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US citizen a key player in alleged Italian telecom fraud

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-03-09T20:04:42+01:00

An apparently well-connected Soviet-born U.S. citizen has emerged as a key player in a massive Italian telecom fraud, according to court documents and published reports.

Rome Judge Aldo Morgigni has issued an arrest warrant for Eugene Gourevitch, believed to have been born in the Soviet Republic of Kyrgyzstan and who has reportedly held a U.S. passport since 1990, for alleged involvement in a fraud that is said to have siphoned an astonishing US$2.7 billion from the wholesale telephony divisions of Telecom Italia SpA and Fastweb SpA between 2003 and 2006.

Energy prospecting in Ashkhabad a Bush family affair

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-03-01T11:49:51+01:00

State-controlled news outlets in Turkmenistan are reporting that former US president George H. W. Bush sent a letter to Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, extending wishes for "sound health and successes." The letter was reportedly conveyed by Neil Bush, the former president's son, who visited Ashgabat on behalf of a Houston-based oil company looking to do deals in Turkmenistan.

Despite certain positive steps, Tajikistan's parliamentary elections failed to meet many key OSCE commitments

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-03-01T11:47:42+01:00

DUSHANBE, 1 March 2010 - Yesterday's parliamentary elections took place peacefully, but despite certain small positive steps failed to meet many key OSCE commitments, the international election observation mission concluded in a preliminary statement issued today.

Sting in the pay of tyrannical Uzbekistan regime

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-24T11:23:47+01:00

Once again we must ponder the question "how much money is enough?", inspired by reports that Sting accepted between £1m and £2m to perform for the glory of the brutal despotic regime in Uzbekistan.

Sting with Gulnara Karimova at a fashion show in Uzbekistan. Photograph: Getty

Interim Report No. 2 of the Election Monitoring Tajikistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-24T11:20:19+01:00

INTERIM REPORT No. 2, 29 January – 13 February 2010, ODIHR

22 February 2010

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• The process of candidate registration, which was inclusive overall, concluded on 8 February. Seventy-three candidates were registered from eight party lists to compete in the single nationwide constituency and 153 candidates were registered to compete in 41 single-mandate constituencies. Six political parties as well as 70 self-nominated candidates are represented in the single-mandate constituency contests.

Richard Holbrooke: US has no plans to deploy military base in Uzbekistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-24T11:13:34+01:00

The government of the United States has no plans to open a military base in Uzbekistan, Richard Holbrooke, a U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan said on Sunday in Astana. Mr. Holbrooke is taking a tour around Central Asian republics. Before coming to Kazakhstan he already visited Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan while after meetings in Astana he will give a visit to Caucasus and, specifically, Georgia.

Into the iris of insanity: dissent, psychiatry, and the true face of Turkmen totalitarianism

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-24T11:10:02+01:00

In a country like Turkmenistan, who is really the crazy one?

Kakabay Tedzhenov is a former inmate of a psychiatric hospital in Turkmenistan. Telling his shocking story, the 73 year-old-pensioner, now living in a small town in Russia, remembers:

It was cold during winter inside the house I lived and so were the conditions for my neighbors, in Turkmenabad, where I lived. One day I sent a petition to the local authorities demanding better heating in my house in order to put an end to the situation I faced every winter. I went on to send several petitions, but the only result was that the local authorities began to persecute me.

I didn’t give up. I went all the way the President [Niyazov]. One evening [in January 2006] men in white clothes came to my house and forcefully packed me into a car. First I didn’t know what they had in mind but then I was taken into a heavily guarded building and locked in a room with four mentally ill people. It was the infamous Boyunuzyn psychiatric hospital.

I was injected with various drugs, including Amenazin, a drug which caused me terrible pain and health problems. I got sick and was taken for surgery, after which I was returned [to Boyunuzyn]. In total, I spent ten months in Boyunuzyn. I owe my release to the intense advocacy of rights groupswho protested my detention.

