Kazakhstan: We're Building Up Navy To Compete With Neighbors

Kazakhstan is boosting its naval presence in the Caspian to compete with the other littoral states, the country's naval commander, Captain Zhandarbek Zhanzakov, has said. In an interview with the newspaper Express-K (in Russian). This contradicts somewhat his assertion to EurasiaNet last year that Kazakhstan was building a navy to deal with "terrorists," but seems more in line with reality. Translation via BBC Monitoring:

We badly need the navy. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the establishment of the five Caspian littoral states, the issue of adopting a new convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea has become acute. The convention has not been agreed upon yet. The demand for energy resources in the world increases the strategic importance of the Caspian region, where geopolitical interests of both regional and leading world powers are focused. Against the background of this, preserving the balance of forces in! the Caspian Sea zone remains to be the key issue.

An analysis of the naval forces of our neighbours shows their rapid development in order to change the current state of affairs in their favour. For example, two frigates - "Tatarstan" and "Dagestan" - equipped with modern missile systems and the new generation gunnery ship "Astrakhan", built using stealth technology, joined the effective combat strength of Russia's Caspian fleet. A coastal infrastructure, including observation posts are being developed in the water area of the Caspian Sea.

Development of integration processes with NATO and the United States enabled Azerbaijan to secure assistance in developing its national naval forces. Iran is also increasing its forces in the Caspian Sea.

Turkmenistan is also paying increased attention to the development of its national navy as a convincing argument in solving issues on disputed deposits in the Caspian Sea.

Later, he says that Kazakhstan cooperates with all the littoral states "to ensure collective military security in the region," but he spends a lot more time on what those supposed partners are doing to alter the geopolitical balance of forces. It's still not clear what is up with the Caspian naval buildup -- is it based on a fear of Iran or Russia or just a vanity project by some newly independent and petrorich states? Or all of the above? Whatever the case, it doesn't seem likely to stop.

One side note: Kazakhstan's navy is based in Aktau, near Zhanaozen, where the recent protests have taken place. Earlier this year, a naval aviation base opened in Aktau and when fighter jets undertook some exercises, the locals reportedly thought it may be an act of "intimidation," most likely connected to the oil and gas worker protests that have since blown up. It's worth noting, however, that there have been no new reports of intimidation from the air in Zhanaozen.