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Russia: Prisoners of the Caucasus
Charles King and Rajan Menon
Russia has attempted to secure order in the North Caucasus by adding intelligence agents and beefing up the presence of federal border guards, along with redeploying police from elsewhere in Russia -- but to little avail. In October 2009, President Dmitry Medvedev told Russia's Security Council that the North Caucasus remains the Russia's foremost internal political problem
ENRC report strong profit in H1
Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. a ferrochrome aluminum and iron ore producer in Kazakhstan recently reported a strong financial performance in the first half of this year.The company said first-half profit jumped 63 % on higher commodity prices and output while forecasting near-term swings in prices Gazeta.kz reported.The strong financial reports...
Russian grain ban to affect Turkmenistan
Early this month Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced a total ban on grain sales saying it would remain on place till end of the year.The summers dry weather and widespread fires come on top of severe frosts last winter which destroyed winter crops which ultimately led to halt of...
Tajik Russian Presidents meet in Sochi
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon recently had a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart President Medvedev.The meeting was held on the sidelines of a quadrilateral summit in Sochi involving the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari Asia-Plus reported.Rahmon said he was pleased with the dynamics of...
Turkish company builds 90 bridges
Turkish construction firm Net Yapi a NATA Group company recently won a tender to construct highway bridges worth 287.5 million in different parts of the country over two years.The company is expected to complete construction of 90 bridges across Turkmenistan Turkmenistan.ru reported.The bridges include countrys longest with a length of...
Economy recovering from crisis banks fragile: IMF
The International Monetary Fund recently stated that that Kazakhstan will grow by 4% in 2010 chiefly driven by higher exports increasing commodity prices and foreign direct investment Gazeta.kz reported.The oil-rich Central Asian economy is recovering from the global financial crisis due to a timely stimulus programme and higher oil prices...
Rahmon attends quadrilateral meeting in Sochi
Russia recently hosted a quadrilateral meeting in Sochi which garnered together the heads of state of Russia Tajikistan Afghanistan and Pakistan to discuss the regional issues particularly the present situation in Afghanistan.Tajikistans President Emomali Rahmon accompanied by also Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi and State Adviser to the Tajik President for...
Uzbekistan shows socioeconomic development in H1
Over this short period of time Uzbekistan has passed a great way of development which can be compared to centuries.A significant work has been carried out in the country to build a democratic state and form a just civil society.Thanks to political stability and favorable investment climate foreign states consider...
Baku Ankara deepen strategic cooperation
Turkish President Abdullah Gul who was accompanied by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Energy Minister Taner Yildiz recently paid a visit to Azerbaijan at the invitation of his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.During his visit Gul had talks with Aliyev and Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade who are confident that...
Kyrgyzstan needs favorable investment conditions
Director of Advanced Development Center KR Chingiz Shamshiev recently decided to announce the working conditions in Kyrgyzstan prior luring investors in the country.He stressed that if the country made its intentions clear to work only under favorable terms for the country then it will prevent careless investors swindlers bribers and...
Muslim Commercial Bank expands Azeri operations
Muslim Commercial Bank MCB Ltd recently launched the operations of its leasing industry MCB Leasing - Closed Joint Stock Company CJSC in Baku.This move is part of the companys strategy to expand its international network Trend news agency reported.In Azerbaijan MCB will be involved in financial leasing offering a wide...
Eight Uzbek projects to be implemented by 2015
Within the framework of Uzbekkumir Uzbek Coal coal industry modernization program eight investment projects worth 1.1 billion will be implemented by 2015 Uzbekreport.com reported.Among the largest investment projects is modernization of the Angren open-pit mine in Tashkent region.The annual coal extraction here will be increased from 3.2 million tons to...
Belarus wants more business contacts with Yerevan
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko recently visited Armenia to participate in the CSTO informal summit which was held on 20-22 August.The guest visited the Belarusian-Armenian trade house which he had ordered to establish in 2009 Armenia Liberty.org reported.He held only business contacts in Yerevan.During the meetings both sides expressed confidence the...
Tbilisi against Russia Abkhazia maritime traffic
Restoration of maritime traffic to ferry passengers from Russias Black Sea ports to Gagra in breakaway Abkhazia was recently released by Russian information agency.The Georgian Foreign ministry said this action is an open challenge to the international community and yet another clear demonstration that Russia does not consider itself bound...
Economic growth at least 5.5% in first half
At a recent government session Georgian Prime Minister Nika Gilauri announced that the preliminary figures show economic growth was 5.5-6% in the first half of this year Civil Georgia reported.He said the real figures would be unveiled by early September.The Georgian government expects 4.5% economic growth in 2010.He noted that...
Central Bank keeps key rate at 6.5%
At a meeting of its monetary policy committee National Bank of Georgia NBG recently announced that its benchmark rate will remain unchanged at 6.5%.The refinancing rate of the central bank increased from 5% since late November 2009 to 6.25% in June and then to 6.5% in July Civil Georgia reported.NBG...
Jupiter Energy underpins development plans in Kazakhstan
Waterford Group a private holding company recently announced that it has acquired a 13% stake in Jupiter Energy an Australian listed oil exploration company via placement of 132.9 million shares at 2.70 cents per share raising 3.59 million. The announcement has bolstered Jupiters development plans for its Block 31 Triassic...
State delegation to attend UN General Assembly 65th session
At the next meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers it was announced that The Turkmen governmental delegation will take part in the upcoming the 65th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov noted that Turkmenistan is ready to continue to send its peacekeeping capacity to...
