Until now Russia was dependent on pipelines crossing Ukraine to pump natural gas to Europe, earning Kyiv $2 billion a year.

Continuing border skirmishes and incidents have hampered efforts to officially demarcate the border between the countries. Concern is growing about the stability of the late 2020 Moscow-negotiated armistice.

The reality is none of the three countries are formal candidates for EU membership in the near future.

The skirmishes have stirred concern about the stability of a late 2020 Moscow-negotiated armistice.

Skirmishes continued around the still undefined border, now more than eight months after Azerbaijan reversed three decades of humiliation by retaking long-occupied areas.

Kazakhstan’s focus on improving investor dispute resolution and prevention mechanisms has been an essential element of this success. A great deal has been done in recent years. Many countries around the world, especially those that have passed through similar transitions from other non-capitalist economic systems in their recent history, can draw useful lessons from Kazakhstan’s experience.

The unrest has obviously unnerved the EU so much that the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel, scheduled an unexpected visit to the region on July 17.

Recent street violence has dealt another blow to its image. Longtime allies in the EU are dismayed and the USA is considering sanctions against those promoting violence against perceived foes