Latest Articles about Central Asia
CROWD SEIZES GOVERNMENT OFFICES IN BISHKEK
This morning, 15,000 to 20,000 people gathered in Bishkek's central square demanding President Askar Akayev's resignation. The protesters then stormed the government headquarters. There are reports of severe fights between the protesters and hooligans allegedly hired by the government to stir up tensions in the... MORE
KARIMOV AGAIN SEARCHES FOR WESTERN SUPPORT
Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov re-launched his efforts to secure further Western support for his regime during a visit to Slovenia March 15-17. His campaign comes at a time when NATO officials are actively seeking to develop Uzbekistan's role within the Partnership for Peace (PfP) and... MORE
NIYAZOV UNBENDING ON GAS PRICES TO RUSSIA AND UKRAINE
On March 23, Gazprom officially acknowledged for the first time that Turkmenistan had ceased gas deliveries to Russia on January 1. Gazprom Vice-Chairman Alexander Ryazanov confirmed to Moscow journalists that the company rejects Ashgabat's demand for a price increase, from $44 to $58 per 1,000... MORE
SAAKASHVILI OFFERS TO GO TO KYRGYZSTAN AS MEDIATOR
On March 22, as post-election violence and anarchy engulfed large parts of Kyrgyzstan, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili wrote an informal, personal letter to his Kyrgyz counterpart, Askar Akayev, offering to mediate between the Kyrgyz authorities and the opposition. "Based on my own personal experience, I... MORE
STRIKING COAL MINERS IN KAZAKHSTAN ARE MERELY PAWNS IN A MUCH BIGGER GAME
Emotions are running high in Kazakhstan as miners protest anticipated wage cuts and layoffs at the Indian–owned Mittal Steel Company. In the past two weeks a series of rallies and pickets has rocked the otherwise dormant towns of Temirtau and Shakhtinsk in central Kazakhstan. Mittal... MORE
Kyrgyz Crisis Reaches Bishkek — Rumors Suggest Akayev has Fled Country
One week after runoff elections for parliament, the government of Kyrgyzstan lost administrative control over all large cities in the southern part of the country to opposition protesters. On March 20, for the first time since the bloody events in Aksy in 2001, the Kyrgyz... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN AMENDS ELECTORAL LAW, BUT REFORMS STILL LACKING
Kazakhstan's citizens have become accustomed to broken promises of radical political reform since the country became independent in 1991. Even members of Kazakhstan's "pocket parliament" admit that public confidence in the legislature's integrity has dramatically plummeted in recent years. On March 10 parliament made yet... MORE
MASS PROTESTS, LITTLE CHANGE AFTER KYRGYZ PARLIAMENTARY RUNOFF
Voters in Kyrgyzstan returned to the polls on March 13 for a second round of voting for a new parliament. The results confirmed majority representation for pro-presidential forces in the next single-chamber parliament. With six months to go before the presidential election, the mass protests... MORE
PROTESTORS CLOSE KYRGYZSTAN’S MAJOR TRANSPORTATION ROUTES
The situation in Kyrgyzstan remains very tense following its disputed February 27 parliamentary elections. News reports about massive protest demonstrations organized by the opposition continue to pour in from across the country. In Naryn, a city in central Kyrgyzstan, approximately 600 protesters have been continuously... MORE
UKRAINIAN, KAZAKH OFFICIALS DISCUSS BILATERAL TRADE AND SINGLE ECONOMIC SPACE
Experts in Kazakhstan had wondered if economic and political relations between Kazakhstan and Ukraine would diminish after Viktor Yushchenko became president of Ukraine. But Ukrainian State Secretary Alexander Zinchenko's March 3 visit to Astana dispelled this pessimism. Moreover, the Ukrainian guest assessed his first trip... MORE