Energy and Economy

 

Chevron Expands Kazakh Oilfield

Chevron announced on January 24 a planned $48 billion expansion of the Tengiz oilfield. This expansion, now one of the most expensive ongoing developments in the world, would increase the oilfield’s output to 1% of the world’s crude supply. Currently, Tengizchevroil, Kazakhstan’s leading oil company, is expected to make $4 billion in 2025, with an increase to $5 billion next year. Chevron currently has a 50% stake in Tengichevroil and is hoping to increase its own production by 3% over the next five years.

Source: Reuters 

BP Announces Start Date for Solar Power Plant Construction in Azerbaijan’s Jabrayil

The construction of the 240-Megawatt Shafag solar power plant in Jabrayil is set to begin this year, according to Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli, British Petroleum Vice President for Communications and External Relations in the Caspian region. The project stems from a June 2022 agreement between Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Energy and BPp to evaluate and implement the solar power plant in the Zangilan-Jabrayil region.

Source: Trend News

Azerbaijan Doubles Gas Exports to Bulgaria

In an interview with a news outlet, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Bulgaria Huseyn Huseynov stated that Azerbaijan had doubled its natural gas exports to Bulgaria in 2024. Huseynov explained that the gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Bulgaria, transported via the Southern Gas Corridor, have increased from 1 billion cubic meters (bcm) to 2 bcm in 2024. Ambassador Huseynov added that this amount has effectively covered a significant portion of Bulgaria's natural gas needs, following the country’s plans to cut off Russian natural gas in light of Mosow’s war in Ukraine.

Source: Azernews

Russian Deputy Economy Minister: EAEU Looking to Start FTA Negotiations with India

Russian Deputy Economic Development Minister Vladimir Ilichev has stated to Interfax his hopes that the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will launch negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) with India in 2025. The EAEU is a Moscow-backed trade zone, currently comprised of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan. Reportedly, India has been in discussions on an EAEU FTA since 2024, with Belarus’s foreign minister claiming India was “seriously considering” an FTA during his March trip to New Delhi. Iran finalized an FTA with the EAEU in late 2024.

Source: Interfax, bne IntelliNews

Zelensky Says Ukraine Willing to Transport Azerbaijani Gas

On January 25, Ukraine President Volodymir Zelensky stated that his country was prepared to transport Azerbaijani gas to Europe. Speaking with journalists in Kyiv, Zelensky said that he had discussed the issue with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during their recent conversation in Davos, Switzerland. Zelensky’s comments came after Kyiv allowed a deal transporting Russian gas through its territory to expire, angering the governments of Hungary and Slovakia, both of which still rely on Russian gas supplies.

Source: POLITICO

China-Uzbekistan-Kyrgzystan-Afgahnistan Rail Agreement Extended into 2025

A Taliban official has announced that a quadrilateral rail corridor agreement among China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Taliban government of Afghanistan has been extended for another year. According to the official, in 2024, the rail corridor transported a total of 4,200 containers worth of goods from China into Taliban-controlled territory. The rail corridor connects China to Afghanistan's Hairatan/Mazar-e-Sharif railway thatwhich is jointly operated by Uzbekistan's Ministry of Transporation under a 2023 agreement.

Source: Tolo News

Politics and Security

 

Secretary Rubio Holds a Phone Call with Foreign Minister Fidan

On January 23, Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call with Türkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan to “to reaffirm the importance of U.S.-Türkiye relations, Türkiye’s role as a key NATO Ally, and our shared interests in the region.” During the discussion, Secretary Rubio emphasized the importance of an inclusive transition in Syria. The sides also discussed the importance of “a durable and dignified peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

Source: U.S. Department of State

Russia and Uzbekistan Sign Military Strategic Partnership Plan

On January 22, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Uzbek Defense Minister Shukhrat Kholmukhamedov signed a strategic partnership plan that will last through 2030. The program contains 50 unspecified “joint military activities” in 2025 followed by broader “strategic initiatives” between 2026 and 2030.

Source: The Moscow Times

Armenia FM: Peace Deal with Azerbaijan “May Take a Long Time”

Speaking in Yerevan on January 23, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated that a final normalization agreement with Azerbaijan “may still take a long time.” Mirzoyan re-affirmed Yerevan’s belief that Armenia “has no alternative” to an agreement. Negotiations ending the long-running conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan have drawn on for over a year, with both progress and setbacks. Additionally, recent weeks saw an agreement between the two sides on border demarcation.

Source: OC Media

Meeting between Turkmenistan and UNICEF 

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Myahri Byashimova, and Head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative Office in Turkmenistan, Jalpa Ratna, met January 23 to discuss future relations between the organization and country. During this meeting, both parties discussed the National Action Plan for the Realization of Children’s Rights in Turkmenistan for 2023-2028, a scheme focused on rewriting various Turkmenistan laws to better protect children in the country. However, the highlight of this meeting was the conversation about the formation of the 2026-2030 Turkmenistan-UNICEF Country Program, which focuses on improving the lives of children in all sectors of life.

Source: Akipress