Turkmenistan

Afghanistan

Pakistan

Energy

Military & Security

Pakistan is preparing to source liquified natural gas (LNG) from Turkmenistan by land via Afghanistan, Profit by Pakistan Today reported Dec. 7.

Pakistan: Islamabad Plans to Source LNG From Turkmenistan via Afghanistan

Politics

Instability in Central Asia

The ruling Democratic Party of Turkmenistan named Serdar Berdymukhamedov, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's son, as its candidate for the upcoming snap presidential election to be held on March 12, U.S. News & World Report reported Feb. 14.

Turkmenistan: Early Presidential Election Sets Up Dynastic Succession

India

Security

Economics

The Politics of Pipelines

Officials from Turkmenistan expect to meet with Taliban officials in Kabul to discuss the TAPI pipeline project, which aims to transport Turkmenistan’s natural gas to India and Pakistan through Afghanistan, Dawn reported Oct. 29.

Afghanistan: Turkmen Officials to Discuss TAPI Pipeline in Kabul

China

Tajikistan

Uzbekistan

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Russia

Iran

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

The Pulse of Political Islam

Russia hosted the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, and neighboring representatives reaffirmed their recognition of Afghanistan’s sovereignty, as well as the need for practical engagement with the country, Ariana News reported Oct. 21.

Afghanistan: Neighboring Countries Reaffirm Kabul’s Sovereignty

Europe

The European Union has resumed talks with Turkmenistan over the construction of the Trans-Caspian natural gas pipeline, according to EU Special Representative for Central Asia Peter Burian, Emerging Europe reported Aug. 14.

EU, Turkmenistan: Talks Resume on Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov died July 20 of kidney failure, according to July 21 media reports, but officials at the Turkmen Embassy in Moscow and the country's ambassador to Kyrgyzstan subsequently denied the reports before the original source retracted the statement.

Turkmenistan: Rumors Suggest President's Death, Officials Deny Reports

Russia's Gazprom has reached an agreement with Turkmenistan to buy 5.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year for the next five years, although no details were provided on the price of the deal, RFE/RL reported July 3.

Russia, Turkmenistan: Gazprom Reaches Purchasing Agreement for Natural Gas Imports

South Asian Militancy

Turkmen armed forces have forced back roughly 100 Afghan troops that fled into the country to escape an ongoing Tailban offensive in the neighboring Afghan province of Badghis, The New York Times reported March 17.

Afghanistan, Turkmenistan: Taliban Offensive on Border Sparks Fears of Spillover

Snapshots

United States

U.S. President Joe Biden (C) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (3R) participate in a meeting of the C5+1 with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in New York City on Sept. 19, 2023. 

The United States is set to modestly increase engagement with Central Asia, but constraints will prevent a significant upgrade in ties.

Biden's Central Asia Meeting Demonstrates the Region's Growing Importance

Media

Turkey

Cambodia

Podcasts

Central Asia is reemerging as a key region for trans-Eurasian trade, but not without complications.

Applied Geopolitics: Central Asia's Geopolitical Challenges

Columns

On Security

Nicaragua

Singapore

South Korea

Sweden

Belarus

Shoppers wearing face masks amid concerns over the COVID-19 novel coronavirus outbreak in a market in Seoul, South Korea, on March 14, 2020.

COVID-19

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Whether the lessons of South Korea can be applied in the West remains to be seen.

Learning How to Reopen a Country After COVID-19 Shutdowns

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

Russia's decision reopens a vital market for the energy-dependent Central Asian country, which is facing worsening economic conditions.

Turkmenistan: Russia Plans to Resume Its Imports of Turkmen Natural Gas

Assessments

Azerbaijan

But despite the fanfare surrounding the summit, the agreement will not resolve all of the contentious debates over the Caspian Sea.

A new deal resolves some of the concerns of countries surrounding the Caspian Sea, but lingering differences over energy issues will continue to stall progress on projects such as the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline.

What Does the New Caspian Sea Agreement Mean For the Energy Market?

Global Perspectives

Eurasia

Georgia

Partner Perspectives

In its quest for energy security, the European Union is working to extend its Southern Gas Corridor out to Central Asia.

Though it took several years to get underway, Europe's initiative to source natural gas from Central Asia is picking up steam -- and at just the right time.

