TURKMENISTAN'S ENERGY INDEPENDENCE POLICY REGARDING SINO-RUSSIAN COMPETITION: THE ROLE OF PERMANENT NEUTRALITY IN THE NEW GREAT GAME

Year 2021, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 332 - 349, 30.04.2021

İshak Turan

Abstract

Turkmenistan continued its existence under the rule of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) for about a century and all its fossil resources were operated by the USSR at that time. Having gained its independence after the USSR collapsed, Turkmenistan had to operate its rich natural resources rationally to maintain its existence as an independent state. As Russia announced the "near abroad doctrine" in 1993, Turkmenistan declared its “permanent neutrality” statue in 1995 to avoid the historical Russian influence and interference in its domestic affairs. Turkmenistan, which wanted to generate a national policy with Berdimuhamedov who came to power in 2006, started to adopt a similar policy approach in the energy sector. After the natural gas sales dispute with Russia in 2009, Turkmenistan tried to create a balance policy by developing its relations with China in the region especially as a part of China's energy policy to resort to alternative energy routes is in line with Turkmenistan's own principles. Moreover, Turkmenistan has sought alternative ways outside Russia to maintain its competitive position in energy prices and to ensure diversification in pipeline routes. On the other hand, Turkmenistan must allocate a serious budget to discover new energy deposits and to extract the natural gas. However, it is not possible to finance all these mega-projects from the state budget. This rarifies for Turkmenistan to develop a national energy policy and naturally causes a serious increase in its dependence on China, which stands out in energy investments all over the world. In this study, how successful Turkmenistan has been in its independent energy security associated with the regional competition between Russia and China since the Cold War will be elucidated in the context of energy diplomacy and permanent neutrality policy.

Keywords

Energy Diplomacy, Permanent Neutrality, Competition, Turkmenistan, China

TURKMENISTAN’S ENERGY INDEPENDENCE POLICY REGARDING SINO-RUSSIAN COMPETITION: THE ROLE OF PERMANENT NEUTRALITY IN THE NEW GREAT GAME

Abstract

Turkmenistan continued its existence under the rule of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) for about a century and all its fossil resources were operated by the USSR at that time. Having gained its independence after the USSR collapsed, Turkmenistan had to operate its rich natural resources rationally to maintain its existence as an independent state. As Russia announced the "near abroad doctrine" in 1993, Turkmenistan declared its “permanent neutrality” statue in 1995 to avoid the historical Russian influence and interference in its domestic affairs. Turkmenistan, which wanted to generate a national policy with Berdimuhamedov who came to power in 2006, started to adopt a similar policy approach in the energy sector. After the natural gas sales dispute with Russia in 2009, Turkmenistan tried to create a balance policy by developing its relations with China in the region especially as a part of China's energy policy to resort to alternative energy routes is in line with Turkmenistan's own principles. Moreover, Turkmenistan has sought alternative ways outside Russia to maintain its competitive position in energy prices and to ensure diversification in pipeline routes. On the other hand, Turkmenistan must allocate a serious budget to discover new energy deposits and to extract the natural gas. However, it is not possible to finance all these mega-projects from the state budget. This rarifies for Turkmenistan to develop a national energy policy and naturally causes a serious increase in its dependence on China, which stands out in energy investments all over the world. In this study, how successful Turkmenistan has been in its independent energy security associated with the regional competition between Russia and China since the Cold War will be elucidated in the context of energy diplomacy and permanent neutrality policy.

Keywords

Energy Diplomacy, Permanent Neutrality, Competition, China, Turkmenistan

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