Turkmenistan Business & Economy - The Times Of Central Asia

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Turkmenistan Border Seeing Illegal Economic Activities Committed From Afghanistan’s Side

Citizens of Afghanistan are using thousands of square kilometers of territory that border Turkmenistan for illicit economic purposes. Specifically, Afghans graze on the land illegally, engage in unrestrained hunting, and gather fruits from wild trees, according to a report by the Chronicles of Turkmenistan, which cited a MeteoJournal.ru story that analyzed satellite photos of the region. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan border region is a control zone, which is a section of any border with restricted access that is between a few meters and several kilometers deep. It's also commonly referred to as a “neutral” zone. According to MeteoJournal, satellite images show that Afghans are freely entering this area of Turkmenistan, mostly for the purpose of raising livestock. One photo depicts a herd of sheep, as well as a sudden change in the density of vegetation along the line of engineering structures that delimit the border zone within the territory of Turkmenistan. Where the herds graze in front of the engineering structures, there is hardly any vegetation. Additionally, Turkmenistan’s border zone experiences regular fires, according to MeteoJournal. Environmentalist Andrey Zatoka speculated that intentional grass burning may have caused the fires. Intentional burning of lands used for grazing by livestock is a common tool used by farmers around the world to cultivate vegetation for their animals. According to the publication’s Telegram channel, a powerful DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack started after this content was posted on the MeteoJournal website --and has been ongoing for the past few days.

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US Policymakers and Central Asian Business Leaders Gather in Almaty for the CIPE B5+1 Forum

Cooperation and trade with Central Asia still holds much unrealized potential. The region is developing fast and offers opportunities for companies and agencies, both international and local. As the global geopolitical landscape changes and supply chains are disrupted, the importance of Central Asia as a business and transit hub, through initiatives such as the Trans-Caspian Corridor, is growing. There are therefore great incentives for the five countries of the region – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan – to find ways to function as a single integrated market, in order to capitalize on opportunities for foreign and local companies, and attract more international investment and business. For this reason the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) is inviting policymakers from Central Asia, the United States and other countries to its B5+1 Forum this week. On 14 and 15 March in Kazakhstan’s business capital of Almaty, leading minds from the public sector will discuss Central Asia’s economic integration, international trade and investment, alongside dozens of high-profile private companies. An event on 14 March entitled “Looking within Central Asia” will introduce the objectives and expected outcomes of the B5+1 format. Presentations by representatives of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of National Economy, the Caspian Policy Center, the US Department of State and Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Economy and Commerce will give business-focused perspectives on improving economic integration and the investment climate. The discussion on 15 March will center on the theme of “Central Asia’s place in the world economy”. Talks from representatives of the US-Kazakhstan Business Council, the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will give an international perspective on promoting trade and investment flows in Central Asia. The B5+1 Forum forms part of CIPE’s program “Improving the Business Environment in Central Asia” (IBECA). CIPE themselves are affiliated to the US Chamber of Commerce – the catalyst behind the B7 and B20 platforms – and receive funding from the US Department of State. The establishment of B5+1 is closely aligned with commitments outlined in a document called the New York Declaration to strengthen the republics' economic relations, and improve the business environment for regional economic integration and investments. The upcoming Forum aims to deliver on two key commitments in the declaration. The Times of Central Asia will be in attendance at the B5+1 Forum on 14-15 March, and will be publishing insight and analysis from the event.

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Central Asian Energy Trading May Soon Include Iran

According to the Iran.ru news agency, Iranian Minister of Energy Ali-Akbar Mehrabian has said that his country is open to trading electricity with Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran currently exchanges electricity with the majority of its neighbors, according to Mehrabian, who made the statement in Tehran during a meeting with Uzbek Minister of Energy Zhorabek Mirzamakhmudov on March 4. Mehrabian paid particular attention to the growth of cooperation between Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the area of electricity markets and trading. As part of the Unified Energy System of Central Asia (UESCA), which was established during the Soviet era, the energy systems of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan currently operate separately. Turkmenistan exited the system in 2003, which was a direct result of Uzbekistan’s refusal to allow electricity from Turkmenistan to transit across Uzbek grid infrastructure. Tajikistan was automatically disqualified from the UESCA when Uzbekistan unilaterally withdrew following a significant accident in Tajikistan’s energy system in November 2009 -- a catastrophe that also led Kazakhstan to accuse Tajikistan in that same month of stealing power from the grid. In 2018, the regional system was rebooted with the return of Uzbekistan to UESCA. In 2019 Tajikistan began work to rejoin the unified energy grid ring of Central Asia, with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank. Tajikistan’s Ministry of Energy declared last summer that the country would like to become a member of the regional system by the end of 2023, but little progress has been made up to the present. One positive sign of note is that since 2018, Tajikistan has been supplying electricity to some districts of Uzbekistan's Surkhandarya region -- because those districts aren't connected to the Uzbek central power distribution grid.

