Latest Articles about Central Asia

ANDIJAN TRIAL OPENS IN TASHKENT WITH SHAKY GOVERNMENT CASE

The trial of 12 Uzbek citizens and three Kyrgyz citizens accused of organizing the May uprising in Andijan, Uzbekistan, opened in Tashkent on September 15. The 15 defendants are accused of terrorism, murder, taking hostages, trying to organize an anti-constitutional coup, and receiving $200,000 from... MORE

ASTANA ADOPTS MORE PRUDENT POLICY TOWARD ETHNIC KAZAKHS

On September 29 around 300 ethnic Kazakhs from 32 countries gathered in Astana for the Third World Congress of Kazakhs. For many participants this was their first time to see the booming new capital in the land of their ancestors. They were obviously impressed to... MORE

INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOCUSING ON TAJIK-AFGHAN BORDER

Landmark agreements on border security and combating the narcotics trade were signed on September 26-29 in Dushanbe with a view toward stemming the Afghan heroin flow, the world's largest. Afghan drugs are being trafficked via Tajikistan to Russia and Europe. Following the mid-2005 completion of... MORE

CHANCE MISSED TO SAVE KARSHI-KHANABAD

On September 27-28, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried headed an interagency delegation to Tashkent on the first leg of a Central Asian tour. A hoped-for Uzbek consent to continued American use of the irreplaceable Karshi-Khanabad (K-2) air base did not materialize during this... MORE

ASTANA’S OIL STRATEGY REVEALS PREFERENCE FOR UNITED STATES

Kazakhstan hopes to use its privileged position as the largest oil producing state in Central Asia to foster good relations with key members of the international community. This tactic is probably best illustrated by a recent Kazakh-government sponsored conference for American business leaders in San... MORE

ERKINBAYEV’S ASSASSINATION PROVOKES CONTROVERSY IN KYRGYZSTAN

On September 21, Bayaman Erkinbayev, a member of the Kyrgyz parliament with alleged ties to criminal groups, was shot dead in central Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital. His murder is the third political assassination in Kyrgyzstan since the March 24 Tulip Revolution. The National Security Service... MORE

RUSSIA OFFERS “QUALITY” MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO KYRGYZSTAN

As part of an effort to cement Moscow's relations with newly elected Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has offered a significant increase in the quality of bilateral military assistance Russia's affords to the country. Ivanov's comments were made ahead of his... MORE

UNPRECEDENTED UZBEK-RUSSIAN JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE HELD

On September 21-23, for the first time since 1991, Uzbekistan hosted a joint military exercise with Russian troops on its territory. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Islam Karimov ordered the holding of the exercise in their capacity as commanders-in-chief, and Defense Ministers Sergei Ivanov and Kadyr... MORE

KYRGYZSTAN CONTENT TO HOST RUSSIAN AND AMERICAN AIR BASES

On September 20-21, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov held talks with Kyrgyz leaders in Bishkek and inspected Russia's Kant air base. Ivanov characterized the mission of the Russian air group there as "combating terrorism and drug trafficking" -- a justification that may be politically unassailable... MORE

CHINA QUIETLY INCREASES MILITARY LINKS WITH TAJIKISTAN

China is quietly and steadily increasing its military links with Central Asian states, including the weak Tajikistani military, in keeping with its policy goals of limiting U.S. influence in the region and promoting its own security agenda. Cao Gangchuan, Chinese defense minister, made his first... MORE