Latest Articles about Kyrgyzstan
KYRGYZSTAN, UN DISAGREE OVER REMAINING ANDIJAN REFUGEES
Uzbek human rights activists officially thanked Kyrgyzstan, the UN, and the OSCE for letting refugees from the May riots in Andijan, Uzbekistan, find asylum in a third country. Last week 439 Andijan refugees were sent to Romania en route to host countries that had agreed... MORE
RUMSFELD VISIT FIRMS UP KYRGYZ, TAJIK COMMITMENTS TO U.S.-LED COALITION
On July 25-27, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld visited Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to shore up those countries' commitments to support the American-led coalition. Both countries were wavering. Earlier this month, Moscow and Beijing had orchestrated demands in the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization... MORE
BISHKEK RESISTING TASHKENT’S PRESSURE TO RETURN ANDIJAN REFUGEES
On July 27 more than 300 refugees from the May riots in Andijan, Uzbekistan, were transported from Jalalabad oblast to Bishkek Manas International Airport en route to a third country. The head of the Kyrgyzstan mission of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Carlos Zaccagnini,... MORE
RUMSFELD EXPECTED IN KYRGYZSTAN TO SETTLE BASE ISSUE
On July 20, Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Defense announced that U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is expected to arrive on July 25. Rumsfeld will discuss the future of the U.S.-led air base Manas with the new Kyrgyz leadership, in the wake of Moscow- and Beijing-inspired demands... MORE
KYRGYZ EXPERTS OPPOSE BISHKEK’S DECISION TO LIMIT U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE
At the July 5 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana member states agreed to request a deadline for ending the U.S. military presence in Central Asia, now that the situation in neighboring Afghanistan has stabilized (see EDM, July 6). This request inevitably concerns Kyrgyzstan not... MORE
BAKIYEV WINS PRESIDENCY IN ONE ROUND — HOW LONG WILL THE HONEYMOON LAST?
With roughly 90% of the vote, Kurmanbek Bakiyev won Kyrgyzstan's July 10 presidential elections in the first round. Bakiyev had served as acting president since the March 25 Tulip Revolution. He was able to unite many former opposition figures, among them Azimbek Beknazarov, Daniyar Usenov,... MORE
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
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
KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT BLAMES AKAYEV FOR COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY UPRISING IN BISHKEK
On June 17 an angry crowd of about 5,000 people gathered in central Bishkek to support Urmat Baryktabasov, who had been refused official registration for the July 10 presidential election. For Bishkek residents this riot was puzzling. How could Baryktabasov, an unknown politician, a citizen... MORE
ETHNIC CONFLICT SIMMERS IN SOUTHERN KYRGYZSTAN
Dzirgalbek Sourabaldiyev, a well-known businessman and a member of Kyrgyzstan's parliament, was assassinated in downtown Bishkek on June 10. The deputy was shot five or six times, and his driver was also injured. The Kyrgyz parliament convened an emergency session that same day. According to... MORE