Equally, Kazakhstan's OSCE agenda is to return the organization to concentrate on security in the OSCE area, promoting energy security, peacekeeping, and conflict resolution. Placing the Medvedev initiative on the table of an OSCE summit would, therefore, conveniently suit both Astana and Moscow's interests.
Nazarbayev is so committed to his summit idea that he is effectively offering US energy companies a privileged status in Kazakhstan, which would protect these companies in ways not afforded to their western or Russian competitors. It seems that now is the time to ask whether supporting a Kazakh hosted OSCE summit is a price worth paying to secure the long-term commercial interests of US energy companies operating this part of the world; not least, since it would also send a signal to Ashgabat, making any future revisionist policies difficult to pursue.
While Nazarbayev played a pacifying role in the Kyrgyz political crisis, at least in terms of solving the most urgent problem, safely removing Bakiyev, its timing and strategic implications as well as how it fits Kazakh diplomatic maneuvering, must not be undervalued.
This article was written by Roger N. McDermott for Oilprice.com
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