ADB oks 122 mln grant to bolster Tajik energy security
The Asian Development Bank ADB recently announced that it will offer a grant of 122 million for the Tajikistan Regional Power Transmission Project Asia-Plus reported. Overall cost of the project is 141 million. The grant will expand and modernize the countrys electricity transmission systems which in turn will bolster energy...
Favorite in the consumer markets of Central Asia
The new market report which provides an insight into the food and drink market of Kazakhstan in fourth quarter of 2010 states that the country is among the favorite Central Asian consumer market reads a press release. The report predicts that in the coming years the growth of Kazakhstan will...
USAID will allot 1. 1 mln to Tajikistan
Agency of the USA on the international development USAID recently announced that it will grant euro;1.
1 million to Tajikistan in the next three years the fund would be utilized b the country in the combat against the human traffic Asia-Plus reported.
The head of the interdepartmental commission of struggle against human...
Security forces share
blame for Uzbek killings
Kyrgyz security forces shared the blame for unrest in which 2 000 people were killed in June a report released on 16 August by a prominent human rights group alleges. Human Rights Watch HRW said that police and military forces had not protected the Uzbek minority from attacks and in...
Parliament plenary session to convene on 28 August
The third plenary session of the Uzbek parliaments upper house is scheduled to be convene on 28 August. The Kengash Council of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan also adopted a resolution to this effect the Senates press service said. The upcoming session will consider laws and issues...
World Bank Transport Ministry ink loan deal
The World Bank and the Azerbaijani Transport Ministry recently inked a fresh loan agreement on a project to expand the Baku-Shamakhi-Mugan Highway from two to four lanes Trend news agency reported. The document was signed by Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov and World Bank Country Manager Joseph Owen. This is the...
Baku Vilnius to boost ties
A member of the Lithuanian Committee for External Relations and member of the Azerbaijan-Lithuanian Inter-parliamentary Group of Friendship Arunas Valinskas recently paid a visit to Baku. The delegation was welcomed by Chairman of the Committee for International Relations and Inter-parliamentary Connections Samad Seidov and Chairman of the Committee for Economic...
Uzbekistan modernizes metallurgical industry
Innovative development is priority task of a new development strategy for Uzbekistans metallurgical industry until 2012. Efforts aimed at modernization and technical upgrade of production gradually made the situation better. In 2007 the government adopted a 49 million program of modernization and technological re-equipment of Uzmetkombinat the countrys largest ironworks...
US to allot 10 million to Kyrgyzstan
In line with the program for emergency Food for Peace the USAID Mission in the Kyrgyz Republic announced that the US will provide 10 million to Kyrgyzstan to address the needs of communities affected during the riots in the south of the republic. The program will provide victims with flour...
Unemployment top problem in Georgia
Unemployment is the biggest social problem of Georgian population according of NDI research published at the end of July Georgian news media reported. Around 65% in the poll consider unemployment as the most dramatic issue for their families and as the number one problem in Georgia. In December 2009 NDI...
Privatization plan fails to yield expected sum
The Georgian Economy Ministry recently announced that during the first six months of this year the sale of government property yielded 36 million laris. As a result the governments plan of earning 170 million laris this year by privatizing state property is bit skeptical Civil Georgia reported. Despite the low...
Central Bank again revises economic outlook
The Armenian Central Bank recently said in a statement that the recovery of the economy will grow sluggish in the second half of this year and result in a full-year GDP growth of up to 6. 2% ArmeniaLiberty. org reported.
The official statistics showed that the economy expanded by 6.
7% in...
400 million mall opens in Astana
Turkish company Sembol Construction recently inaugurated a shopping mall Han Cadiri Khans Tent worth 400 million in Astana Gazeta.kz reported. The facility includes a grand pool surrounded by an under-floor-heated beach consisting of sand imported from the Maldives that will be open throughout the year even when the weather is...
WB completes Avian Influenza Control Project
Within the framework of the Avian Influenza Control and Human Pandemic Preparedness and Response Project a World Bank WB supervision mission completed its visit to Turkmenistan Turkmenistan.ru reported. The project aims to strengthen the countrys capacity to prevent the spread of avian influenza among poultry prevent the transmission of avian...
World Bank give $24.5 million for reform
The Government of Tajikistan and the World Bank recently inked an agreement on the Fourth Programmatic Development Policy Grant for Tajikistan. The programme worth $25.4 million was signed by Safarali Najmiddinov Minister of Finance of Tajikistan and Motoo Konishi World Bank regional Director for Central Asia Asia-Plus reported.
The aim of...
OSCE Foreign Ministers meet in Almaty
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Kazakhstans State Secretary and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev recently hosted an informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers. The one day event was held in Almaty on 16-17 July Gazeta.kz reported. Around 40 Foreign Ministers participated in the informal meeting. During the meeting foreign Ministers and other high-level representatives...
EAEC central bank heads gather in Dushanbe
The 22nd session of the council of heads of central national banks of member nations of the Eurasian Economic Community EAEC was held in Dushanbe on 8-9 July the aim of the session is to discuss implementation of decisions adopted by the 21st session measures to support the banking sector...
European Training Foundation expands cooperation
A delegation of specialists of the European Training Foundation ETF recently paid a visit to Ashgabat. The representatives of the ETF held talks at the ministries of education economics and development finance and the Institute of Strategic Planning and Economic Development and the State Committee for Statistics of Turkmenistan Turkmenistan.ru...
April events to affect tourism
Citing the April events which shook the political situation in Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyz tour operators hotel owners and the whole business community raised the growing alarm of losses in the tourism sector reaching 150 million new agencies reported. Businessmen urged the interim governments leaders to ensure stability in the republic in...
