The disruption of Russian gas supplies in 2022 sparked a profound reappraisal of supply and infrastructure dependencies beyond the EU-Russia energy relationship. In this new geopolitical reality, it is necessary to critically assess Russia’s use of energy supply and infrastructure investments as a tool of geopolitical power in Central Asia. Russia has heavily relied on legal instruments—an often neglected dimension of energy statecraft—to cement energy dependencies. This seminar will scrutinize Russia’s bilateral energy supply relationships and investment agreements in the region. It will also address the regional energy market integration under the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan Gas Union, a trilateral alliance that symbolizes a significant shift in Central Asian energy dynamics.
SPEAKERS
Anatole Boute is a law professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, specializing in energy, climate, and investment law. He is the author of Energy Dependence and Supply Security (Oxford University Press, 2023), Energy Security along the New Silk Road (Cambridge University Press, 2019) and Russian Electricity and Energy Investment Law (Brill Nijhoff 2015). He was admitted to the Brussels Bar in 2009, and regularly assists development banks, governments, and investors on questions of energy and climate regulation, with a focus on Central Asia.
Shaimerden Chikanayev is a PhD researcher at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has over 15 years of experience in the field of infrastructure law as partner of the biggest law firm in Central Asia (GRATA Law) and as in-house counsel of an international financial institution. Chambers, Legal 500, Asialaw Profiles and International Financial Law Review consistently rank him among the top Kazakhstani lawyers for his experience in project finance, public-private partnerships, M&A and capital markets.
MODERATOR
Sebastien Peyrouse is Director of the Central Asia Program and Research Professor, IERES, The George Washington University. His main areas of expertise are political systems in Central Asia, economic and social issues, Islam and religious minorities, and Central Asia’s geopolitical positioning toward China, India, and South Asia.