Central Asia

Khalaf Khalafov, the Azerbaijani President's Representative on Special Assignments, has held a number of meetings in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. As part of the trip, Khalafov met with Murat Nurtleu, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan & Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Erzhan Kazykhan, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for External Affairs.

In recent times, Central Asia’s most populous nation has become the centre of attention for great powers, underscored by high level diplomatic contacts with the United States, the hosting of a regional summit with the leadership of the European Union and a high profile visit by hundreds of Russian officials and executives who participated in a trade fair in Tashkent. Western interest centres on Uzbekistan’s abundant reserves of critical minerals and a desire to develop clean energy  sources, including nuclear power. Russia, along with China, has broader trade interests, including developing manufacturing capacity.