Two months after Tedzhenov’s release, Niyazov suddenly died. It seemed a fitting capstone to the story. Yet, Tedzhenov was neither the first — nor the last — prisoner of conscience to be subjected to psychiatry as a form of torture.
Indeed, the abuse of psychiatry for political purposes gets less attention in Turkmenistan than other “traditional” methods of repression, such as imprisonment and torture.

Turning point in Aliyev case?

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-23T13:20:48+01:00

The Kazakh Government gave the Austrian authorites guarantees, that the former son-in-law of the Kazakh President Nazarbayev, Dr. Rakhad Aliyev will be treated under European Human Rights standards, if the Austrian court will detain him back to Kazakhstan. This was confirmed by the Kazakh Ambassador in Austria, Kasychanov.

He pointed out that Dr. Aliyev might also have retrial proceedings, which would be conductes under the UN Human Rights Convention. In addition, the Office of the General Prosecutor in Kazakhstan sent an official letter to its colleagues in Vienna, saying that an international observation of Dr. Aliyev’s possible future imprisonment would be welcomed by Kazakh authorities.

According to Austrian officials, this reaction by the Kazakh officials could be a „turning point in the case“, because until now, Dr. Aliyev was fighting against a possible extradition with the argument, he would be tortured in his home country. Manfred Nowak, UN Rapporteur against torture, underlined recently that systematic torture would no longer be used in Kazakhstan.

In addition, Austrian officials, who want to stay confidential, confirmed additional investigations against Dr. Aliyev regarding abduction and torture in connection with the death of Ms. Novikova.

US urges Tajikistan to consider the opinion of neighboring countries in the construction of Rogun

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-17T12:51:18+01:00

"We realize the importance of energy security for Tajikistan and support the efforts of Tajik government to ensure the access of its citizens, enterprises and agencies to adequate and reliable energy source. We urge Tajikistan to consider the opinion of neighboring countries in the implementation of such hydropower projects as Rogun" Robert O. Black, the Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, shared in the interview to Tajik Asia-plus newspaper after the round of Tajik-American political consultations.

Moscow withholding promised aid to Bishkek

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-17T12:46:20+01:00

In February of 2009, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev traveled to Moscow and secured roughly $2.15 billion in economic assistance, apparently in a quid-pro-quo deal in which Kyrgyzstan took action to evict US and NATO forces from an air base outside Bishkek. Twelve months later, American troops are still in Kyrgyzstan, and Moscow is balking at disbursing the bulk of its pledged aid.

Sucking up to Dictators Is Harder Than It Looks

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-16T15:10:47+01:00

September 21, 2009, was a day of blitz diplomacy for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: She had more than eight and a half hours of bilateral meetings to juggle, along with a marathon of press briefings and camera sprays at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York. But one of her sit-downs that day required particular finesse. It was with an obscure dictator whose name alone presented a challenge -- Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the president of Turkmenistan. He came into the room with an immediate advantage: The United States needed his help. Clinton needed to convince him to let NATO transports through his country, a move that would ease pressure on U.S. supply lines into Afghanistan and probably save some U.S. troops. The usual approach -- money -- would not work with energy-rich Turkmenistan. It was a test of her skill as a diplomat.

Kazakhstan's role to be positive, but not decisive in talks over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-16T15:06:20+01:00

The role of Kazakhstan as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office in 2010 will be positive, but not decisive in talks over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, experts say.

Invitation: ETG Central Asia Discussions 2010

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-16T12:55:19+01:00

Invitation:
ETG will host a roundtable discussion March 5, 2010 in Vienna.
„Turkmenistan - Western Influence: Energy Interests and Political Implications“

Topics will be:
Turkmen Gas and Nabucco
The political situation in Turkmenistan
Geopolitics
Possible strategies of EU, OSCE and US

Key Speakers will be:
Alain Délétroz, Vice President Europe, International Crisis Group (ICG)
Arkady Dubnov, Journalist and Turkmenistan Expert
Nurmukhamed Hanamov, former Ambassador of Turkmenistan and Expert on the political and social situation

If you are interested to participate, please send us a short mail.

