Cover Story: The Caspian oil. Eastern vector

There is a belief that the mineral resources of Kazakhstan have been divided by the first wave western investors a long time ago. Therefore, it may seem that Asian countries are somewhat late for division of the raw material pie. However, this is a premature conclusion since in its aspiration to gain the status of one of the world’s oil output leaders Kazakhstan emphasizes the potential of the Caspian shelf; presumably, major discoveries are still expected in the future. Given the shrinkage of global demand for oil, the unfavorable price situation as well as their own financial problems, the western companies practice a more and more meticulous approach towards the formation of their investment programs, including ones in Kazakhstan. At the same time, the Far East countries, which suffered significantly less from the economic crisis, still possess enormous financial resources and, hence, they may become a real alternative upon the selection of partners on KSCS blocks that have not been distributed yet.