Latest Articles about Central Asia
Opposition Selects Presidential Candidate to Stand Against Bakiyev
On April 20, the Kyrgyz opposition announced their candidate to compete with President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in the presidential election in July. After weeks of indecision, the opposition chose Almazbek Atambayev, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and former Prime Minister. The two leading... MORE
Uzbekistan Refuses to Attend CSTO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
On April 16-17 the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Council of Foreign Ministers' met in Yerevan to discuss international security issues, the potential for cooperation with other multilateral bodies, and the situation in Afghanistan. At the top of its agenda however, was the progress towards... MORE
Turkmenistan Delays Russian Pipeline Project and Rejects Russian-Led Gas Cartel
Evidently disturbed by Turkmenistan's recent moves to crack Gazprom's monopsony, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has publicly instructed Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and Gazprom CEO Aleksei Miller to "step up work with Turkmenistan" (Interfax, April 16). Putin was speaking on the day when Turkmenistan... MORE
German RWE Signs Groundbreaking Agreement for Turkmen Gas
On April 16 in Ashgabat, the German energy giant Rheinisch-Westfaelische Elektrizitaetswerk (RWE) entered into an agreement with Turkmenistan on offshore gas field development and gas deliveries. RWE board chairman Juergen Grossmann and Yagshgeldi Kakayev, head of the Turkmen State Agency for the Management and Use... MORE
Bishkek Sees Yet Another Political Assassination
As the presidential elections draw nearer, political assassinations and criminality are on the rise within Kyrgyzstan. On April 14, another Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjarbek Kydyraliyev, was shot dead outside his home in Bishkek. Kydyraliyev is the fifth MP killed in Kyrgyzstan since President Kurmanbek... MORE
BRIEFS
SAUDI AL-QAEDA LEADER OUTLINES NEW STRATEGY AND TACTICS OF AL-QAEDA IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA In a statement delivered on Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Al-Ikhbariyah TV, a former leading member of al-Qaeda in Yemen, now in detention in Riyadh, described the revised tactical and strategic approach taken by... MORE
Kyrgyz Government Orders Religious Leaders to Wear Special Uniform
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's latest attempts to increase political control over the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) suggests that he is using religion as part of his campaign ahead of the presidential election in July. Bakiyev supported the idea of building a large mosque in... MORE
Uzbekistan Signs Transit Route Agreement
On April 3, after protracted negotiations, the U.S. and Uzbekistan finally signed a crucial agreement on the transit of non-military cargo to Afghanistan. This allows the U.S. to ship supplies including food, building and medical materials through Uzbek territory by rail, road and air. Agreed... MORE
Kyrgyz Opposition Searches for a Presidential Candidate
The political stakes are intensifying in Kyrgyzstan as the presidential elections scheduled for July 23 has revealed that several political leaders might challenge the incumbent president Kurmanbek Bakiyev. The country's main opposition bloc, the United National Movement (UNM), however, is currently frantically searching for suitable... MORE
Kazakhstan’s Transport Policy Faces Political Dilemma
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev on his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) praised China's involvement in an important joint $7.5 billion transnational road construction project as an example of their partnership. He said Kazakhstan started the construction of its section of the 3,000... MORE