For most of Russia’s neighbours, the conflict between Moscow and Kiev opens ... ... role. The Ukrainian crisis has strengthened the status of Ankara.
Azerbaijan is another winning player. Baku maintains partnership ... ... The balance of losses and gains for Georgia is not yet obvious.
Kazakhstan also plays the role of a hub for Russian business. Here,... ... affect economic growth.
Finally, two other neighbouring countries, Iran and North Korea, should be mentioned. Tehran has a unique ...
Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and Turkmenistan met recently to sign the convention on the legal status of the resource-rich Caspian Sea, a document more than two decades in the making. Meeting in the Kazakh coastal town of Aktau in mid-August, the leaders of the ...
... disagreements between the parties involved.
There have also been some positive moves towards resolving the Caspian problems. On 18 November 2010, for example, an agreement on cooperation in the field of security in the Caspian Sea was signed by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Azerbaijan Republic, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan. Within the framework of this agreement the different sides agreed to cooperate in fighting terrorism, organised crime, the illegal movement of weapons of any kind and of ammunition, explosives and toxic substances ...
... creating a mechanism for imposing a moratorium on catching sturgeon.
According to official statements, the negotiations only made headway on environmental issues (such as conserving the sturgeon population). In addition, the “Caspian Five” (Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan) reaffirmed the principle of Caspian states’ non-interference in regional affairs.
As far as I can gather, no progress has been achieved on the main problem, i.e. agreeing spheres of influence. And without that, signing the Convention ...
... priorities, which will to a great extent define the situation around Iran's nuclear program and the solution of Afghan problems.
One ... ... and political problems that are sure to surface in 2013.
For
Azerbaijan
, the event of the year is the presidential election.... ... competitors Nabucco West and
Trans Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP)
. The Russian gas transportation system is out of the question because ... ...
will remain hot topics in Baku.
During the past several years,
Kazakhstan's
key political issue has been the succession of power....
