Latest Articles about Central Asia
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
KARIMOV ACCUSES KYRGYZSTAN OF ASSISTING TERRORISTS
Tashkent's latest official explanation blames Kyrgyzstan for the bloody Andijan riots on May 13. At a parliamentary meeting on September 5, the Uzbek Prosecutor-General accused the Kyrgyz government of allowing up to 70 religious extremists to train on its southern territories ahead of the Andijan... MORE
KYRGYZSTAN BANS “EXTREMISM” WITH PRODDING FROM BEIJING
On August 17, three days after his inauguration, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed the new law "On Counteraction against Extremist Activity." official Kyrgyz government newspaper Erkin Too published the text of the law on August 19. Activists from Hizb-ut-Tahrir (the Islamic Party of Liberation) immediately... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN OPENS MILITARY LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
Kazakhstan has taken a small, but significant step towards preparing more of its military personnel to receive education and training in Western countries by opening a new military language institute in Almaty. In many ways this development serves to highlight the extent of the uphill... MORE
NAZARBAYEV EXPECTED TO EASILY WIN ANOTHER TERM
On September 7 the lower house of Kazakhstan's parliament put an end to months of speculation and scheduled presidential elections for December 4. Members of parliament and the Constitutional Court had argued over whether elections should be held in December 2005 or December 2006. The... MORE
KULOV OPTIMISTIC ON EFFORTS TO DELINATE DIVISION OF POWERS BETWEEN PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER
Latent conflicts between the president's and prime minister's supporters in the Kyrgyz parliament became public during the September 12 debates on the draft legislation "On the Government Structure." Deputy Prime Ministers Daniyar Usenov and Adakhan Modumarov voted against Prime Minister Felix Kulov's version of the... MORE
IMPLICATIONS OF CHINA’S TAKEOVER OF PETROKAZAKHSZTAN
The state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation's (CNPC) more-than-friendly takeover of the PetroKazakhstan company would, if consummated, signify yet another setback to U.S. and European energy interests in Central Asia. The deal, first announced on August 22, would mark a setback of a novel type. Until... MORE
ASTANA MAY SACRIFICE NATIONAL INTERESTS TO SATISFY CHINA OIL DEAL
When the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) agreed to pay $4.18 billion to buy the Canadian-listed PetroKazakhstan oil company, the deal triggered a flood of controversial comments in Kazakhstan. What seemed to be the biggest Chinese takeover deal ever made in Kazakhstan instead left a... MORE