Tashkent Riga address economic security issues
Latvian Foreign Minister Aivis Ronis recently paid a working visit to Uzbekistan a government source reported. Uzbekistan is an important partner to Latvia as well as the European Union and NATO Ronis said at meetings with Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov and Defense Minister Kabul Berdiyev Trend news agency reported....
Baku Tbilisi discuss regional stability
On his recent visit to Azerbaijan Georgias Minister of Foreign Affairs Grigol Vashadze met with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. During the meeting Vashadze evaluated the situation in the South Caucasus region and the future prospects of the two neighboring countries. He called their cooperation an example not only for...
German and French ministers to visit unrest areas
The foreign ministers of Germany and France were expected to personally visit on 16 July the scene of bloody ethnic fighting in Kyrgyzstan that killed an estimated 2 000 people an aide said in Berlin. They were also expected to meet with Kyrgyzstans acting president Rosa Otunbayeva said German Foreign Ministry...
Russias VTB bank closes branch in Kyrgyzstan
Taking into account concerns about security due to political instability in Kyrgyztan Russias second largest bank VTB will close its branch in Kyrgyzstan. The decision was taken by the Banks management. One of the employees of the bank was quoted as saying by the press the bank thoroughly conducted an...
WB discusses acquisition plans on rail project
The World Banks mission led by Gerald Olivier completed its visit in Baku on 12 July within Rail Trade and Transport Facilitation Project in Azerbaijan. The project aims to upgrade railway services in Azerbaijan as well as the competitiveness financial sustainability operating and cost efficiency and capacity of Azerbaijan State...
German entrepreneurs to invest in Azerbaijan
Last month an Azerbaijani delegation consisted of 12 entrepreneurs paid a visit to Germany. The visit was organized by GTZ Program to Support Private Sector the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economic Development Azerbaijani Export Investment Promotion Foundation AZPROMO Azerbaijan Investment Company AIC and the Azerbaijan Institute of Tourism Trend news agency...
IMF: Economic recovery on rise risks remain
The International Monetary Fund on 9 July completed its sixth review of Georgias economy. According to IMF the economic recovery of Georgia is gaining strength but risks linger as reflected in the reduced inflow of foreign direct investments in the first quarter of 2010 The Messenger reported. IMF decided to...
Armenia-EU Inter-parliamentary meeting
The working sitting of the Armenia-EU Inter-parliamentary Cooperation Commission chaired Naira Zohrabyan was recently held in Yerevan. The chairwoman acquainted the members of the Committee about the latest developments in the Armenia-EU relations Armenia Liberty.org reported. The Commission decided to work out an agenda of issues in the coming week...
Government to boost wheat output
The Armenian government statistics unveiled that one third of wheat is grown domestically. The government pledged on to alleviate Armenias heavy dependence wheat imports in the next few years by supplying local farmers with new sorts of seeds meant to boost their yields Armenia Liberty.org reported. The government has allocated...
Kazakhstan keen on promoting
tolerance in OSCE space
ASTANA - Opening the OSCE High Level Conference on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination in Astana last week Kazakhstans President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his new initiative to create a new OSCE structure a Centre for Tolerance and Non-Discrimination.
Last week at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation Astana hosted an OSCE High Level...
Chinese president calls for enhancing ties
Chinese President Hu Jintao Thursday called for more efforts to enhance all-round cooperation with Russia and Tajikistan during his separate meetings here with presidents of the two countries on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization SCO Xinhua News Agency reported. In his meeting with Russian...
Trade focus highlighted
He Guoqiang a senior official of the Communist Party of China CPC on Saturday pledged efforts to boost Sino-Turkmen economic and trade cooperation. Speaking at a Sino-Turkmen trade and investment forum He member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the...
ADB to invest in Azeri construction sector
Open joint stock company Garadagh Cement said everything is ready for conclusion of a deal for a 20 million loan to be extended by the Asian Development Bank ADB for expansion of output and improvement of fuel efficiency to the integrated cement plant of Azerbaijan. The loan agreement will be...
EU calls referendum a big step towards democracy
Approval by referendum of a new constitution in Kyrgyzstan marked an important step towards the re-establishment of the constitutional order and democratic process in the strife-ridden country the European Union said on 28 June.
In a statement the blocs foreign policy director Catherine Ashton welcomed the peaceful conduct of the voting...
Caspian News - New Europe News
Caspian News - New Europe News: The European News Source.
Iran, Pakistan Loom Large in Caspian Basin Pipeline Developments
Pakistani leaders have been moving aggressively to forge new pipeline deals. The Pakistani push threatens to undermine US efforts to isolate Iran.
Uzbekistan Celebrates Independence Day
Uzbekistan celebrated its independence on September 1. But for many Uzbeks, independence is not to be confused with freedom.
Turkmenistan Weekly News Roundup
Determined to go forward on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov spoke with Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari this week, following his conversation with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai last week and the signing of an agreement between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to construct TAPI.
OSCE Police Mission for Kyrgyzstan Stalls
An OSCE police advisory mission had been expected to be deployed in strife-torn southern Kyrgyzstan by the end of August. But given the Central Asian nation’s muddled political situation, it now looks like the deployment won’t happen until late October, if at all.
Azerbaijan Flood Victims Complaining about Slow Reconstruction Pace
It’s been almost four months since flooding in Azerbaijan’s Sabirabad Region displaced tens of thousands of residents. Now, amid slow-paced reconstruction efforts, a popular tide of anger and resentment appears to be rising.
Unraveling the Caucasus: Two New Books Examine a Region’s Complicated History
Let Our Fame be Great: Journeys Among the Defiant People of the Caucasus
By Oliver Bullough
Basic Books
528pp
Osh: Will Back to School Bring On More Trouble?
