C. Group C Countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan)
C. Group C Countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) Referred to herein as Group C, this group is made up of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is a complex grouping, made up of countries with widely disparate natural resources, infrastructure, size and economic development. The grouping recognises the historical links between these countries, which all (except from Mongolia) formed part of the former Soviet Union’s integrated power system, and the absence of any overarching treaty that defines a collective framework for the countries, as is the case with Group A and Group B, though again, voluntary and indicative only with respect to the observers in Group B. The individual country profiles provide an understanding of the level of development each energy sector has undergone and needs to undertake. Unlike Groups A and B above, Group C countries have no external pressure towards the modernisation and liberalisation of their energy regulatory sector. It is thus particularly interesting to observe the progress they may have accomplished in this area. The three highest-performing countries in this group – Armenia, Mongolia and Russia – have made significant efforts over the last five to 10 years to reform their energy markets and regulatory frameworks. In the electricity sector Russia is the best-performing country by a considerable margin. In the six lowest-performing countries, the least-developed indicator is the absence (or low level) of a wholesale market, while limited transparency and the absence or limited independence of the regulator are other critical factors.
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