Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev paid an official visit to Astana, Kazakhstan, July 4-5 at the invitation of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Bakiyev was given an exceptionally warm, brotherly welcome, and he was obviously satisfied with the outcome of his visit, despite some difficult talks on... MORE

There are growing signs of unease within Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defense over relations with Western militaries. While these ties are valued and needed in order to assist in reforming key military infrastructure, Tajik officials are becoming increasingly cautious regarding Western security-assistance ties. The Tajik Ministry... MORE

This year more and more Kyrgyz mass media outlets and NGOs are urging the Kyrgyz government to address the problem of radioactive waste left after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the March 23 Eurasian Economic Community meeting in Minsk, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev... MORE

Kazakhstan’s parliament has ratified a strategic partnership with Azerbaijan that has positive implications for Astana’s future dealings with Western countries promoting security in the Caspian region. On June 23 the Senate (upper chamber) of Kazakhstan’s parliament approved the bill on the ratification of an agreement... MORE

This year Kazakhstan's Journalists Day was marked by a massive protest rally in Almaty on June 24. The rally was unprecedented in scale and united almost all media outlets regardless their political views. The demonstration was organized by the Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan, the... MORE

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev has placed Caspian security high on his agenda, not only as a means of promoting foreign assistance programs but also in generating further help from Moscow. On June 21 a three-day joint special exercise involving Kazakhstan and Russia, ended in the... MORE

Uzbek President Islam Karimov joined the presidents of the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s member countries -- Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan -- in Minsk on June 23 for a meeting of the CSTO’s top political body, the Collective Security Council. At the meeting,... MORE

To feed its growing energy demands, Beijing views Russia and Central Asia as potential sources of low-cost electricity, prompting Russian officials to boost electricity exports to China. Central Asian states, notably Kyrgyzstan, are also attracted to China's massive energy market. China seeks to import electricity... MORE