The start of the school year on September 1 is heaping an extra layer of apprehension on an already distressed situation in southern Kyrgyzstan.
New Nuke Plant in Armenia Draws Criticism from Environmentalists
Armenian leaders are ecstatic that Russia is getting involved in the construction of a new nuclear power plant at Metsamor. Environmentalists and technical experts are far less enthused, saying that a new Metsamor unit poses considerable risks.
LGBT Activists in Turkey Launch Ground-Breaking Publication
Speaking in his apartment in a suburb of Diyarbakir, in southeastern Turkey, Solin and his colleague Koya are so scared of being identified that they will not allow even an obscured photograph of themselves to be published. Nor do they want their real names to be known.
In One Azerbaijan Village, 'Carrying Water Is Women's Work'
CELEBILER, Azerbaijan -- In this small, dusty village in central Azerbaijan, daily life for the local women begins at dawn and ends at sunset.
What happens in between, say several Celebiler women, is nonstop labor.
EurasiaNet.org
Kadyrov sure all presidents of Russian republics to change titles (Update 1) (Ria Novosti)
The head of the Russian North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, is sure the presidents of other republics will follow his example and change their titles, leaving only one president in Russia. Source : Ria Novosti
Russia’s Ingushetia hopes to find partners at Expo-2010 (Ria Novosti)
Ingushetia will use Russia’s pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010 to find Chinese investors to set up a car manufacturing plant in the North Caucasus republic, Ingush President Yunus Bek-Yevkurov said. Source : Ria Novosti
Police officer killed in Ingushetia attack (Ria Novosti)
Suspected militants shot dead a police officer in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia early on Thursday, a law enforcement source told RIA Novosti. Source : Ria Novosti
Chechnya’s Despot Ramzan Kadyrov Eliminates The Competition (Winds Of Jihad)
Chechen fighters “dead” in Russia-backed leader’s village raid Some 30 fighters attacked Chechnyan leader Kadyrovs village early on Sunday morning, a source in the North Caucasus... Source : Winds Of Jihad
Georgia dismisses Russia's warning as 'provocation' (Ria Novosti)
Russia's warning to its nationals against visiting Georgia is part of an "anti-Georgia campaign," the south Caucasus state's deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday. Source : Ria Novosti
The Russian-Georgian war – 2 years on (Ria Novosti)
Alexander Sharavin is director of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis and one of Russia’s best-known military experts. In a conversation with Andrei Zolotov, Jr., editor-in-chief of RussiaProfile.org, Sharavin speaks about the consequences of the Russian-Georgian military conflict for security in the Caucasus, Georgian-Russian relations, the... Source : Ria Novosti
Five policemen killed in Russia's Chechnya (People Daily)
Five police officers died and another 17 injured during a special operation conducted early Sunday in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya that also killed 12 militants, said the republic's investigators. Two police officers died on the spot in the operation carried out in the Tsentaroi village of Kurchaloyevsky district, the hometown of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Source : People Daily
12 suspected rebels killed in Chechnya: president (France24)
Twelve suspected militants and two law enforcement officers died in a shoot-out in Chechnya in Russia's volatile North Caucasus on Sunday, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said. The maverick leader personally oversaw the operation, which took place in his home village, and television reports showed footage of his security force surrounding a building. A source in the region's... Source : France24
12 suspected rebels killed in Chechnya (The Age)
Twelve suspected militants and two law enforcement officers have died in a shoot-out in Chechnya in Russia's volatile North Caucasus. Source : The Age
12 suspected rebels killed in Chechnya (Sydney Morning Herald )
Twelve suspected militants and two law enforcement officers have died in a shoot-out in Chechnya in Russia's volatile North Caucasus. Source : Sydney Morning Herald
Islamist rebels launch deadly attack on Chechen president's village (The Guardian)
... Tsentoroi, Kadyrov's home village, also known as Khosi-Yurt, in the early hours of this morning . Russian TV reported that five civilians had also been killed in fierce fighting. The main rebel website, www.kavkazcenter.com, claimed 60 "mujahideen" had stormed Kadyrov's village at 4.30am, destroying two checkpoints and blowing up an armoured personnel carrier. It said five of its... Source : The Guardian Explore : Asia, Moscow, Russia, Vladimir Putin, World
12 suspected rebels killed in Chechnya: president (Tolerance.ca)
MOSCOW - Twelve suspected militants and two law enforcement officers died in a shoot-out in Chechnya in Russia's volatile North Caucasus on Sunday, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said. Source : Tolerance.ca
Chechnya shootout leaves 19 dead (The Guardian)
... according to police spokesman Magomed Tagirov. He said weapons were later found in the cars. Russia's volatile North Caucasus suffers daily attacks by insurgents seeking independence from Moscow, but this weekend's bloodshed has been especially fierce. On Saturday, nine suspected militants were killed in two separate shootouts with police in the Kabardino-Balkariya republic,... Source : The Guardian
World News Briefs -- August 29, 2010 (War News Updates)
... games. Sudan's President stirs rift in Kenya. Somali militants grow. EUROPE 19 dead in shootout in Russia's Caucasus . Serbia ready for Kosovo compromise, up to a point: Tadic. Far-right protesters clash with police in U.K. Putin vows Russia will launch manned space missions in 2018. AMERICAS Venezuelan helicopter crash kills 10 soldiers. Trapped miners: depression fears... Source : War News Updates Explore : Asia, Indonesia, Lebanon, Middle East, World
19 dead in shootout in Russia's Caucasus (San Diego Union)
A shootout between the Chechen president's personal protection detail and suspected separatist insurgents left 19 people dead early Sunday, including five civilians, officials and media reports said. Source : San Diego Union
Policemen uncover two arms caches in Dagestan (Ria Novosti)
Policemen uncovered two caches of weapons in the capital of the Russia's volatile North Caucasus republic of Makhachkala, a source from the republic's law enforcement agencies said. Source : Ria Novosti
