Economic policy: Germany forges partnership with Central Asia

Against the backdrop of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Germany has agreed on a strategic partnership for the first time with the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia. This is intended to “strengthen and enhance” the cooperation that has existed for 30 years, according to a joint statement issued after the first summit between Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the heads of state of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Berlin has been published.

The strategic partnership should focus on the economy and energy, climate and environment, regional cooperation and direct exchange between citizens. To this end, regular consultations should be established. Scholz agreed the next summit with the heads of state for next year in Central Asia.

Respect for human rights part of the declaration

The states that have so far been heavily under Russia’s influence have, among other things, important raw materials to offer Germany. However, some have also come under international criticism for serious human rights violations. Gas-rich Turkmenistan, for example, is considered an isolated dictatorship similar to North Korea. However, “cooperation in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms” was now included in the joint declaration, as was the importance of the rule of law and an independent judiciary.

On the sidelines of the summit, a declaration of intent was signed for a migration agreement with Kyrgyzstan, which is intended to facilitate the recruitment of skilled workers and the return of people without the right to remain from Germany to Kyrgyzstan. There is already such a declaration of intent with Uzbekistan.

Region eleven times larger than Germany

The five Central Asian states have a total population of almost 80 million, slightly less than Germany. However, their area is eleven times larger and roughly corresponds to the area of ​​the entire European Union with its 27 member states. For a long time, from a German perspective, the region was in the shadow of the two major powers China and Russia, on which the interest of the German economy was concentrated.

The Russian attack on Ukraine changed that. Russia is no longer Germany’s most important energy supplier for a long time. And the economic dependence on China should now also be reduced, especially because of the bad experiences with Russia. Chancellor Scholz’s federal government therefore wants to deepen existing partnerships with less economically strong countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia and find new partners.

The raw material deposits in the Central Asian states are particularly interesting for Germany. Kazakhstan, as the region’s strongest economy, is already supplying the refinery in Schwedt, Brandenburg, with oil and compensating for the cut in Russian deliveries. Kazakhstan also has uranium, iron ore, zinc, copper and gold and is considered a potential partner for the production of hydrogen obtained from renewable energies.

First Central Asia summit by an EU state

There has never been a Central Asia summit like the one in Berlin with an EU member state. However, US President Joe Biden had already met with the five presidents on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. For them, intensifying relations with the West is a balancing act. On the one hand, they are closely linked economically with Russia. On the other hand, they emphasize that they support the sanctions regime of Western states against Russia. Scholz expressly praised this on Thursday after a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Schomart Tokayev. The Chancellor said it was “good and helpful” that the Kazakh government had taken measures to prevent sanctions evasion.

However, exports from Central Asian states such as Kazakhstan to Russia have increased significantly since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. This raises the suspicion that companies from Western countries are deliberately trying to circumvent economic sanctions against Russia through these countries.

Russia is not mentioned – Moscow warns against interference

Russia is not even mentioned in the six-page joint statement. However, it emphasizes the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of all states and the “prohibition of the threat or use of force” as principles of the United Nations Charter – a reference to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

The Chancellor’s Central Asia offensive is not going down well in Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized the fact that the West’s sanctions against Moscow were brought up in the conversation between Scholz and Tokayev. Russia is counting on being able to continue its effective economic cooperation and good-neighborly relations with Kazakhstan without “negative interference” from outside.

There is also a strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Russia. Russia therefore expects no one from outside to interfere, the ministry told the Russian state news agency Tass. Kazakhstan relies on the transit country Russia to pump its oil to Germany.