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Global Environment Facility to Aid Ecosystem Restoration in Central Asian Countries

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund will provide almost $5.4m to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to support their efforts to strengthen integrated water resources management in the Amu Darya, Zarafshan and Panj river basins. This funding is part of the Central Asia Water-Land Linkages (CAWLN) program, implemented by the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and supported by the GEF Trust Fund. Under this initiative, GEF will provide financing for projects totaling over $26m across Central Asia. The project will run until August 2025. The financing will be used to restore 5,350 hectares of land and ecosystems, and also to introduce improved cultivation practices on 1.3 million hectares of land. It also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 11 million tons, and improve co-management of shared ecosystems. The program is projected to improve the lives of 487,000 people. Central Asia's complex river systems are the main sources of water for the region's 60 million people, agriculture, and energy production. They also support diverse ecosystems and livelihoods in these countries. However, unsustainable water use and soil degradation have led to water scarcity and upset the ecological balance of the region. The program aimed at addressing these negative impacts consists of seven projects, including individual projects in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They aim to improve agriculture and natural resource management by addressing issues such as tree felling, land degradation and loss of biodiversity. In addition, there is a regional project to coordinate efforts and share knowledge across basins. Although there is no separate program for Tajikistan, the country will be involved in projects on ecosystem restoration and sustainable agriculture. The Central Asia Water and Land Resources Complex Program, recently approved by the GEF council and overseen by FAO, will provide $26m (with co-financing from the World Bank of $335.5m) to restore the ecosystems of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins. It will also aim to improve water security, resilience and livelihoods of rural communities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Since 1994 Uzbekistan has participated in the implementation of more than 50 GEF projects at the national, regional and international level.

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Turkmenistan and Afghanistan Discuss Collaborative Projects

On March 4th, a large Afghan delegation led by Nooruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Trade of Afghanistan, participated in a Turkmen-Afghan business forum and exhibition of Afghan goods in Ashgabat. Issues discussed included Turkmen-Afghan partnerships in trade, industry, agriculture, transport, communications, and electricity supply. Also on the agenda were oil and gas which alongside textiles, comprise Turkmenistan’s main exports to Afghanistan. As reported by the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, special attention was paid to the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) high-voltage power transmission line. The group also focused on the establishment of transport routes and in particular, railways from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan. Azizi emphasized the desire of the Afghan business sector to further increase trade with Turkmenistan, develop Afghanistan’s infrastructure, and exploit the transit potential of both countries. Afghan TOLOnews, quoting Mergen Gurdov, head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan, reported that in 2023, trade between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan generated $457 million and this January alone, $46 million. The agro-industrial sector was cited as a promising field for Turkmen-Afghan cooperation, with the Turkmen Foreign Ministry raising the issue of transboundary water resources. Turkmenistan insists that the use of water involves cooperation with neighboring countries, conducted in accordance with international law, and based on principles of mutual respect and in the spirit of traditional good neighborliness. Afghan Minister Azizi pledged that regarding the use of transboundary water resources and construction of water facilities to further the prosperity of his people, Kabul will honour principles of mutual consent and respect for neighboring countries, especially Turkmenistan, with whom Afghanistan has long maintained an amicable relationship. The issue came to the fore last month following Afghanistan’s announcement that construction has begun on the second phase of the Qosh Tepa Canal; a project prioritized by the Taliban- led government since early 2022. By diverting water from the Amu Darya River, the canal will convert 550,000 hectares of desert into farmland in northern Afghanistan, but could also have an adverse effect on agriculture in downstream Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

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Kyrgyzstan Resumes Construction Work on Pakistan Electricity Export Project

As the process of normalizing relations continues between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, representatives of both sides have met in Bishkek to discuss the CASA-1000 (Central Asia-South Asia) power export project. According to Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Energy, Kyrgyzstan has signed a joint declaration with Pakistan and Tajikistan to resume construction of high-voltage transmission lines in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, to export electricity to Pakistan. It is reported that construction work on the CASA-1000 project has been resumed in Afghanistan, where it was frozen after the Taliban came to power in 2021. "This declaration thanks the World Bank for its prompt approval of the resumption of construction work on the CASA-1000 project in Afghanistan. It also reaffirms its readiness to fully support the implementation of the preconditions agreed with the World Bank Board for the resumption of construction in [Afghanistan]. This is a serious step forward in the region's desire for energy cooperation", said the Kyrgyz Ministry of Energy's press service. "Tajikistan is expected to supply 70 percent of the CASA-1000 project [electricity], and Kyrgyzstan the remaining 30 percent. [They'll supply] a total of 1,000-1,300 MW of electricity per year," Elzada Sargashkayeva, head of the public relations department of NENK (National Electricity Networks of Kyrgyzstan), told the Times of Central Asia. In Afghanistan, construction of the power lines was 60% complete, the agency said. Late last year, the World Bank allocated an additional $18.3m for Kyrgyzstan under CASA-1000 -- on top of the $216m previously allocated for the project. "For the Kyrgyz Republic, the CASA-1000 project provides for the construction of A/C power transmission lines (500 kV), with a length of about 456 kilometers. Currently, the project implementation is proceeding at an active pace: 1,243 [transmission towers] have already been installed (100 percent), work on suspension of wires on 287 kilometers of power lines has been completed (63 percent)," said World Bank Senior Energy Specialist Dmitry Glazkov. Work on the project was suspended when the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan -- and also due to the armed border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the international institute said. But the scope of work remains the same. The World Bank is allocating the additional support to bridge the funding gap caused by rising prices for goods and transportation after the Covid-19 pandemic and its ensuing broad economic crisis. The money will be given to Kyrgyzstan in the form of an interest-free loan for 50 years, with a 10-year grace period. The project's target completion time is March 2025. According to the World Bank, Central Asia has many renewable energy sources, and is strategically positioned to develop regional trade in electricity, the exchange of which is still limited. "In Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, hydropower plants generate more than 80-90 percent of electricity, but these countries use less than five percent of their hydropower potential, which is several times the combined demand of the entire region. At the same time, 90 percent of the energy needs of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan are met by fossil fuels,...