Kazakhstan and Turkey plan to set up a massive industrial zone; Kazakhstan gas output to be tripled by 2030; Kyrgyzstan to allow NATO transit of military cargo; China to import up to 25 bcm of Central Asian gas in 2012; New ‘narco-post’ opened on the Kyrg
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    • Reports noted that Turkey and Kazakhstan have agreed to set up a massive industrial zone as part of plans to triple trade between the countries to $10 billion. 1

    According to reports, Kazakhstan aims to triple output of natural gas to 110 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year by 2030 and become a major supplier of world markets. It currently produces around 40 bcm/y of gas. 2

    Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbayev has signed a deal on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Chicago to allow NATO to land transit (rail and road) of military cargo through the territory of Kyrgyzstan. In the past Kyrgyzstan’s President Almazbek Atambayev had vowed to shut down the Manas Air Transit Center near the capital Bishkek, the main transit hub for military operations in Afghanistan, by the time the international forces leave Afghanistan. 3

    China is set to import up to 25 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas from Central Asia in 2012. The amount is significantly higher than total gas from Central Asia imported in 2011, which was close to 15.9 bcm. A majority of the gas is imported from Turkmenistan although Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan also provide gas to China. 4

    Kyrgyzstan’s drug control agency has set up a new narco-post on the southern border with Tajikistan. The post was built with financial and technical assistance from the U.S. Central Command and is aimed at tackling the drug smuggling along this route. 5

    Tajikistan’s parliament has approved a legislation that allows visa-free visits to citizens from the United States, the European Union, and a handful of nations in Southeast Asia. 6

    Turkmenistan state-run media has said that business leaders are setting up a political party to challenge the one-party system that has controlled that Central Asian state since its independence two decades ago. The Association of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs has published an advertisement in several media outlets seeking members for the new Entrepreneurs' Party. 7

    Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has said that his government strongly supports a project to build a trans-Asia railway to connect his country to both China and Uzbekistan. The more than $2 billion rail line is planned to run from Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to Andijon in Uzbekistan, where it would link to the Uzbek rail network. 8

    The United States and Kazakhstan are exploring the idea of expanding the amount of military cargo passing through Kazakhstan into and out of Afghanistan. The focal point of the discussions is the Caspian port city of Aktau. 9

    In other developments, according to reports, Central Asia South Asia Electricity Trade and Transmission Project (CASA 1000) partners Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have signed a $1B deal to formalize the building of a critical transmission cable to supply electricity. It is aimed at supplying 1,300 megawatts of surplus hydropower available during the summer months from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan will import 1000MW of surplus electricity while Afghanistan will import 300 MW. 10

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