Energy and Economy

 

Ukraine Offers to Transport Azerbaijani Gas to Europe Amid Energy Crisis

On January 31, while speaking alongside President of Moldova Maia Sandu, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted Azerbaijan’s gas export capacity of up to 25 billion cubic meters and noted that Ukraine’s infrastructure can facilitate the transit, which would exclude Russian gas. He had previously discussed the plan with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. This comes as a key transit agreement allowing Russian gas exports to the EU via Ukraine expired at the end of 2024, with Azerbaijan having mediated talks between Ukrainian and Russian energy firms for nearly a year, though no deal was reached.

Source: Caspian News

Kazakhstan and Russia Look to Boost Economic Cooperation

On January 30, a Russian delegation headed by the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation met for talks with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, in Astana, Kazakhstan. The meeting focused on increasing trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Russia, which last year reached $24.2 billion. Both countries are now aiming for a trade turnover of $30 billion in 2025. Key sectors that they focused on included agriculture, energy, industrial projects, and transportation.

Source: Daryo

Azerbaijan’s National Energy Company Acquires a 10% Stake at Israel’s Tamar Gas Field

On January 31, Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy company SOCAR signed an agreement with Union Energy to acquire a 10% ownership stake in Israel’s Tamar gas field. With proven reserves of about 200 billion cubic meters, the Tamar field is one of the largest natural gas fields in the Mediterranean basin. This agreement signified SOCAR’s first major Mediterranean upstream investment.

Source: Trend News Agency

Kazakhstan Plans to Build a Cluster of Nuclear Power Plants

On January 28, Kazakhstan’s government announced rapid progress on its nuclear energy plans following last year’s referendum endorsing the initiative. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the need for nuclear power to sustain economic growth and reduce reliance on coal, advocating for the creation of a “nuclear cluster.” Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov stated that an agreement for the first nuclear plant in the Almaty region would be finalized soon, while a second site is being assessed. A key issue remains the selection of a construction partner, with concerns over Russia’s Rosatom due to its safety record. Simultaneously, Kazakhstan is expanding fossil fuel extraction by launching a fracking project expected to produce its first shale oil this year, with an estimated output of 800 million tons.

Source: Eurasianet

Tajikistan’s Somon Air Buys Two B737-8s

Upon receiving permission from the Civil Aviation Agency of Tajikistan to conduct direct flights to London, Somon Air, a private airline company, has purchased two new B737-8 planes from DAE Capital. The planes will arrive in 2026 and depict the company’s goal of increasing “operational efficiency” and “frequency of flights.” The new direct flights to London will fly from Dushanbe but could change to stop in Tblisi, Georgia, should ticket sales not generate enough earnings. 

Source: Ch-Aviation

Kazakhstan Conducts First Oil Shipment from Kashagan Field to Azerbaijan

On January 27, KazMunayGas (KMG), Kazakhstan’s national energy company, announced that, for the first time, Kazakhstan had shipped crude oil from its Kashagan field to Baku, Azerbaijan. The first batch of Kashagan oil, about 6,000 tons, was loaded onto the Taraz oil tanker at Aktau port on January 25 and arrived at Baku's Sangachal terminal on January 27, to be later transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline to the Mediterranean Sea. On January 15, Azerbaijan’s SOCAR and the subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s KMG signed an agreement to transport 240,000 tons of Kashagan oil annually. The delivery is part of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan’s efforts to develop alternative export routes for domestic oil and to enhance the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).

Source: The Astana Times

Kazakhstan to Revise Contracts with Western Oil Companies

On January 28, Kazakhstan stated that it would increase pressure on international companies for “better terms” in their oil contracts. While the country claims this call is to reduce cost inflation by Western powers, foreign companies involved in Kazakhstan have labeled this as a ploy under the government’s growing “resource nationalism.” Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister, Almasadam Satkaliyev, stated that the government could increase its shares in oil projects by international energy firms. 

Source: Reuters

Iran and Tajikistan Abolish Visa Requirements for Air Travelers

Taking effect February 3, 2025, travelers between Iran and Tajikistan will be able to travel visa free. This is part of the growing initiative between the two countries to improve diplomatic, cultural, and people-to-people ties. In January 2025, Iran’s tourism minister, Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, expressed a hope to increase the number of Tajik tourists in Iran from 8,000 annually to 100,000. Travelers will be able to stay up to a total of 30 days within a 90-day period.

Source: Tehran Times

Armenia Proposes Rail Freight Transportation with Azerbaijan

On January 31, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan announced that Yerevan had proposed reopening rail freight transportation with Azerbaijan. Speaking at a press conference, he stated that Armenia invited Baku to launch freight transport via the Zangezur corridor. Armenia also proposed a route from Yeraskh to Meghri via Nakhchivan. Pashinyan noted that passenger transportation could be considered later under appropriate conditions and expressed hope for a positive response from Azerbaijan.

Source: Interfax

Turkmen Airlines Extends the Suspension of Moscow-Ashgabat Flights Until March

Turkmen Airlines has extended its suspension of flights between Moscow and Ashgabat until March. The airline did not provide reasons for the decision.  Flights were initially suspended on December 30, 2024, and were expected to resume by January 31, 2025. But on January 31, the airline confirmed the extension of the suspension. Meanwhile, S7 airlines has been operating Moscow-Ashgabat flights daily since January 15. S7 remains the only airline running regular flights between Russia and Turkmenistan. The suspension of several airlines’ routes to Russia followed the December 25 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, that resulted in 38 deaths.

Source: Interfax

Politics and Security 

 

EU Observer Mission to Armenia Renewed Until 2027

On January 30, European officials announced that a contingent of European Union (EU) observers had been renewed to hold their posts until 2027. The observer mission arrived in Armenia in January 2023.

Source: European Council

Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Türkiye Sign “Ankara Declaration”

Fallowing a tri-lateral meeting of ministers of foreign affairs, tourism, trade, economy and transport of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Türkiye, the three countries signed a new cooperation agreement referred to as the Ankara Declaration. The document includes support for the territorial integrity of all signatories, easing investment and trade barriers, and agreements to prioritize the building out of the Middle Corridor. Additionally, the three countries agreed to re-build and invest in Azerbaijan’s newly liberated Karabakh region.

Source: Daryo

Georgia Quits the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe

On January 29, Georgia’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) declared its withdrawal from the organization. The decision came in reaction to a plenary that accused the Georgian Dream government of rigging the elections and that requested the release of the prisoners detained at the pro-EU protests. Moreover, the plenary restricted delegation members’ rights during the probationary period, which includes participation in PACE election monitoring committees, holding assembly positions, and representing the assembly.

Source: bne Intellinews

Georgian Dream Announces New Restrictions on Protests

Mamuka Mdinaradze, Chairman of Georgia’s governing Georgian Dream party, has announced a series of new measures aimed at restricting protests throughout the country that have continued since Georgia’s Prime Minister announced that Tbilisi would not be engaging in European Union accession talks. The new restrictions include extending the maximum period for administrative detention to 60 days, banning protests in indoor spaces, and banning verbal insults against police officers and officials. The move follows previous restrictions that included a ban on protests on public roads.

Source: JAM-News