On the sidelines of the October 26 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Moscow, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and Kyrgyz Prime Minister Felix Kulov met to discuss bilateral ties. Wen confirmed that Beijing would back the new regime in Bishkek and expressed his hopes that... MORE

As the trial of Akramiya members entered its fifth week in Tashkent, the court heard testimony from Akram Yuldashev, the "spiritual force" allegedly behind the May uprising in Andijan. The testimony came via an amateurish videotape with poor sound quality that was reportedly made on... MORE

As protests mount, members of the Kazakh government are finding it harder and harder to hide their bitter disappointment over the backdoor-deal between the Canadian-listed PetroKazakhstan and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). For the last few weeks Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov and Minister of... MORE

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently visited Central Asia in a round of intensive diplomacy taking him to Ashgabat and Tashkent. In recent years such missions have been stressful affairs raising issues about Moscow's once dominant influence in the region and the need for improved... MORE

On October 20, Kyrgyz parliamentarian Tynychbek Akmatbayev died following a prison riot in the 31st penal colony located 20 kilometers away from the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. He is the third lawmaker to be assassinated since the March 24 Tulip Revolution. Like the other two victims,... MORE

On October 20 in Ashgabat, Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov reassured the visiting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, on two counts: First, Turkmenistan will continue to under price the gas it sells to Russia; and, second, it would only sign a long-term gas... MORE

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's trip to Central Asia on October 20-21 reinvigorated the already lively discussion over the true nature of Russian-U.S. interaction in the strategic region. Most Moscow analysts tend to view Lavrov's quick regional tour as the Kremlin's "asymmetrical response" to U.S.... MORE

Meeting October 3 Luxembourg, the European Union Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs voted to impose sanctions against Uzbekistan. They banned the sale of weapons and military equipment to Tashkent, specifically anything that the army could use for "internal repressions," and sought to also reduce... MORE

In addition to developing the Aktau seaport on the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan is also putting more emphasis on developing domestic and international rail lines. In recent years the government has made significant strides toward reducing Kazakhstan's dependence on the Russian transport network. A railway line... MORE