With no evidence that Russia has any plans to withdraw its troops from the border of Ukraine, some former Soviet states are worried about their own regional security. Farther east, other countries, closely aligned with Moscow rather than the West, say they are trying to ease tensions. And several central Asian states have responded by simply staying silent.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's eldest daughter Dariga will lead her father's party faction in parliament and become the legislature's deputy speaker, marking her comeback from the political sidelines. Dariga Nazarbayeva, 50, received the promotions after serving as the head of the social and cultural development committee in the Majlis, the nation's lower house of parliament, the ruling Nur Otan party said on its website today.
A reshuffle in Kazakhstan has brought a veteran insider back to lead the government amid fears of trouble on the domestic and international fronts. President Nursultan Nazarbayev reappointed former Prime Minister Karim Masimov late on April 2. In a swift sequence of events, Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov resigned, Nazarbayev nominated Masimov, and Kazakhstan's rubber-stamp parliament unanimously approved the move.
The United States will "fundamentally stand" with post-Soviet Central Asian nations to protect their territorial integrity and independence, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday, sending a signal to Russia after its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Russia's seizure of the Black Sea peninsula two weeks ago sent jitters across Central Asia, whose mainly autocratic rulers tacitly accepted Moscow's actions, fearing their former overlord may use a similar tactic in their states.
Developed by Western Oil Companies, Giant Project Off Kazakhstan Is Years Late, More Than $30 Billion Over Budget. Kazakh workers were recuperating from the frigid temperatures of the Caspian Sea over cups of tea when their Italian supervisor interrupted their break, demanding they return to work. The workers restrained the supervisor— a manager working for Eni ENI.MI +0.17% SpA, a company building a giant oil development here—and put a plastic bag over his head. He fled, packed his bags and left Kazakhstan.
Should EU and US sanctions hit Russian energy exports, Kazakhstan will suffer collateral damage via their participation in a regional oil pipeline consortium, according to Oil & Energy Insider. What might Putin's actions in Crimea mean for Kazakhstan, where foreign investors since 2005 have poured more than $170 billion in FDI into the country, primarily in the energy sector? In 2013 Kazakhstan's oil production surged to roughly 1.64 million barrels per day. Kazakhstan has three percent of the world's raw materials, with nearly 40 billion barrels of oil reserves and two percent of global production.
A senior U.S. official will travel to two countries in Central Asia next week to emphasize U.S. support for the independence of post-Soviet states after Russia's annexation of Crimea. Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, Washington's point person for South and Central Asia, will visit Kazakhstan from March 31 to April 2 and Kyrgyzstan from April 2-4.
