Central Asian leaders sent German Chancellor Olaf Scholz a clear and consistent message during his three-day visit to the region: ‘to get, you’ve got to give.’ The five Central Asian heads of state gathered in the Kazakh capital Astana on September 17 for a meeting with Scholz, with discussions focusing on expanding trade between the West and Central Asia. Germany is particularly interested in boosting natural gas imports from the region as part of a continuing pan-European Union effort to pivot away from Russian energy. No specific deals were announced at the meeting’s conclusion, but all sid…