Headlines from the Caspian: December 4, 2024
Author: Caspian Policy Center
12/03/2024
Energy and Economy
COP29 Concludes in Baku
On November 24, the United Nations COP29 climate conference concluded in Baku, Azerbaijan. The conference negations had run over time with countries debating the parameters of global climate financing, the system through which richer countries would contribute funds for poorer countries to adapt to climate change and transition to green energy. The result of the negotiations was a plan to transfer $300 billion annually until 2035, a far cry from the $1.3 trillion that many believed was necessary. President of the United States Joe Biden released a statement congratulating the parties and the COP29 presidency on reaching this outcome.
Source: BBC, The White House
China and Uzbekistan Introduce 30 Day Visa-Free Travel
China and Uzbekistan Introduce 30-Day Visa-Free Travel" should be changed to read "On December 1, China and Uzbekistan signed an agreement allowing citizens of each country to visit the other for 30 days visa-free. Uzbekistan’s foreign minister released a statement that reads, “It is another step towards making more intense exchanges and facilitating trade and people-to-people ties.” In 2023, Kazakhstan and China signed an agreement waiving visa requirements and allowing travel for up to 30 days after crossing the border and 90 days total within a 180-day period.
Source: Astana Times
Azerbaijan Starts Delivering Gas Supplies to Slovakia
On December 1, Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy company, SOCAR, announced the commencement of natural gas deliveries to SPP, the largest state-owned energy supplier of Slovakia. The delivery of gas is according to the short-term pilot agreement signed between SOCAR and SPP on November 13. SPP has stated that it will consider a longer-term deal as it prepares for a possible halt to Russian supplies via Ukraine. With this development, Slovakia becomes the 12th European country to receive natural gas from Azerbaijan.
Uzbekistan Raises Funds for Green Economy Projects
Uzbekistan has raised $1 billion in funds for green economic development in the Karakalpak region of Uzbekistan that borders the depleted Aral Sea. The funds were raised by issuing “green bonds” in conjunction with partner banks on the London Stock Exchange. The initiative will aim to achieve climate-optimized agriculture, green investments, and enhanced environmental stability, as well as to partner with local financial institutions for green financing.
Source: Daryo
Politics and Security
Mass Protests Across Georgia
For four back-to-back evenings, mass street demonstrations have been taking place in downtown Tbilisi. The demonstrations began in backlash to the announcement by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that Georgia’s government would be postponing European Union accession engagement until 2028. Joining the EU is favored by a large majority of Georgians and is written into Georgia’s constitution. Kobakhidze’s announcement came in the aftermath of the disputed October 28 national elections, in which the incumbent Georgian Dream party claimed a 54% majority. Georgia’s opposition parties have all refused to recognize the October 28 result.
Source: OC-Media
Georgian Ambassadors Resign Amid Protests
Amid the mass demonstrations taking place in Tbilisi and other Georgian cities, several members of the Georgian foreign service have resigned. This includes Georgia’s ambassadors to the United States, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and the acting ambassador to Italy. While the exact reason for the resignations has gone unstated, Georgia’s diplomatic corps on November 29 issued a statement that pausing EU accession was opposed to Georgia’s strategic interests. In May, Georgia’s top diplomat to France and Monoco resigned, citing Georgian Dream’s passage of the foreign agents law.
CSTO Summit in Astana
On November 28, Kazakhstan hosted the summit of the heads of state of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The group, which is made up of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia, discussed development of Tajikistan’s border with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and Kazakhstan’s plans to build a new nuclear power plant. Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was absent from the summit.
Source: Times of Central Asia
Putin Visits Astana
On November 27, Russia President Vladamir Putin met with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The pair discussed energy and trade ties, with Kazakhstan and Russia having engaged in a recent minor trade war, even while Kazakhstan’s northern neighbor remains crucial for Astana’s exports. In an article published under Putin’s name in a major Kazakhstan newspaper, the Russian president wrote “Our countries are ... constructively cooperating in the oil and gas sector.... Russia-Kazakhstan: a union demanded by life and looking to the future.”
Source: Reuters