Kazakhstan lifts critical reporting ban

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-09T14:46:11+01:00

A Kazakhstan court has overturned a ruling that banned the media from publishing criticism of President Nursultan Nazarbayev's son-in-law.

US Congress Hearing "Kazakhstan's Leadership of the OSCE": Video

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-09T14:34:40+01:00

The video of the CSCE Hearing on „Kazakhstan’s Leadership of the OSCE“ is now online:

Journalists under pressure as parliamentary elections approach

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-08T15:35:57+01:00

With parliamentary elections fast approaching, print journalists in Tajikistan are coming under increasing pressure, media watchdogs say.

Bukhara is agitated with rumors about murders and mass arrests

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-08T15:22:17+01:00

In the first days of February Ferghana.Ru office received few messages about the outbreak of criminal events in Uzbekistan. Unfortunately, we are not able to confirm or reject the majority of them. First of all, the official authorities of Uzbekistan ignore our questions. Secondly, being concerned about their own security, the witnesses (if any) are not always willing to testify.

OSCE media freedom representative criticizes 'misuse' of libel laws to muzzle the press in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Hungary

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-08T12:12:53+01:00

Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, condemned today as "dangerous attempts at censorship" lawsuits initiated by high-ranking government officials in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Hungary against domestic media outlets for reporting on critical statements made by other public figures.

Interview with CSCE Co-Chair A. Hastings on Kazakhstan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-05T13:28:07+01:00

Co-Chairman Hastings Interview with Erica Marat of Voice of America

Question:Good morning, Congressman Hastings. It is our pleasure to have you here at VOA. My question is: you supported Kazakhstan’s bid to chair the OSCE back in 2007. Please tell us the main reason for your support.

Co-Chairman Hastings:That’s a very good question and, I had been involved at that time in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe for almost 12 years and including at some point a few years back becoming the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE. I worked with the Central Asian countries pretty much six or seven years after they gained their independence in the early ‘90s until today.

Kazakhstan's foreign minister on his country's unlikely new role as Europe's democracy watchdog.

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-05T12:54:15+01:00

In a landmark for Central Asia, Kazakhstan this year has taken over the rotating chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) -- a key intergovernmental organization that monitors everything from security cooperation to political and human rights in 56 member states across Europe.

OSCE Chairperson meets U.S. Secretary of State Clinton

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-05T12:51:58+01:00

The U.S. role in the OSCE is key to the renewed security dialogue launched in the Organization, said the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan's Secretary of State and Foreign Minister, Kanat Saudabayev, today after talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Not a fair deal - Turkmenistan's relations with the West

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-04T12:34:32+01:00

When Turkmenistan began opening up to the outside world following the death of President Saparmurat Niazov three years ago, the theory was that increased economic engagement by Western states would encourage a more general relaxation of policy in such areas as human rights and political liberties.

Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov with Hillary Clinton: Photo by US State Department.

OSCE Chairmanship discusses prospects of Transdniestrian settlement process

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-03T14:17:25+01:00

The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for protracted conflicts, Ambassador Bolat Nurgaliyev, concluded a three-day visit to Moldova today.

In the fight of judges versus journalists, both sides face hard choices

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-03T13:16:02+01:00

The first hearing on the lawsuit by three judges against three independent newspapers in Tajikistan was held yesterday (Tuesday, 2 February). It showed that there will be serious battles ahead between the two sides precisely because so much is at stake. Will the government choose power over justice? Will the media choose safety over truth?

OSCE welcomes Kazakhstan as chair, but raises its record on rights

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-03T10:40:47+01:00

The U.S. arm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has welcomed Kazakhstan as the new chair of the organization but cautioned the former Soviet republic that it must improve its own rights record if it wants to be effective in its new role.

