They noted that accusations are sometimes heard in Tajikistan that neighboring Uzbekistan has turned a blind eye to the activities of the Tajik rebel army colonel Mahmud Khudoiberdyev. Some Tajiks allege that the colonel trained some of his troops in the Zomin area of Uzbekistan. Kangas suggested that energy questions could be a source of inter-state problems in the years to come. Kyrgyzstan, for instance, must import oil and gas from its neighbors. But it has abundant water resources and, if they are developed, the country could export hydroelectric energy.
Energy is also important to Kazakhstan, which has impressive oil resources.
But transporting Kazakh oil to international markets and protecting the pipelines will require good relations with its neighbors. Some of the analysts at the seminar also hinted indirectly at possible competition sometime in the future between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Each aspires to be the leading state in Central Asia. Kazakhstan is much bigger geographically, but Uzbekistan can boast a larger population and is in the region's center. All participating analysts stressed their belief that regional cooperation is the only way to handle common problems facing them all.