Latest Articles about Central Asia

UPROAR OVER ANDIJAN FADES AS EU WARMS TO TASHKENT

On October 17 European Union foreign ministers agreed to lift travel restrictions against Uzbek Defense Minister Ruslan Mirzayev, National Security chief Rustam Inoyatov, and six others, saying it was "with a view to encouraging the Uzbek authorities to take positive steps to improve the human... MORE

WITHOUT HEIR, KARIMOV LIKELY TO STAND FOR RE-ELECTION

Uzbekistan’s Central Election Committee has announced that a presidential election will be held on December 23. According to Article 8 of the law on presidential elections, parliament is to approve the decision to hold an election three months before the president’s term in office ends... MORE

POLITICAL FORCES COUNT DOWN TO KYRGYZ CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM

This week Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced that he would chair his newly formed electoral bloc, Ak Zhol, which unites all major pro-presidential political parties. Bakiyev’s bloc will be the frontrunner in the snap parliamentary elections anticipated after the referendum on Sunday, October 21. Al... MORE

PRODI VISITS NAZARBAYEV TO SETTLE DIFFERENCES ON KASHAGAN

On October 8 Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi arrived in Astana, Kazakhstan, to consult with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Karim Masimov in a bid to ease tensions around the Kashagan oilfield. Work at Kashagan was halted over the summer, due to accusations... MORE

CASPIAN SUMMIT BALANCES INTERESTS AND DIFFERENCES

The presidents of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan held a Caspian Summit meeting yesterday (October 16) in Tehran. It was the second summit of this type, the first having been held in Ashgabat in 2002. And it was the first visit by a Kremlin... MORE

KAZAKHSTAN’S OIL EXPORT PICTURE DETAILED

At last week’s energy summit of Baltic, Black Sea, and Caspian countries, hosted by Lithuania in Vilnius (see EDM, October 12), Kazakhstan’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sauat Mynbayev provided a remarkably detailed picture of the country’s oil export policies, both ongoing and projected. Oil... MORE

UPCOMING REFERENDUM SINKS KYRGYZSTAN DEEPER INTO CRISIS

In less than two weeks, on October 21, Kyrgyzstan will hold a referendum on a new constitution and electoral law. Both documents have been drafted by Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Already it is obvious that the new constitution and electoral law are far from representing... MORE

DUSHANBE SUMMITS FOLLOW RUSSIAN AGENDA

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is pleased with the success of the “triple summit” of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEc) last week in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and he described them as “most fruitful”... MORE

KYRGYZSTAN CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM SET FOR OCTOBER 21

Two weeks ago Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev unveiled his draft constitution, which substantially increases his powers. Bakiyev’s constitutional project will be confirmed or rejected in the national referendum scheduled for October 21. Meanwhile, most local observers agree that the regime will likely falsify the final... MORE

WILL ASHGABAT ABANDON NEUTRALITY?

While Western powers compete to entice Turkmenistan’s new leadership to share access to the country’s munificent hydrocarbon resources, Moscow is pursing a longer-term goal by attempting to modify the country’s long-standing neutrality stance. The Kremlin apparently hopes to enmesh Turkmenistan in existing post-Soviet defense pacts... MORE