OSCE Chairman n Office Kanat Saudabaev says his government will deepen the OSCE's humanitarian engagement in Afghanistan
February 02, 2010

US trying new track on Nabucco project

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-03T08:10:36+01:00

The United States wants to "depoliticize" the proposed Nabucco pipeline project, and might welcome Russia’s participation in the pipeline, Washington’s Eurasian energy envoy, Richard Morningstar, recently announced. The Kremlin, however, is likely to interpret this outwardly magnanimous gesture as a sign of Nabucco’s weakness, some experts say.

CSCE calls for Kazakhstan to lead OSCE by example

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-03T08:05:04+01:00

Leaders of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe today welcomed Kazakhstan’s leadership in organizing their Chairmanship of one of the world’s leading rights organizations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, but Commissioners called on the newly-installed Chair-in-Office to lead the OSCE by example and improve its domestic human rights record.

US exploring new routes to Afghanistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-02T19:48:11+01:00

The United States is exploring the idea of expanding the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a supply line for US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, by adding a Chinese branch. Sources familiar with the NDN tell EurasiaNet that US officials are also considering the possibility of seeking a sea-and-land route utilizing ports in the Russian Far East.

Overcoming the current crisis of confidence is crucial to tackling new threats to security, OSCE Chairperson tells U.S. Helsinki Commission

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-02T19:28:08+01:00

It is crucial to overcome the current crisis of confidence between states to tackle new challenges and threats to security, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan's Secretary of State and Foreign Minister, Kanat Saudabayev, said today to the U.S. Helsinki Commission.

OSCE media freedom representative concerned about persecution of journalists in Uzbekistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-02T12:04:27+01:00

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, said today that he was deeply concerned by the continuing harassment of journalists in Uzbekistan.

Kazakh official warns against quitting Afghanistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-01T14:50:24+01:00

When Kazakhstan's foreign minister, Kanat Saudabayev, begins a five-day U.S. visit in Washington on Monday, one of the main topics of discussion is likely to be a proposal to hold a summit meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Kazakhstan to intensify OSCE engagement to support security and stability in Afghanistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-02-01T14:45:11+01:00

Kazakhstan will play an active role in furthering OSCE initiatives to strengthen Afghanistan's borders, develop co-operation and enhance law enforcement activities, said the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakh Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, at the international London Conference on Afghanistan today.

Karimov’s plan: Uzbekistan to strengthen bilateral cooperation with USA

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-29T12:56:59+01:00

The President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov approved the Action Plan on strengthening bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the United States of America for 2010, Gazeta.Uz reports. It has to be mentioned that the Uzbek leader signed the appropriate decree on January 11; nonetheless, only today many local mass media reported this fact.

Photographer faces jail for 'defaming' life in Uzbekistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-29T10:44:21+01:00

Amnesty International has urged the Uzbekistani government to allow its people freedom of expression after one of the country's most prominent photographers was charged with "defamation of the Uzbekistani people“.

Turkmen students allowed to leave the ountry

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-29T10:40:11+01:00

Good news: Turkmenistan’s government has finally given the green light to students enrolled at private foreign universities to continue their studies abroad, putting an end to six months of uncertainty.

Turkmen Leader to End Rights Abuses

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-28T12:45:13+01:00

President Nicolas Sarkozy should use the upcoming state visit by his Turkmen counterpart to speak out about Turkmenistan's abysmal human rights record and to press for concrete improvements, the French League for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, International Federation for Human Rights, and Reporters Without Borders said today.

NATO and Kazakhstan reach transit pact for Afghanistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-27T16:49:47+01:00

NATO and Kazakhstan completed an agreement on Wednesday that will permit NATO allies to ship cargo through Kazakh territory to Afghanistan, providing an important alternative to vulnerable routes elsewhere.

Extremism in Central Asia

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-25T11:21:07+01:00

The documentary on extremism in Central Asia by Michael Andersen:

You Tube and LiveJournal in Turkmenistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-20T10:11:52+01:00

Late December information was circulating on the internet that access to You Tube and LiveJournal had been blocked in Turkmenistan.

The Monitoring conducted by You Tube demonstrated that over the past 2 to 3 weeks video clips from Turkmenistan had been posted on this web resource.

