How Central Asian Countries Are Courting Western Trade and Investment

Central Asian states are knocking down trade barriers, addressing a prerequisite for the formation of a unified regional market. The recent diplomatic efforts appear to have caught the attention of the Kremlin, which worries that freer trade in Central Asia will facilitate the expansion of commercial networks bypassing Russia. The creation of a unified Central Asian market enabling the seamless movement of goods and services is a central aim of a regional economic blueprint supported by the United States, known as the B5+1 process. That plan,…