Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambaev, in an interview with the Russian daily Kommersant on April 10, said that while some may want to drive a wedge between Russia and Kyrgyzstan, “this will be hard to do.” Considering Atambayev’s streak of bewildering statements on Russia, and Kyrgyzstan’s... MORE

A recent International Crisis Group (ICG) report on tensions in Kyrgyzstan’s south has raised pointed questions about the country’s underlying stability. The ICG report, “Kyrgyzstan: Widening Ethnic Divisions in the South,” calls the current peace in Osh “superficial,” noting that “neither the Kyrgyz nor Uzbek... MORE

Kyrgyzstan has agreed to retain the US Transit Center at the Manas airport beyond the term of current contract that expires in 2014. At a meeting with James Mattis, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) on April 2, Kyrgyzstan’s Defense Council Secretary Busurmankul Tabaldiyev lauded... MORE

Within his first 100 days as President, Almazbek Atambayev has made a series of provocative statements regarding the status of both the Russian and US airbases in Kyrgyzstan. Russian media reported that Kremlin officials are frustrated by the President’s statements and have every reason to... MORE

As the Kremlin was preoccupied with the presidential transition, relations between Russia and its Central Asian ally Kyrgyzstan unexpectedly became shaky. When Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev traveled to Russia last month, his visit was supposed to highlight bilateral partnership. Instead, however, Atambayev’s trip to Moscow... MORE

Kyrgyzstan’s two strongest nationalist parties – Ata-Jurt and Butun Kyrgyzstan – have announced a new political alliance (www.akipress.kg, February 2). The new bloc, uniting the parties mostly popular in southern Kyrgyzstan, may potentially change the dynamics of political competition in the country. In effect, they... MORE

On January 16, labor migrants from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and other countries joined an anti-fascist rally in Moscow to commemorate the memory of the slain human rights activists Stanislav Markelov and Anastasiya Baburova. Both fought against racial and national discrimination, and were killed three years ago... MORE

Although the newly-elected Kyrgyz President, Almazbek Atambayev, received significant Kremlin support in the run up to last year’s elections, Turkey was his first formal destination as the head of state. During a meeting with the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Atambayev invited Turkey, along... MORE

Following the recent presidential election, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament is set to form a new ruling coalition. This will be yet another test as to whether the country’s political forces can find a balance between the competing interests among the five political parties represented in the parliament.... MORE

On December 1, the leader of Kyrgyzstan’s Social Democratic Party, Almazbek Atambayev, was inaugurated as President following a 63 percent victory in late October. This completes the plan set out in April-May 2010 by members of the interim government to create a precedent for a... MORE