We interviewed 28 respondents from Turkmenistan, both in the capital and the country's provinces. Six of them were denied access to You Tube and were unable to watch several music clips. Three opened the website but due to low connection speed were unable to watch anything.

Apparently You Tube can be accessed only in the provinces where fiber optic cable is installed and internet access depends on the quality of connection.

In addition, none of the respondents managed to get access to LiveJournal. This resource is blocked in Turkmenistan.

Source: Turkmenistan Initiative for Human Rights

Torture in Uzbekistan : still systematic and unpunished

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-20T09:42:32+01:00

The report was prepared from materials collected from the monitoring of the rights of persons under investigation and in detention. The monitoring was conducted during eight months in 2009 by the Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan and Committee for the Liberation of Prisoners of Conscience, both based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan .

The Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, based in Berlin, provided assistance with the collation and analysis of the data. Monitoring was conducted through interviews with individuals released from prisons, victims of torture, relatives of the convicted, and persons serving prison sentences and includes observation of court hearings. In addition, official responses from government agencies to claims of torture from alleged victims, press releases, and statements from local human rights organizations were included in the review.

Russia and Turkmenistan mend their relationship

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-19T09:04:54+01:00

At the end of December, leaders of Russia and Turkmenistan met to discuss the future of their relationship.

First, on December 22, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov met in Ashgabat and signed an agreement to expand bilateral “strategic” energy cooperation. Then the heads of Gazprom and Turkmengaz signed an agreement on the resumption of Turkmen gas supplies to Russia with the start of 2010, amounting to 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) annually.

Turkmenbashi's arch to be removed

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-19T09:00:51+01:00

A giant arch topped by a gold-plated statue of Turkmenistan's late leader, Saparmyrat Niyazov, is to be moved out of the centre of the country's capital.

Islam Karimov & Co are the ones radicalising Central Asia

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-18T21:43:10+01:00

From Wednesday 20 January, and for the next week, the television channel Aljazeera English is showing his film ’(The Myth of) Religious Extremism in Central Asia’. Fergana.ru interviews Michael Andersen about his project.

Kazakhstan only part of the solution for Nabucco

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-18T13:09:30+01:00

Kazakhstan is not ready to supply gas to Nabucco at this stage, but Astana is willing to consider supporting the gas pipeline to Austria as the former Soviet Republic develops its gas resources, and if the project makes sense economically, top Kazakh officials told New Europe in Vienna on 13 January.

Consideration of the third periodic report under Article 40 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-18T12:05:27+01:00

The Expert Working Group of Uzbek NGOs and human rights practitioners prepared this report to inform the process of consideration for the third periodic report of Uzbekistan by the United Nations Human Rights Committee under the Article 40 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Previously Uzbekistan reported on the 83rd session of the UN Human Rights Committee held in March 2005.
The report covers the events for the period of 2005 to 2009. As for the range of issues, the current report largely repeats the previous 2005 NGO submission regarding the many problems and failures of the Uzbek Government to insure the rights guaranteed by the Covenant persisted.

Uzbek secret services collect the records about independent journalists

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-15T14:50:31+01:00

The Tashkent Public Prosecutor’s office conducted the series of interrogations of several independent journalists, working in Uzbekistan. On January 7 five of them – Vasiliy Markov, Sid Yanyshev, Abdumalik Boboev, Khusniddin Kutbiddinov and Marina Kozlova (that cooperated with various foreign mass media) were called for "an interview" with Bakhrom Nurmatov, the assistant Public Prosecutor of Tashkent. Vasiliy Markov and Abdumalik Boboev refused to show up without official notice; the rest of journalists met Mr. Nurmatov.
Each of the journalists was presented their own detailed record with articles, bio and other documents. Mr. Nurmatov informed that these documents were delivered from National Security Service (NSS) and Uzbek Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Illegal Christmas as unregistered religious activity punished

