President Nursultan Nazarbayev has moved to deepen the level of Kazakhstan’s cooperation with Germany. On January 30, during a visit to Germany, Nazarbayev explored ways to increase existing bilateral political, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Reportedly, both leaders share... MORE

On January 29 Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev selected a new prime minister, Azim Isabekov. The appointment signified the end of the president’s political union with outgoing prime minister Felix Kulov. Formed following the March 24 Tulip Revolution in 2005, the Bakiyev-Kulov political team lasted for... MORE

One of the more puzzling turns in Kazakhstan’s recent cabinet reshuffle was the replacement of Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev, a professionally trained and skilled diplomat, by the dark horse Marat Tazhin, who had made an inconspicuous career as a chairman of the Security Council and... MORE

On January 24 U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Marie Yovanovitch gave an important indication of Washington’s long-term commitment to its deployment at Manas air base. Specifically, U.S. military personnel will remain in Kyrgyzstan as long as counter-terrorist operations continue within Afghanistan. Although these expressions of the... MORE

The possibility of Kyrgyzstan joining the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative has sparked heated debates among state institutions and civil society groups. Recently, Andrei Grozin, representing the Moscow Institute of the Commonwealth of Independent States, commented that Kyrgyzstan’s... MORE

Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov’s unexpected death on December 21, 2006, triggered a wave of uncertainty both inside Turkmenistan and internationally. The “light of the Turkmen” had established an extravagant personality cult that many compared to Stalin’s. Oddly enough, Niyazov died on Stalin’s birthday. In a... MORE

On January 15 Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmonov arrived in Beijing for talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao. During this visit the two presidents signed a treaty on good neighborliness, friendship, and cooperation. Seemingly benign, fostering greater trade and economic cooperation as well as developing Tajikistan’s... MORE

Last week Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev named former prime minister Felix Kulov to head the government again. This reappointment followed the Kyrgyz government’s resignation and the adoption of another new constitution in December 2006, the second in two months. If the parliament approves Kulov’s candidacy,... MORE