Eurasia / Features
EU joins ‘Klondike’ rush for Central Asia critical minerals as bloc and region upgrade relations
Kazakhstan boasts 19 out of 34 types of critical raw materials seen as essential to EU economy, while the five 'stans' have 40% of the world’s reserves of manganese.
Jury remains out on Tokayev’s “de-oligarchisation” of Kazakhstan
Government talks of having recovered ill-gotten gains amounting to a few billion dollars. Sceptics think it should have a few billion more to boast about by now.
EU-Central Asia: Preparing for first-of-its-kind summit aimed at bolstering trade
Caution evident in build-up to gathering.
Democracy nosedives as authoritarian grip tightens on Georgia
Brutal police crackdowns on pro-EU street protesters have given way to a targeted campaign of repression seemingly intent on throttling every dimension of the Georgian civil resistance movement.
Halyk pushes forward Kazakhstan’s digital banking revolution
Kazakhstan’s oldest financial institution has developed a digital ecosystem that integrates banking with government services and lifestyle features.
INTERVIEW: Kazakhstan’s capital market is constantly developing, says KASE chair
Kazakhstan’s economic expansion and the launch of new instruments on the KASE have fuelled continuous development of the country’s capital market.
PANNIER: It’s exactly 20 years since Kyrgyzstan’s Tulip Revolution. What lessons did Central Asia’s rulers learn?
Proponents of democracy won’t like the answer.
Kazakhstan finds its place in the new world order
Astana continues to balance its relations with Russia, China and the West, while nurturing ties with mid-level powers such as the Gulf states and South Korea.
China sits on the Afghan-Pakistan fence as the Uyghurs watch and wait
As the largest foreign investor in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, China has thus far remained silent on the escalating tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
Why India’s adversaries force it to engage with authoritarian regimes
These ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’ dynamics, while fraught with challenges, offer New Delhi the opportunity to secure its regional influence, contain cross border threats, and protect its economic and strategic assets.
Mongolia goes for megaprojects to broaden economy
Ulaanbaatar has big plans to end dependence on raw mineral exports.
Southeast Europe erupts in weekend of protests
Protests in Serbia, Georgia and Hungary reflect mounting discontent over corruption and democratic backsliding, while Romanians turn out to show commitment to EU values in face of rising far right.
INTERVIEW: Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia’s fifth president
Zourabichvili lays out the complex reality of Georgia’s ongoing political crisis, and explains how the country has become a testing ground for both Russian hybrid interference and Western diplomatic intervention.
Azerbaijan and Armenia reach agreement on historic peace deal
Agreement sets the stage for the formal end of over three decades of hostilities, but structural and political obstacles remain.
INTERVIEW: Kazakhstan’s natural resource advantages help its startups develop exciting tech niches
Kazakhstan is well known for its abundant deposits of oil, gas and metals, but the country’s high-tech sector is also expanding, says Most Ventures CEO Alim Khamitov.
Kazakhstan's BNPL dilemma – Buy now, both you and your country will pay later
Even toilet paper is available via instalment plans in Central Asia’s largest economy. Red lights are now flashing over inflationary and consumer debt impacts.
Turkmenistan is trying to come out of its shell
Economic necessity is the mother of diversification.
INTERVIEW: Industrialisation is key to Kazakhstan’s development, says EDB chief economist
New phase of development is set to expand the non-resource sector, with manufacturing leading the way, according to the Eurasian Development Bank’s Evgeny Vinokurov.
Can Emerging European countries afford to rearm?
As European countries face a pressing need to rearm amid fears the US may pull back from its security commitments, an EBRD report shows higher defence spending is already putting pressure on public finances.
PANNIER: China’s big push into Uzbekistan
Wave of projects in energy, mining, factories and construction and water conservation. Critical minerals could be next.