The first South Korea-Central Asia summit in Seoul on September 16 marked an important turning point. President Lee Jae Myung invited the leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to the first meeting of its kind at the leaders’
On a map, Kazakhstan’s transit advantage appears self-evident. The country lies between China and Europe, borders Russia, and reaches westward through the Caspian Sea. In logistics, however, location is only the starting point. Cargo owners choose routes that are predictable,
Central Asia is undergoing a period of significant geopolitical and economic transformation. The growing role of China, the changing position of Russia, the evolving regional environment following the Tajikistan–Kyrgyzstan border agreement, and the increasing importance of Afghanistan are reshaping the
Türkiye and South Korea have long described each other as “brother countries” due to their historical ties and shared memories. In recent years, however, relations between the two countries have entered a new phase shaped not only by diplomacy and
For years, Europe’s energy security debate focused on Russia’s ability to weaponise supply, pricing, and dependence. This debate is still valid, yet the war in Ukraine has added another dimension: energy is no longer only a source of leverage used
Competing Regional Visions around the CaspianKazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan: East-West ConnectivityFor much of the post-Soviet period, an implicit assumption existed that Central Asian states, including the Caspian littoral states of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, could not export energy resources without transiting
Over the past decade, Azerbaijan has turned its geography into a serious strategic asset. Sitting at the crossroads of Asia, the Caspian and the South Caucasus, it has steadily built itself into the central transit point of the Trans-Caspian International
Kazakhstan’s Dependence on Russian Infrastructure and Strategic ShiftsThe emergence of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route as a central element of Kazakhstan’s foreign economic strategy cannot be understood in isolation from the depth of the country’s existing dependency on Russian transit
The political crisis of December 2024 and the subsequent inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung in June 2025 constitute an inflection point in the trajectory of the Republic of Korea’s foreign policy. Under the new administration, Seoul is recalibrating away from
Recent statements by US Vice President JD Vance and US President Donald Trump regarding the potential delivery of F-35 fighter jets, engine procurement, and broader military-technical cooperation with Turkey should not be dismissed as routine diplomatic rhetoric. The core issue