Аннотациялар:
As the migration processes gain momentum in the Central Asian region,
cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU, established in 2014) is
becoming increasingly more poignant. CurА rently comprising five states (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia),
this regional organization has become a platform for cooperation in virtually all the economy sectors, including the power sector. Common oil, petroleum product and gas markets
are being established in order for the integrative association to ensure the “free movement of goods, services, capital and labor.”
Since the Republic of Kazakhstan is
currently one of the world leaders in the hydrocarbon resources, the key issue is for its
energy resources to gain access to external
markets. Meanwhile, with regard to the
country’s geographical location and the historically determined transportation routes,
the principal oil pipeline systems traverse
the territory of Russian Federation. After the
disintegration of the U.S.S.R., the independent countries of Central Asia, in particular,
their natural resources, have attracted the
attention of world powers, simultaneously
becoming a place of conflict of interests. In
order to preserve stability in the region, and,
as a consequence, to ensure the status of a
Eurasian transit traffic channel, the Central
Asian republics are not only modernizing the
existing communications, but are also implementing alternative infrastructure projects.
Despite the foreign political interest in the
Central Asian region and the Central Asian
countries’ interest in cooperation with leading powers, Russia considers the independent republics to be within its influence
sphere, preserving strong economic and political connections with them.
Numerous attempts at integration of
post-Soviet countries have been made since
the early 1990s in the framework of establishing the Commonwealth of Independent
States, the Eurasian Economic Community,
and the Customs Union. However, the
EAEU is currently the most efficient organization, furnished with the required regulatory framework and articulated strategic goals.
The paper describes the stages and
premises of the establishment of transportation routes in the Central Asian region, including Kazakhstan, their impact on gaining
guaranteed access to the operating systems
and route diversification, as well as the significance that cooperation in the energy
sphere in the EAEU framework holds for Kazakhstan. The legal foundation being created is aimed at ensuring guaranteed access
to infrastructure systems, non-discriminatory trade and access to the common energy
resource market, and tariff transparency.
Time will tell how the concluded agreements
will be implemented, but Kazakhstan currently possesses a tangible chance of realizing its energy potential within the EAEU
framework.