Kyrgyzstan's intelligence services remain vigilant regarding the threat posed by Islamic terrorists ranging from the IMU to al-Qaeda, although they often use the legitimate security concerns posed by international terrorism to mask political repression. However, there is growing recognition of the futility of placing hopes... MORE

Mass riots have rocked the city of Khokand located in Uzbekistan's Fergana Valley. The riots started after a government decree on toughening trade regulations, which was issued in August, went into effect on November 1, 2004. The new regulations make it mandatory for every merchant... MORE

Appearing on national television recently, Deputy Interior Minister Anatoly Vyborov stated that over the last ten months, the amount of drugs seized in Kazakhstan from traffickers increased by 25%, compared to the same period for last year. Police also detained over 4,000 drug dealers. The... MORE

Turkmenistan's official foreign policy of "positive neutrality" is facing new challenges as Russia continues the drive for greater influence over Central Asian affairs. The Turkmen policy of neutrality, announced by President Saparmurat Niyazov shortly after the country became independent in 1991, has successfully enabled the... MORE

According to Kazakhstanskaya pravda, officials from the Committee for National Security (KNB) for South Kazakhstan blast extradited Odillkhon Mominov, a citizen of Uzbekistan, back to his homeland. Tashkent wanted Mominov "for his participation in illegal extremist religious organizations of the Wahhabite orientation." According to the... MORE

On October 28 the president of Tatarstan, Mintimir Shaimiev, met in Astana with Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and prime minister, Danial Akhmetov. The leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral trade and economic links. Kazakh leaders view Tatarstan as one of their most important trade partners... MORE

Kazakhstan has positioned itself as a staunch supporter of the war on terror, not least in its steadfast commitment to peace support operations in Iraq through its deployment of KAZBAT. It deepened these credentials recently by hosting a conference in Almaty on measures of trust... MORE

On October 27 Kazakhstan officials announced plans to turn Almaty into an international financial center. The proclamation came as no surprise to anyone familiar with the decision-making process within the higher echelons of power in Kazakhstan. President Nursultan Nazarbayev himself had raised the plan during... MORE

Almaty, Kazakhstan's former capital city, has been drawn into the bitter debates between Kazakh nationalists and the Russian-speaking community. Recently a resident of Almaty sued the popular Russian newspaper Argumenty i Fakty Kazakhstan for spelling the name of the city as "Alma-Ata," ignoring the officially... MORE

Visiting Tajikistan on October 16-17 to mark the ratification and entry into force of a military basing agreement, Russian President Vladimir Putin observed that relations with Tajikistan exemplified Russia's "comprehensive approach" to dealing with post-Soviet countries. That approach entails coordination of the military-security and economic... MORE