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-15T13:24:17+01:00

Uzbekistan continues in 2010 to punish unregistered religious activity, in defiance of international human rights standards, Forum 18 News Service has learned. On 3 January, eight police officers raided a Christmas gathering organised by an officially registered church. Asked why celebrating Christmas was illegal, police told Forum 18 that the Full Gospel Holiness Church is "not registered" in Umid village. Three leaders of the Church face administrative charges as a result. Also, following an unregistered religious meeting in the southern Surkhandarya Region, Pastor Bakhrom Nazarov has been fined over 83 times the minimum monthly wage. 21 people are known to have suffered short-term jail sentences between February and August 2009. However, there were no known short-term jailings of people for exercising their freedom of religion or belief in the latter part of 2009. Asked why, a Judge told Forum 18 that "it may be because of the liberalisation of Uzbekistan's Judiciary, which is underway at the moment."

Former OSCE chair says time ripe for 'serious look' at reform

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-15T10:47:47+01:00

The 56-member Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is facing hard times as observers increasingly question its relevance and effectiveness. At a Permanent Council session in Vienna on January 14, the new Kazakh chairmanship of the OSCE will lay out its plan for the coming year -- an agenda that former OSCE Chairman in Office and Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb describes as "an extensive and ambitious working program."

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb speaks at an OSCE council in Helsinki.
Stubb, who chaired the organization in 2008, spoke to RFE/RL correspondent Robert Coalson about the challenges the OSCE will face in 2010.

OSCE role highlights slow Kazakhstan reforms

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-15T10:36:23+01:00

Kazakhstan is fulfilling one of its most cherished foreign policy goals in taking up the chair of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the human rights watchdog.

Kazakhstan assumes presidency of Europe security group

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-15T10:25:23+01:00

History is in the making in this Central Asian republic, the largest and the most developed of the former Soviet republics east of the Urals, as Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Thursday.

Gas flows again to Russia

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-15T09:14:00+01:00

Natural gas may be flowing again from Turkmenistan to Russia, but the two countries’ pricing dispute is not over, analysts are predicting.
Turkmen gas exports to Russia resumed January 9 after a nearly nine-month hiatus, due to a pricing dispute. Under the Turkmen-Russian settlement, the Kremlin-controlled energy giant Gazprom will only buy 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas annually compared to 50 bcm in previous years, and will pay in the region of $250 per thousand cubic meters (tcm), Russian news sources reported.

EU statement in response to the address by the Chairperson-in-Office

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-14T17:22:24+01:00

The EU congratulates H.E. Mr. Kanat Saudabayev, Secretary of State and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the assumption of the functions of Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE. As the first representative of a Central Asian country to assume this highly demanding responsibility, you and your country are faced with high expectations. The Kazakh Chairmanship will open a new chapter in the history of our organization, underlining the importance of the Central Asian region and increasing the attention paid by the international community, the media and civil society not only to that region but to the whole of the OSCE. We warmly welcome you to the Permanent Council for the first time in your new capacity and thank you for your address outlining the priorities and the roadmap of the Kazakh Chairmanship in 2010.

The murder of Gennadyi Pavlyuk reminds the action of Kyrgyz secret services

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-14T17:05:54+01:00

The arrival of Kyrgyz journalist Gennadiy Pavlyuk in Almaty reminds planned action of secret services, Kazakhstani Vremya newspaper reports.

The edition notes that murderous assault against Pavlyuk, committed in southern capital of Kazakhstan on December 16, 2009, is detected and «the names of criminals are identified». According to the newspaper, the traces lead to «some highly ranked Kyrgyz secret service official, unofficially positioned as manager of Bakiev’s clan on security issues».

Kazakhs announce plans for OSCE

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-14T16:22:47+01:00

Kazakhstan says it will put the main emphasis on security and development, rather than democracy, during its chairmanship of the OSCE.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe had for years been too fixated on Western values.

