On October 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin inaugurated the now legal Russian military base in Tajikistan. One day earlier in Dushanbe, Putin and Tajikistan President Imomali Rakhmonov exchanged the instruments of ratification for the April 1999 agreement that conferred basing rights on the Russian Army... MORE

Recent developments clearly indicate that China and Russia are stepping up their efforts to claim a larger share of Kazakhstan's energy sector. The growing appetite of Kazakhstan's giant neighbors comes at a time when prices for gas and diesel oil in Kazakhstan, the second largest... MORE

The government of Kazakhstan is targeting the three Baltic states as possible avenues for closer relations with the European Union. In the first years of Baltic-Kazakhstan relations, the Kazakh side invariably stressed the priority of mutual economic interests. This over-cautious attitude was partly prompted by... MORE

Since the deployment of U.S. and coalition forces to Ganci airbase at Manas, Kyrgyzstan has been keen to develop its case for increased U.S. security assistance. Numerous agreements have been signed and revised, keeping alive the current tenuous and controversial security relationship between the two... MORE

Iran has never ranked as a top priority for Kazakhstan's foreign policy. On the contrary, Kazakhstan has adopted a remarkably reserved stance towards Iran, so as not to irritate the United States and its new geopolitical interest in Central Asia. To a great extent Iran's... MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin's official visit to Tajikistan, originally due earlier this year, rescheduled for the first half of September and then for October 4-5, is now expected in the second half of October (Avesta, October 1). Differences over both substance and details on four... MORE

Last week Kazakhstan began construction of a 962-km oil pipeline from the Atasu settlement in Karagandy region of Kazakhstan to Chinese Alashankou. Although Kazakhstan's huge oil and gas reserves have attracted the giants of the Western oil industry, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell, perhaps the... MORE

President Saparmurat Niyazov is favorably considering proposals to change Turkmenistan's gas-export strategy by reducing reliance on pipelines for delivering natural gas, shifting to other transport methods, and maximizing the processing of gas in Turkmenistan for export of value-added products. Niyazov discussed these plans on September... MORE

As part of their efforts to increase security in the aftermath of the recent wave of terrorist attacks in Russia, Kazakhstan's law enforcement and border authorities have cracked down on immigration from neighboring countries. The new measures may primarily affect day laborers who cross Kazakhstan's... MORE

Uzbekistan has implemented a series of practical measures in Namangan Region (Eastern Uzbekistan, bordering Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan), aimed at raising public confidence in the ability of the local authorities to cope with the threat posed by terrorism. The regional law-enforcement bodies have established close cooperation... MORE