19 dead in shootout in Russia's Caucasus (Boston Herald)
ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia - A shootout between the Chechen president's personal protection detail and suspected... Source : Boston Herald
Shootout in Russia's Caucasus Kills 19 (The Wall Street Journal)
A shootout between the Chechen president's personal protection detail and suspected separatist insurgents has left 19 people dead. Source : The Wall Street Journal
19 Dead in Shootout in Russia's Caucasus (ABC News)
12 suspected insurgents, 5 civilians and 2 security officers killed in Chechnya shootout Russia - Chechnya - North Caucasus - Dagestan - Territorial Disputes Source : ABC News
12 militants killed in Russia's Chechnya (People Daily)
Twelve militants were killed early Sunday in a special operation conducted in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, said republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Two police officers also died in the operation in the Tsentaroi village of Kurchaloyevsky district, said Kadyrov. Among the wounded were two officers, four civilians including two minors, he added. "Currently servicemen and... Source : People Daily
Wikio - Caucasus
Wikio - World - Asia - Caucasus
FAILED COUP RAISES ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT STABILITY IN KYRGYZSTAN
Anti-government protests on August 5, 2010 in the capital of Kyrgyzstan ended with the riot police dispersing crowds of demonstrators and arresting the organizer, Urmat Baryktabasov, on charges of coup attempt and illegal possession of weapons. Baryktabasov gained notoriety as a result of his alleged first attempt at seizure of power in June 2005, weeks following the Tulip Revolution. Even though the police and security services successfully coped with the challenge this time, the situation in Kyrgyzstan is far from stable.
THE EU STRATEGY FOR CENTRAL ASIA AND THE KYRGYZ CRISIS
During the crisis in Kyrgyzstan in June 2010, the European Union published a Joint Progress Report by the Council and the European Commission to the European Council on the implementation of the EU Strategy for Central Asia. This took place three years after the launching of the first strategy, initiated by the German presidency in 2007. Beyond its partly self-congratulatory and sometimes technocratic discourse lauding the progress that has been made in many areas, the balance sheet is mixed.
UMAROV’S (NON)RESIGNATION: IS THE NORTH CAUCASUS INSURGENCY BECOMING DIVIDED?
The websites of the North Caucasus insurgency reported the resignation of the Caucasus Emirate leader, emir Dokku Umarov on August 1, where Umarov in a short video announced his decision to step down and that he would be replaced by emir Aslambek Vadalov. The following day, Umarov in another video, disowned his previous statement and stated it was impossible for him to resign. These two contradictory statements within only a few days raise questions regarding the causes of Umarov’s canceled resignation and the future of the insurgency.
THE BLACK SEA’S WEST COAST WEIGHS IN ON CASPIAN SEA BASIN PIPELINES
Bulgaria and Romania have over the course of the summer been setting down their markers as regards the Nabucco and South Stream pipeline projects in an on-again, off-again manner. What they finally decide may determine which pipelines from the South Caucasus and Turkey get built where in Southeast Europe. Major investment decisions are also on the line in coming months. It is consequently little exaggeration to say that the next year, if not the next half-year, will set the main lines of the blueprint for Caspian/Black Sea hydrocarbon development for the better part of the oncoming decade.
THE EU-AZERBAIJAN ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT: A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR UPDATED COOPERATION?
On July 16, 2010, Azerbaijan and the European Union (EU) started to negotiate for the signature of an Association Agreement. In the framework of the Eastern Partnership, launched in May 2009, it will provide a new basis for the relationship between Baku and Brussels. These negotiations will help updating the latter, highlighting both the changes of perceptions of Azerbaijan in Brussels and the new regional role Baku intends to play in the South Caucasus.
RUSSIA AND NATO CLASH OVER AFGHAN DRUGS
In recent months, the Russian government has stepped up its attacks on NATO governments for failing to curb Afghanistan’s exploding opium production and the resulting surge in Eurasian drug trafficking. Since Western troops occupied Afghanistan in late 2001, opium cultivation has soared and the Russian government argues that NATO should take more vigorous action to repress the cultivation of narcotics in Afghanistan. Russian officials have indicated that they will press for aerial spraying of herbicides on the poppy fields. Although sympathetic to Russian concerns, neither the Afghan government, nor its NATO backers, are prepared to take such risky action, which could greatly assist Taliban recruitment efforts.
KHLOPONIN ENDEAVOURS TO RAISE INVESTOR CONFIDENCE IN NORTHERN CAUCASUS
Alexander Khloponin is no economic visionary. His economic values are based on open markets, free movement of capital, public-private partnership – in short, what might be termed the neo-liberal economic agenda. These economic values brought him success as governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai. Now, as President Medvedev’s representative to the North Caucasus Federal District, Khloponin proposes to use many of the same economic policies to bring prosperity to Russia’s most destitute region. However, these policies will hardly suffice to attract significant investment to a region which remains the base of an armed insurgency.
CENTRAL ASIA’S SKILLED MIGRANTS: BRAIN DRAIN OR BRAIN GAIN?
This spring, hundreds of young professionals, scholars and PhD students across Central Asia packed their books, research projects and CVs and headed for foreign countries to get professional training, education, or internships. This movement of highly skilled specialists has become a hotly debated issue among intellectuals in the region. One camp argues that it is a brain drain, as much needed specialists leave their home countries, contributing to shortages of highly skilled professionals. Others argue that it is a brain gain, because if even a few of them come back with world-class expertise, they will contribute to reforming national economies – and those who do not return will transfer remittances from developed countries to their nations.