How Central Asian Energy Complements the Southern Gas Corridor

Reflections

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's initiative is not just eccentric; it's also costly. There are reports that car painting service fees have doubled from $500 to $1,000 -- a hefty sum in a country where the average monthly wage is believed to be in the range of $200-$300.

Prohibiting black cars because of a presidential preference for the color white is just one in a long line of eccentric moves by the country's leadership. But the economic strain the prohibition will put on drivers could have them seeing red.

Viewing Turkmenistan's Recent Car Ban in Black and White

These are the political outlooks for Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.

Environmental Issues

Some countries in the region are more politically secure than in years past. Others face a great deal of instability lurking beneath a surface of apparent calm. Still others could have their most volatile periods ahead of them.

Has Central Asia Stabilized?

The New York City attack was conducted by an Uzbek national who had been radicalized by the Islamic State after moving to the United States on a diversity visa.

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The Jihadist Wars

Central Asian countries have successfully reduced terrorism in the region, but that hasn't stopped Central Asians from conducting attacks abroad.

How One Region's Gains Are Another's Tragedy

Bulgaria

Romania

Ukraine

The littoral states of the Black and Caspian seas are looking for ways to address the region's energy security problems. 

As China has revived the old Silk road, the countries surrounding the Caspian and Black seas have become crossroads for commerce and economic development. But these states are also struggling to address challenges with energy security, and the solution for all may lie in regional collaboration.

The Black Sea-Caspian Region in Post-Conflict Energy Security Cooperation Scenarios

The Central Asian republics, to varying degrees, have engaged in development work in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan and the Central Asian republics have much in common, boasting societies with similar cultures, religions and ethnicities. Just as important, the latter provide a role model for Afghanistan to fashion itself into a moderate, pluralistic Muslim society.

Afghanistan, Regional Security and the Central Asia Republics

Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia

Mongolia

Myanmar

Philippines

Thailand

Vietnam

Armenia

Bangladesh

Nepal

Sri Lanka

A rail link in China's New Silk Road

Supply Chains

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

The New Silk Road

China in Transition

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative has earned comparisons to the Marshall Plan for its ambitious, multinational scope. But the program is as much about developing the country's interior as it is forging ties beyond its borders.

China Paves the Way for a New Silk Road

China's Belt and Road Initiative

Turkmenistan is located in the southwest corner of Central Asia, bordering Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the north, Afghanistan and Iran to the south and the Caspian Sea to the west. Turkmenistan's defining geographic feature is the Karakum Desert, which covers over 80 percent of the country's territory. This desert landscape gives Turkmenistan a sparse population of only about 5 million. Most of the country's people are concentrated in population centers along irrigation channels and river basins in the extreme north and south of the country. One such center is Ashgabat, which serves as Turkmenistan's capital and the demographic, political and economic core of the country.     The economy of modern-day Turkmenistan is dominated by natural gas production and exports. Turkmenistan has one of the world's largest reserves of natural gas, and its small internal market means most of its natural gas supplies are available for export. This wealth of energy resources makes Turkmenistan a target of interest for larger powers including Russia, China and the West. However, the country's overwhelming reliance on energy exports also makes it particularly vulnerable to swings in global energy prices.    Turkmenistan's location near neighbors such as Iran, Uzbekistan and the perennially unstable Afghanistan creates substantial security concerns for the country. It has been one of the most politically centralized and externally isolated countries in the world since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, when Ashgabat declared itself officially neutral and opted out of any foreign military alliances. Maintaining this strategic neutrality in an unstable and dynamic neighborhood, while also managing an economy that is highly dependent on energy resources, is Turkmenistan's primary geographic challenge. 

The President palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

SITUATION REPORTS

Pakistan: Islamabad Plans to Source LNG From Turkmenistan via Afghanistan

Turkmenistan: Early Presidential Election Sets Up Dynastic Succession

Afghanistan: Turkmen Officials to Discuss TAPI Pipeline in Kabul

Afghanistan: Neighboring Countries Reaffirm Kabul’s Sovereignty

EU, Turkmenistan: Talks Resume on Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline

Turkmenistan: Rumors Suggest President's Death, Officials Deny Reports

Russia, Turkmenistan: Gazprom Reaches Purchasing Agreement for Natural Gas Imports

Afghanistan, Turkmenistan: Taliban Offensive on Border Sparks Fears of Spillover

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