Latest Articles about Central Asia

TENSIONS RISING AHEAD OF KYRGYZ PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

June 17 marked the peak of Kyrgyzstan's counter-revolutionary movement, which is apparently organized by Urmat Baryktabasov, a politician allied with ex-president Askar Akayev. The three months since Akayev's ouster in the March 24 Tulip Revolution have been very intense for Kyrgyzstan. There were two contract... MORE

TAJIKISTAN PINS SECURITY HOPES ON RUSSIA AND CIS MEMBERS

Tajikistan, hoping to increase its own national security as cheaply as possible, has made clear its long term dependence upon Russia as well as other CIS member states. The smooth transfer of military property that has denoted the creation of Russia's military base in Dushanbe... MORE

ANDIJAN REFUGEES BECOME INTERNATIONAL ISSUE FOR BISHKEK

Bishkek faces a difficult decision regarding the legal status of refugees who fled to Kyrgyzstan on May 13-14 following the riots in Andijan, Uzbekistan. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expects the Kyrgyz leadership to comply with international standards and assign the Uzbek immigrants... MORE

UKRAINIAN-TURKMEN GAS AGREEMENT BRINGS RADICAL CHANGE

On June 24 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov and Naftohaz Ukrainy chairman Oleksiy Ivchenko signed a contract radically changing the modalities of the gas trade between the two countries. It involves a staggering volume of Turkmen gas, at deeply discounted prices, to be paid... MORE

IS AMERICA’S MILITARY BASE IN UZBEKISTAN AT RISK?

The debate over an independent investigation of the May massacre in Andijan, Uzbekistan, has left America's ties to Uzbekistan and the future of its base at Karshi Khanabad engulfed by turmoil. The European Parliament is raising the issue of EU sanctions on Uzbekistan, and Secretary... MORE