Partly thanks to infrastructure projects blown up by the militants while they were trying to turf out the US, Afghanistan dependent on neighbours for 73% of electricity.
Moscow curries favour, neighbours seek more gas, and Turkmenistan’s colossal methane pollution could power Afghanistan at little cost many times over. Eurasianet’s weekly Turkmenistan briefing.
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov returns as head of state, albeit with a different title. The word is, son and president Serdar has proved a bad negotiator.
Tales of families sleeping in cars that are warmer than homes as cold front brings sub-zero temperatures not experienced in half a century.
The ‘small stans’ will spend another year striving to recalibrate political and economic relations with Russia and China – and other players Turkey, Iran and the West – amid the geopolitical maelstrom triggered by Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Word of rejected proposal comes as many Uzbeks shiver with no gas amid big winter freeze.
Glaciers are disappearing around the world. Here’s how it happens in Central Asia.
Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov’s visit to Beijing may not have secured more gas sales, but it did serve to reaffirm ties with the country’s only stable major partner.
In a visit full of symbolism, Turkmenistan’s president won a lucrative promise from Xi Jinping. Eurasianet’s weekly briefing.
There is an old joke that the role of economic forecasters is to make astrologers look good. Forecasting GDP or inflation for the upcoming year with any degree of accuracy is virtually impossible, but there are some scary signs appearing.
New research suggests that pollution thousands of miles away may be responsible for unusually strong summer downpours in Central Asia.
President Berdimuhamedov may have put Turkish counterpart Erdogan’s nose out of joint by shelving pipeline interconnector proposal.
Central Asia is bouncing back from the coronavirus pandemic and after three decades of growth, incomes have risen to a point where a middle class is emerging in the steppe. And nothing says middle class more than a hoover.
The global economy has been through some enormous changes in recent years, leading investors and analysts to believe we are at the start of a new high-inflation, lower-growth super-cycle that could last for as long as a decade.
Interest rate hikes have eased price pressures, but the weather, war and material costs could keep food prices elevated for longer,
Ashgabat said to be signalling that “it won’t get out of bed for anything less”.
Global debt remained above pre-pandemic levels in 2021 even after posting its steepest decline in 70 years, underscoring the challenges for policymakers.
In April 2021 gold was sitting around a price of $1,700; as of December 10, 2022 it is now approaching $1,800. Relative to just about every other asset class, this is not a bad performance.
Russia is proposing a major reconfiguration of the Central Asian gas market. Eurasianet’s weekly Turkmenistan briefing.
Move follows criticism authorities have adopted ‘Taliban-style’ restrictions on tight-fitting clothes, dyed hair and beauty accessories such as false nails or eyelashes.