Paul Goble
Staunton, June 13 – As important as Kazakhstan’s naval force on the Caspian has become as a counterbalance to Russia’s, its expansion of its merchant fleet that will carry cargo to and from its ports to the western and southern sides of that inland sea may be even more important not only for its ties with China and the West but as a means to be more independent of Moscow.
In the past year, Astana has added eight new cargo ships to its merchant fleet, vessels that will not only carry cargo across the Caspian but also on the inland rivers of that land-locked Central Asian country. And to ensure they can operate, it has launched dredging operations in key locations (bugin.info/detail/volny-rosta-kazakhstan-ob/ru).
Russia shows little sign of currently being able to match this buildup, although some of the other Caspian littoral states, Azerbaijan and Iran in particular, are also strengthening their merchant fleets. These actions will further reduce Russian influence there and open the way for greater influence by China and Turkey, both of which are supporting such efforts.