RUSSIAN COUNTER-INSURGENCY SUCCESSES FORESHADOW CHANGES IN NORTHERN CAUCASIAN REBEL LEADERSHIP
On June 9, the director of Russia’s federal security service, the FSB, announced that his organization had detained Emir Magas, the leader of the rebel insurgency in Ingushetia. The capture of Magas comes on foot of a series of recent successes by security forces against the insurgent organization in the Northern Caucasus. In February, security forces accounted for Seif Islam, a military counsellor to rebel leader Doku Umarov. In March, Anzor Astemirov and Said Buryatsky, two leading rebel ideologists, were eliminated. These losses have created vacancies in at least two key leadership positions within the Caucasus Emirate organization.
Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Analyst - Analytical Articles
OSCE FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET IN ALMATY
On July 16-17 2010, the former capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty, hosted the OSCE Informal Ministerial Meeting to discuss the situation in Kyrgyzstan, reiterate Kazakhstan's commitment to the OSCE's fundamental principles and values and, more importantly, push for the summit at the end of this year, the first in the past 11 years.
KYRGYZSTAN FACES CONTINUED UNREST
Kyrgyzstan faced further unrest, which was seen by many as a clumsy attempt to overthrow the country’s shaky government. Despite the fact that mass disorder was successfully averted, the risk of new attempts at violent upheaval in view of the upcoming parliamentary elections remains high.
STALEMATE IN KARABAKH PEACE TALKS
Hopes for real progress in the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have deteriorated over the last month, as both sides have been acting according to the principle of “a tooth for a tooth”.
POLICING VICE IN RUSSIA’S NORTH CAUCASUS
Through June 2010, the levels of violence in Russia’s North Caucasus mirror the amount of attacks that occurred in the region during 2009. Despite policy changes by the Kremlin, such as the official end of the counter-terrorism operation in Chechnya and the establishment of the North Caucasus Federal District, attacks against state security organs continue unabated. In fact, members of the Islamic militancy have displayed signs of becoming bolder, not only in their attacks against the state, but also in their attempts to control civilian activities and enforce their own moral standards. According to data compiled by the Georgetown University Emerging Threats Project, there have been approximately 30 “religiously motivated” attacks in the North Caucasus Federal District from the beginning of 2010 to the end of June. The majority of the attacks have taken place in Dagestan and it seems that the assaults are on the rise. There were two assaults in April, five attacks in May, and the number jumped to nineteen such “religiously motivated” violent incidents in June.
IRAN INTERFERES IN TAJIK-UZBEK RAIL DISPUTE
Speaking to journalists in Dushanbe on July 12, 2010, the visiting head of the Iranian president’s office, Esfandiyar Rahim-Masha’i, accused Uzbekistan of causing a six-month delay in the launch of the first unit of the Sangtuda-2 hydroelectric power station (HEPS) – Iran’s US$ 180 million investment project in southern Tajikistan – by holding up Tajikistan-bound freight cars with construction materials. Uzbekistan has been delaying the transit of hundreds of Tajik trains since February 2010, attributing the interruptions to “technical and logistical” issues. However, many observers believe that Uzbekistan’s blockade of Tajik cargo transit through its railway network is an attempt to force Dushanbe to abandon the controversial Rogun HEPS project, which Tashkent has long been opposing. Out of 1,500 to 2,000 Tajik cars held up by Uzbekistan, roughly one-third are bound for Khatlon where the Rogun dam is being constructed.
U.S. AIMS TO EXPAND ITS PRESENCE IN UZBEKISTAN
Recent developments in Central Asia seem to have affected relations between the U.S. and Uzbekistan positively. These relations have not been characterized as cooperative during the past several years. However, either due to the unstable security situation in the region following the bloody clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan or the increasing role of Uzbekistan in providing logistical assistance for U.S. operations in Afghanistan, an increased U.S. presence in Uzbekistan now seems viable.
CLINTON UNDERLINES THE IMPORTANCE OF GEORGIAN CIVIL SOCIETY
The U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, presented the U.S. administration’s view of the ongoing tensions between Russia and Georgia on her one-day visit to Tbilisi on July 5, as the final stop of her trip to Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Clinton underlined the importance of democratic reform and non-resurgence of armed conflict in Georgia’s breakaway regions.
ARMENIA AND IRAN TO LAUNCH MAJOR JOINT PROJECTS
Armenia will speed up its joint projects with Iran in an effort to secure its supplies and extend its export markets. In the coming months, Armenia and Iran will launch three major joint construction projects in the energy sector. The Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural resources Armen Movsisyan said on July 14 that a joint hydropower station on the border river of Araks (near the Armenian city of Meghri), a high-voltage power line connecting the two countries, and a pipeline for exporting oil from Iran to Armenia will be constructed. All the three projects were subject to discussion long ago, but their implementation was delayed for different reasons, including the political instability in Iran since 2009.
IS THE EU READY TO PAY THE BILL FOR THE AZERBAIJANI-TURKISH GAS AGREEMENT?
On June 11, Bulgaria announced its defection from Russia's Burgas-Alexandroupolis project planned to carry Russian and Caspian oil from a Bulgarian Black Sea port to a Greek port in the Aegean Sea, bypassing the Turkish Straits. Considered by Russian experts as an outcome of European and American pressure, the Bulgarian initiative was actually the first immediate effect of the Azerbaijani-Turkish gas agreement signed on June 7, which opened the door for accomplishing the EU-backed energy projects Nabucco, ITGI and TAP. The second effect of this agreement was the conclusion on June 17 of a memorandum of understanding between three Italian, Greek and Turkish gas companies for the ITGI gas pipeline, which according to its signatories “will enhance European energy security”.
