Latest Articles about Central Asia
Kyrgyzstan’s Awaits a New President
After experiencing a tumultuous 2010, Kyrgyzstan is facing yet another decisive test this year. Presidential elections planned for November-December 2011 will determine whether the positive trends seen in the past few months in Kyrgyzstan will continue after the incumbent leader Roza Otunbayeva steps down. The... MORE
East-West Diplomacy of the Uzbek President
Uzbek President Islam Karimov has already made two important official visits this year: the first was to Brussels on January 24, where the president met with European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, EU Energy Commissioner, Gunther Oettinger, and NATO Secretary-General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, among others.... MORE
TAPI and CASA-1,000: Energy Geopolitics on Whose Terms?
As Central Asia opened up to the rest of the world after the collapse of the Soviet Union opportunities have emerged for the regional countries to build links with Europe, South-East Asia, and the Middle East. This has proved to be significant in the development... MORE
Kazakhstan’s Leading Opposition Party Azat Boycotts Upcoming Presidential Elections
Kazakhstan’s main opposition party Azat intends to boycott the country’s presidential polls to be held in early April, which President Nursultan Nazarbayev is expected to win by a wide margin. This decision was made at the party’s congress in Almaty on February 12 because calling... MORE
Major Russian TV Channel Sidelined in Kyrgyzstan
On February 8, a Kyrgyz parliamentary committee proceeded with naming a 4,446-meter peak in honor of Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, as a sign of respect and gratitude for his policy towards Bishkek (www.news.ru, February 8). That same day, however, Russia’s ORT (First channel) was... MORE
Dushanbe and Moscow Disagree over Russia’s Use of Ayni Airbase
Speaking to journalists on January 27, Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister, Khamrokhon Zarifi, announced that Dushanbe and Moscow will continue talks on Russia’s possible use of the recently renovated Ayni airfield, 15 miles (25 kilometers) west of the Tajik capital. According to Zarifi, the two countries have... MORE
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan Visits Bishkek
During his visit to Bishkek on February 2, Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met with Kyrgyz President, Roza Otunbayeva, and the head of government, Almazbek Atambayev. The meeting yielded a number of important political and economic results. By the end of 2011, Kyrgyzstan and... MORE
Kazakhstan’s Presidential Referendum Scrapped, Pre-Term Election Initiated After Constitutional Verdict
On January 31, Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Council ruled against holding a national referendum that would have prolonged President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s term of office until 2020. Without objecting to Nazarbayev’s continuing presidential tenure, the council determined that resorting to a referendum in the form proposed, instead of... MORE
Tajikistan and Pakistan at a Crossroads: Energy, Trade and Transport Across Central and South Asia
Pakistan and Tajikistan have actively advanced their partnership in the energy, trade and transport spheres in recent months. The three pillars of cooperation are crucial components of the national strategies of these countries in bilateral and multilateral formats as they seek to break their relative... MORE
Karimov’s Brussels Visit Full of Controversy
President Islam Karimov’s visit to Brussels has raised fresh criticism of the EU and NATO’s double standards vis-à-vis the Uzbek leader. The visit was full of ambiguity: both the EU and NATO denied that the Uzbek president was officially invited, yet he met both the... MORE