatives provided updates on the organization’s activities and development priorities, expressing their willingness to support Kazakhstan’s efforts to ensure sustainable development at the regional and national levels.

The UN Plaza building in Almaty was officially inaugurated in 2019 by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. It houses 18 agencies employing more than 120 people.

Source: Astana Times

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UZBEKISTAN, July 2 – The Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan received the President of the Turkic Investment Fund

Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov today met with President of the Turkic Investment Fund and former Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTG) Baghdad Amreev.

Glad to meet H.E. Baghdad Amreyev, the President of the Turkic Investment Fund and former Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, the Uzbek Foreign Minister wrote on his telegram channel. “We exchanged thoughts on how to build more substantial financial ties and investment cooperation among OTS member states.”

Recall that on November 10-11, 2022, in the city of Samarkand, under the chairmanship of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a meeting of the heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States was held, the theme of which was “A new era of Turkic civilization: on the way to common progress and prosperity”. As a result of the summit, the Samarkand Declaration was adopted, aimed at further expanding multifaceted cooperation within the organization.

In addition, a decision was made to approve the candidacy of Kubanychbek Omuraliev for the position of Secretary General of the UTC.

Source: EIN News

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AKIPRESS.COM – Ambassador of Tajikistan to Turkmenistan Niyatbekzoda Vafo presented copies of his credentials to Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov.

After presentation of copies of credentials, a bilateral meeting of the Ambassador with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan took place.

During the meeting, the parties discussed relevant aspects of bilateral cooperation.

The parties also exchanged views on further prospects of bilateral cooperation in political, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian, scientific and other areas of mutual interest.

Source: Akipress

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