Page 14 - FSUOGM Week 05 2023

FSUOGM POLICY FSUOGM

Russia forges ahead with gas ambitions

in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan

KAZAKHSTAN WHEN Russia floated the idea of forging a tri- Although Russian energy-reporting website
partite gas union with Kazakhstan and Uzbeki- Neftegaz.ru offered a different, somewhat con-
Critics have said the stan late last year, it fell flat. voluted take.
plan is aimed at gaining Critics derided it as a bid by Central Asia’s “The talks about this [tripartite union]
political and economic former colonial master to gain political and eco- continued in a bilateral format on the level of
leverage. nomic leverage. Both countries seemed to pour Gazprom and the relevant ministries and gov-
cold water on the idea. ernments of the three countries,” it suggested,
Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Roman hinting that Russia is pursuing its plans through
Vassilenko cautioned that Kazakhstan would the backdoor, by another name and under a dif-
not “allow its territory to be used to circumvent ferent format.
sanctions” and would bear that in mind “when it Questions about a union – and what exactly
comes to assessing any potential new initiatives.” that would mean – aside, the agreements demon-
Uzbekistan’s government also offered a blunt strate how Russia is driving forward its energy
response. ambitions in Central Asia, as Moscow seeks new
“If we import gas from another country, we markets for gas that Europe now shuns because
cooperate only based on a commercial, sales of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
contract,” Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzam- Little is known about the content of the
ahmudov said in December. “We will never roadmaps, other than that they both cover gas
agree to political conditions in exchange for gas.” exports from Russia to the two countries.
But now, both governments have signed Mirzamahmudov and Gazprom boss Alexey
new cooperation agreements with Russian gas Miller “signed a roadmap on cooperation in the
giant Gazprom, cementing partnerships with gas sector,” the company announced in a terse
Moscow. January 24 statement offering no further details.
The roadmaps were inked on a bilateral basis Gazprom used the same wording to
between Gazprom and the two governments, announce the roadmap with Kazakhstan on Jan-
suggesting that the three-way union idea may be uary 18, but Kazakhstan’s government offered a
off the table – at least for now. few more, albeit sparse, details.

P14 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 05 01•February•2023