Summit needed for stagnant OSCE

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-14T15:55:17+01:00

On Jan. 1, Kazakhstan became the first former Soviet republic to take over chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Kazakhstan views the OSCE, with its unique geographical coverage, tools and experience, as one of the vital mechanisms for ensuring international security and cooperation from Vancouver to Vladivostok. Yet perceptions of "dividing lines" and "zero-sum-game" thinking have not gone away with the end of the Cold War and continue to limit efforts to build indivisible security in the OSCE area.

US Response to Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2010-01-14T15:49:11+01:00

The United States is pleased to welcome Foreign Minister Saudabayev to the Permanent Council as the OSCE’s 2010 Chairman-in-Office. We are also pleased that President Nazarbayev took the opportunity to address us this morning. Both of these statements underscore Kazakhstan’s commitment to the OSCE and to a strong and successful Chairmanship.

Strategic Assessment of the Caspian Sea Basin Region

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-12-04T18:04:59+01:00

On May 7 and 8, the Brookings Energy Security Initiative (ESI) and the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) co-hosted a conference entitled "Strategic Assessment of the Caspian Sea Basin Region".

Central Asia’s electricity system falls apart

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-12-02T08:09:43+01:00

Four of the five Central Asian countries have muddled along with an often unsatisfactory, yet workable, shared electricity system that was devised after the break-up of the Soviet Union. This year, however, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have finally been provoked into announcing their withdrawal from the shared grid.

Tajikistan may stop water flow as Uzbekistan pulls plug on powe

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-12-01T11:56:47+01:00

For more than a decade Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have had a rocky relationship. But now, following an announcement by Tashkent that it is withdrawing from the Central Asian electricity grid, bilateral ties may take a dangerous nosedive.

Educating Afghans not an OSCE pipe dream

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-12-01T11:53:56+01:00

Fresh from Kabul, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev vowed to strengthen the humanitarian dimension of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s strategy for Afghanistan when his country assumes the OSCE's chairmanship in January 2010. The situation in Afghanistan now appears to be definitely worse than it was a couple years ago.

Where is Turkmenistan’s Gas Money Going?

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-11-30T16:10:57+01:00

The Turkmen government has announced that it no longer depends solely on natural gas as a revenue source. NBCentralAsia analysts say this is unlikely to be true, and the real question is how much of the gas money makes it into the official coffers, since management of the revenues from Turkmenistan’s mineral wealth is far from transparent.

Congress Caucus on Central Asia

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-11-30T16:07:08+01:00

Nothing highlights the growing importance of Central Asia in Washington more than the formation of a congressional caucus.

EU ignores Turkmen rights abuse, seeks gas

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-11-18T17:49:37+01:00

An international human rights watchdog on Tuesday accused the European Union of ignoring rights abuses in energy-rich Turkmenistan in the hopes of securing future natural gas supplies.

All That Gas?: The EU and Turkmenistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-11-18T17:35:50+01:00

The European Commission is turning a blind eye to corruption, lack of transparency and poor human rights in the repressive police state of Turkmenistan in a bid to secure future gas supplies, according to a new illustrated briefing paper from the campaign group Global Witness, launched on the eve of the 2009 oil and gas conference in Ashgabat, the Turkmen capital.

The report, ‘All that Gas?’ represents an innovative collaboration between Global Witness and cutting-edge satirical cartoonist, David Rees, who has produced original artwork for the publication. His seven new cartoons feature EU bureaucrats discussing crude strategies to ‘get the gas’. Rees is best-known for his US cartoon series ‘Get Your War On’, published on the internet and in Rolling Stone magazine.

Downloads:
All That Gas? (11/2009) Hi-res PDF
All That Gas? (11/2009) Lo-res version
Comic Strips (in Turkmen)
Comic Strips (Na russkom)
David Rees' Comic Strips (In English, hi-res)
Gazovyi vopros (11/2009), Word, na russkom
Hemme zat gaz üçinmi? (11/2009) Word, Türkmen
Press-Release (11/2009)

Source: Global Witness

The schoolchildren in the Tashkent Oblast continue hard work at the cotton fields

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-11-15T17:30:33+01:00

While the government of Uzbekistan celebrates the cotton victory and Islam Karimov congratulates the cotton growers the schoolchildren of Tashkent Oblast continue working hard at the cotton fields under harsh weather conditions, bringing revenue to the country. And there is no financial interest in such commitment. The local school administrations still have no order "from above" to finish the cotton campaign.

