Eurasianet

Turkmenistan reveals its closest partners as it prepares to host a gas-focused summit with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Plus, with the New Year approaching, it is time for bread and circus. Our weekly briefing.

The drills included a crossing of the river that forms the Azerbaijan-Iran border, mirroring the threat that Iran’s armed forces had made weeks earlier.

The train arrived with 40 carriages loaded with household appliances.

The ruling tandem is evidently frustrated it cannot will a functioning economy into existence by diktat.

Turkmenistan is risking a reputation as a sanctions-buster. Our weekly briefing.

The president’s father (the former president) is stealing the show. Plus, the latest on efforts to get Turkmen gas to Europe. Our weekly briefing.

The unique Islamic structures stand on the fringes of Georgian culture.

A new $100 million project run by members of both presidents’ families highlights the tight relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

The inauguration of a new airport in Zangilan, bordering Armenia, comes as Azerbaijan is pushing ever harder for its “Zangezur corridor.”

Women pay for the president’s conservative obsessions; Turkmenistan’s paranoia undermines its wish to be a transport hub; and the EU offers the methane polluter a chance to green its image. Our weekly briefing.

Putin hijacked a summit in Kazakhstan to spread a conspiracy theory, undermining his host’s efforts to get the world to take a grouping of Asian leaders seriously.

The new route could allow more Caspian gas to be exported to Europe, but can Azerbaijan produce enough to make a difference?

International transport routes through Ukraine and Russia have been disrupted, and Georgia has become a popular alternative.

Exiles mourn Turkish visa regime while Berdymukhamedov Sr. sniffs around Abe's funeral for business. Our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Closing an exit route. Plus: solicitous Russians and electricity exports. Our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Some are worried about physical security, others about whether their agricultural produce can compete with Turkish imports.

An energy watcher recalls how Europe’s fixation with market powers drove it into the arms of a Russian monopolist.

The current process, unlike previous efforts, is a largely top-down one. What can we do to change that?

Tashkent sees the link as part of a transcontinental route bypassing Russia.

Baku has been reforming its armed forces with a new education system, new weaponry, and a big increase in special forces units. And it is all being modeled after Turkey’s military.

The memorandum is a win for Baku while committing it to do little.

The Armenian-Turkish announcement was the result of months-long negotiations. Was Azerbaijan’s closure of its own border with Turkey a response?

The announcement by Turkey appears to be response to increased interest from Europe in non-Russian sources of energy.

Turkmenistan wants to export gas to Europe without angering Russia. This and more in our weekly briefing.

Recent moves toward restoring relations with Armenia’s traditional enemies have run into strong resistance from the global diaspora. But will it make a difference?