Russia and Central Asia: History and Present of Economic Relations

Abstract

Abstract. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the relationships of Russia and the countries of Central
Asia are saturated with different events. What have been and what will be the effects of this? In an attempt
to answer this complex question, it is necessary to assess the situation in one of the most important
spheres of the relations – economics. The uniqueness of the ongoing research since 2003 (Paramonov,
2004), which serves as the basis for this article lies within a systematic evaluation of the key elements
of interaction between Russia and Central Asian countries in political, security, economic (including the
energy sector), as well as social spheres. Through this prism, the most important factors and stages of
the relations in the period 1991–2018 are indicated. The article also provides some important statistical
information which has not been combined in one material before. The article aims at identifying and
comparing the main elements in relationships between Russia and countries of Central Asia. An interdisciplinary
approach with the methods of dialectic and structural-functional analysis has been used to
achieve this goal. The relevance of the article lies within the growing influence of numerous factors (both
external and internal) due to which Central Asia is becoming one of the most important geo-economic
and geopolitical regions for Russia. Furthermore, the situation in Central Asia is also changing more rapidly and dynamically. Primarily, it is related to the continued activation of the regional and international
policies of Uzbekistan. The article concludes that economic relations can be characterized by certain
positive dynamics. Nevertheless, it is still too early to talk about the long-term trends and significant success
in Russian – Central Asian relations.
Key words: Russia, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, politics,
economy, trade, investments, labor migration.