SUKHUMI TAKES TIME OUT FROM GENEVA TALKS
Sukhumi temporary withdraws from the five-party Geneva talks due to disagreements over key security issues, the head of the Abkhaz presidential administration Nadir Bitiyev declared on June 23rd. Tbilisi appraised this move as an attempt on Moscow’s part to undermine the Geneva talks through its proxy regime in Sukhumi.
Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Analyst - Field Reports
21 July 2010 News Digest
Tajik court reopens case against Jehovah’s witnesses
8 July
7 July 2010 News Digest
Polio outbreak in Tajikistan a concern
25 June
A polio outbreak in Tajikistan raises concerns the disease could spread to other regions in the world, an editorial in a Canadian journal says. The editorial, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says this is the first persistent outbreak of polio in a country that was previously certified to be polio-free and it is imperative that health agencies try to limit further spread by ensuring high vaccination rates. Cases are appearing in Russia and Uzbekistan. The current outbreak accounts for 75 percent of the world's polio cases and far exceeds that of India and Nigeria, which has had polio outbreaks. "Too many regions and communities have ceased to worry about polio," Dr. Paul Hebert, editor in chief of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says in a statement with Dr. Noni MacDonald, public health editor. "As a consequence, vaccine uptake rates are all too often well below effective prevention levels." For example, in Ontario, childhood immunization rates are only in the high 70 percent to low 80 percent range -- comparable to rates in Tajikistan -- because of concerns about vaccine safety, anti-government views and religious strictures against vaccinations, the editorial says. (UPI)
23 June 2010 News Digest
Kyrgyz officials escape attack in Bishkek Uzbekistan closes border with kyrgyzstan stopping the refugee flow
11 June
Two senior Kyrgyz officials were attacked by a crowd of young Kyrgyz in Bishkek today, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. Interim government Deputy Chairman Temir Sariev and Deputy Interior Minister Kubanychbek Kadyrov were trying to persuade a group of young people not to travel to the southern city of Osh, where at least 37 people were killed in clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbek youths. Several of the group's members then tried to assault the two men. An RFE/RL correspondent who was at the scene reports that security guards and police managed to protect the two officials and helped them to escape into the parliament building. The group of young Kyrgyz men was demanding that the interim government provide them with a bus to travel to Osh. RFE/RL correspondents report that young Kyrgyz from different parts of the country are trying to reach Osh, while the interim government is trying to prevent what leader Roza Otunbaeva called "the flow of people" from reaching the city. (RFE/RL)
15 June
Uzbekistan on Tuesday stopped the reception of refugees from the south of Kyrgyzstan – ethnic Uzbeks who are fleeing for safety fearing violence. The Uzbekistani authorities have already registered 45,000 refugees (only adults, as there are no exact data on children). “We have no place for them anymore,” local media quoted Vice Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov as saying. According to him, Uzbekistan in connection with the inflow of refugees needs help from international organisations. The Kyrgyz-Uzbek border was opened for refugees on June 12. Camps for their temporary accommodation were organised in Uzbekistan. They are supplied with food products, and medical aid is provided. According to Uzbekistan’s Health Minister Adkham Ikramov, the number of wounded and ill refugees from Kyrgyzstan in medical establishments of the Andijan region of the republic has reached 735 people, 134 of them have gunshot wounds. Ikramov also said that 77 female refugees have been taken to a maternity hospital and seven of them have given birth to children. The 2010 south Kyrgyzstan riots are ongoing clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan, primarily in the cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad, in the aftermath of the ouster of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Escalating from protests that began as early as April, violence broke out on 9 June in Osh with the majority Kyrgyz rioting through the streets attacking minority Uzbeks and burning property. By 12 June the violence had spread to Jalal-Abad, requiring the Russian-endorsed interim government led by Roza Otunbayeva to declare a state of emergency in an attempt to take control of the situation. So far it is reported that 170 people have been killed, over 1,700 injured and 100,000 displaced, of which at least 45,000 have fled into neighbouring Uzbekistan. (Itar-Tass)
9 June 2010 News Digest
New Tajik Polio Outbreak Prompts Swift Measures From Moscow
29 May
The reemergence of an old disease in Tajikistan has led to an outbreak of a "polio war" between Moscow and Dushanbe. The dispute erupted after news emerged in April that the viral disease, which primarily spreads in areas with poor sanitation and can cause paralysis within hours of contraction, had returned to Tajikistan in a big way. Two deaths resulting from polio have been confirmed in the Central Asian country, although Russian officials have placed the number as high as 15. Some 104 cases of wild poliovirus have been confirmed, and nearly 440 cases of acute flaccid paralysis, the most common sign of polio, have been recorded. In Russia, where hundreds of thousands of Tajik migrant workers trek for seasonal work, suspected cases have appeared among young children of Tajik migrant laborers in hospitals in Moscow and thousands of kilometers away in Angarsk, Irkutsk Region. These illnesses have led officials to introduce a number of measures to prevent the disease from spreading. Tajik children less than six years of age, the most likely group to contract the virus, have been barred from entering the country and testing at border points has begun. In another move that threatens to further damage Tajikistan's already battered economy, imports of dried fruit were banned by Moscow. (RFE/RL)
26 May 2010 News Digest
Interim government opponents reinstate previous Osh governor
13 May
Supporters of former Osh region governor Mamasadyk Bakirov have occupied the local administration building in the city in southern Kyrgyzstan and have reinstated him as governor, an Interfax correspondent reported from the scene. "We are not loyalists of the previous government," Bakirov told the media."We draw support from the people, who oppose the interim government and the current hectic reshuffling," he said. Police, deployed on the central square, are not intervening, according to the Interfax correspondent. Several thousand Bakirov supporters have gathered on the city's central square. Sooronbai Zheyenbekov, the current governor, who was appointed by the interim government, is not inside the local government headquarters. He managed to leave the building, according to unofficial reports. (Interfax)
12 May 2010 News Digest
Georgian opposition, activists hold protests in Tbilisi
1 May
Georgian human rights activists and opposition members blocked a major street in central Tbilisi to demand the immediate release of political prisoners, RFE/RL's Echo of the Caucasus reports. The demonstrators first gathered on April 30 in front of the parliament building before blocking Rustaveli Avenue. The action was initiated by the nongovernmental organization Solidarity with Illegal Inmates. Leading political opposition leaders attended the protest, as did Manana Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia, the widow of late President Zviad Gamsakhurdia. She considers her son, Tsotne Gamsakhurdia, to be a political prisoner. He was recently sentenced to prison for attempted murder.
Opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze said there were at least 50 people in prison that the opposition considers to be political prisoners. (RFE/RL)
14 April 2010 News Digest
Karzai lashes out at West over Afghan elections
1 April
President Hamid Karzai accused the West on Thursday of trying to ruin Afghanistan's elections, intensifying a showdown with parliament over whether foreigners will oversee a parliamentary vote this year. Karzai's international reputation took a beating after a U.N.-backed fraud watchdog threw out a third of the votes cast for him in last year's presidential election. He is now wrangling with parliament and the United Nations over fraud protection measures for a parliamentary vote due in September."Foreigners will make excuses, they do not want us to have a parliamentary election," a defiant Karzai told a gathering of election officials. "They want parliament to be weakened and battered, and for me to be an ineffective president and for parliament to be ineffective." "You have gone through the kind of elections during which you were not only threatened with terror, you also faced massive interference from foreigners," Karzai told the officials. "Some embassies also tried to bribe the members of the commission." In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley rejected Karzai's accusations the West wanted to see the Afghan parliament weakened and for him to be ineffective. "We do not accept that judgment," Crowley said. What was important, said Crowley, was that Karzai be seen by his own people as governing effectively and that he take "measurable" steps against corruption. "Karzai has to step forward," Crowley told reporters. Karzai singled out Peter Galbraith, the American former deputy of the U.N. mission in Kabul, sacked after accusing his boss of turning a blind eye to fraud, and French General Philippe Morillon, head of an EU vote monitoring mission. "There was fraud in the presidential and provincial election, with no doubt there was massive fraud. This wasn't fraud by Afghans but the fraud of foreigners, the fraud of Galbraith, of Morillon and the votes of the Afghan nation were in the control of an embassy," Karzai said.He accused Galbraith of telling an election official he would be "digging himself an early grave" if Karzai was declared first round winner and said Morillon had tried to block the announcement of results to force Karzai to accept a political alliance. Galbraith told Reuters in a telephone interview that Karzai's accusations were "ludicrous." (Reuters) "It's preposterous of him to accuse me of fraud," said Galbraith, who also denied telling election officials anything except to follow published guidelines. (Reuters)
31 March 2010 News Digest
Kazakh oil company leaders meet with striking workers
17 March
Regional government officials and KazMunaiGaz oil and gas company managers are holding talks today with striking oil workers in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. KazMunaiGaz President Qayirgeldy Qabyldin visited the town on March 16 and held talks with the strikers. The two sides agreed to set up a conciliation commission to discuss the strikers' demands. Union leader and striker Tabyn Ergenov told RFE/RL that the strikers elected 12 delegates to take part in the conciliation commission, which has begun its work. Several thousand workers at OzenMunaiGaz, a KazMunaiGaz affiliate, have been on strike since March 4. They are demanding the replacement of the official trade union leader; the annuling of the decision to change the workers wage scale, which they say reduced their wages; cuts in their annual work output; and the resignation of OzenMunaiGaz's director. The last demand was met on March 16 when OzenMunaiGaz head Baqytqali Biseken was fired. Union leader Ergenov says the strike will continue during the talks within the framework of the conciliation commission. (RFE/RL)
17 March 2010 News Digest
Forced move puts central Asian library’s rare collection at risk
6 March
One of the most prestigious libraries in Central Asia has been forced to move, potentially endangering some of its ancient and rare documents, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. The buildings housing the Alisher Navoi Library in Tashkent -- which with 10 million books in 75 different languages is among the region's largest -- were demolished on March 4. The library also has some of Central Asia's most important historical documents. In 2003, the library lost its original building in downtown Tashkent, which was demolished to make room for a new building for the Senate, the upper chamber of the Uzbek parliament. Officials had since moved the library to buildings vacated by the Tashkent city administration and the Committee of State Security. Library director Malika Matmurodova told RFE/RL that the books, historical documents, and manuscripts are currently being transported to various different government buildings around the Uzbek capital. Farida Nosirova, the chief of the library's preservation department, told RFE/RL that all the books -- especially manuscripts that are centuries old -- need to be kept under special conditions that do not exist at present. She said there are many ancient manuscripts written in Farsi and Arabic that need extremely urgent care or they could be damaged beyond repair. The Alisher Navoi Library was established in Tashkent in 1870 but has not functioned normally since it was moved in 2003. (RFE/RL)
Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Analyst - News Digest
2010 FIFA World Cup
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