Press Release by GCA on Turkmen Gas Fields

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-15T13:47:33+02:00

In a public Statement, GCA told the following:

In October 2008, Gaffney Cline & Associates announced the results of its audit of the gas resources of the South Yolotan/Osman and Yashlar fields in Turkmenistan. Following that announcement, the following pulic statement was released.

Turkmenistan falsified data on gas reserves in the country

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-13T17:14:19+02:00

Vienna, 13.10.09-ETG On Sunday evening, during an emergency meeting of the Turkmen Government, it became evident what sources like „Eurasian Transition Group“ already reported back in 2008 and earlier this year and which could have an important impact on the energy policy of the Caspian region and the future construction plans of pipelines like the Nabucco project.

Turkmen Cabinet: Gas Audit results a fake

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-12T21:45:45+02:00

During a cabinet meeting of the Turkmen Government on October 11, 2009, it became evident what ETG already published eight months ago: all test audits in the gas industry of Turkmenistan, though conducted by independent experts, were faked.

ETG sources report that during the cabinet meeting President Berdymukhamedov announced the falsification of the independent gas drillings, saying that probably only one third of the results might be realistic.

By a decree most of the responsible directors in the gas industry were fired.

ETG will follow the situation in the country carefully.

More empty gas talks with Russia?

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-12T15:15:28+02:00

Turkmenistan has proven a fickle energy-export partner for all foreign companies trying to do business there. Yet, a Kremlin spokesperson’s recent statement that Russia would resume natural gas imports as soon as the end of October, confirms that hope springs eternal when it comes to the question of Ashgabat and energy.

Sting, Valentino and others are visiting Gulnara Karimova

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-09T10:49:09+02:00

On October 17, 2009 under Art-Week Style.Uz-2009 project in Tashkent the opera house, named after Alisher Navoi, will host concert of legendary Sting. The ticket prices range from 2000000 to 4000000 sums (about $1100-2200). For information, this is one or two annual salaries of the college teachers in Uzbekistan.

Ambassador of conscience: Interview with Craig Murray

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-08T17:53:01+02:00

In 2002, Craig Murray, British ambassador to Uzbekistan, encountered something that he would describe as the real evil: the brutal campaign of torture and repression by the Islam Karimov regime. Later, in an interview with the Guardian, Murray described his encounters with victims of torture in Tashkent: “People come to me very often after being tortured. Normally this includes homosexual and heterosexual rape of close relatives in front of the victim; rape with objects such as broken bottles; asphyxiation; pulling out of fingernails; smashing of limbs with blunt objects; and use of boiling liquids including complete immersion of the body. This is not uncommon. Thousands of people a year suffer from this torture at the hands of the authorities.”

Blood cotton

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-08T17:42:41+02:00

This is one of the most shocking stories of forced labour that involves children.

The setting of this story is the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan – one of the most brutal among post-Soviet dictatorships. The Islam Karimov regime is notorious for its ruthless repression of any kind of opposition or threat – political, social or economic.

Uzbek human rights activists to organize rally and picket to stop child labor in Uzbekistan's cotton fields

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-08T13:42:47+02:00

The Uzbek human rights activists are going to organize the rally on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 with the purpose to stop child labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton fields. The meeting is scheduled to noon time at the Embassy of Uzbekistan at 1746 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington, DC.

Western experts praise restructure of Kazakh bank

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-08T11:32:44+02:00

The Kazakh government this week secured a deal with creditors to restructure Alliance Bank, in an innovative move allowing it to emerge as a going concern from the credit crisis.

U.S. OSCE official says dialogue best way to spread democracy

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-07T12:13:31+02:00

Michael Haltzel, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, heads the U.S. delegation at the OSCE's "Human Dimension" workshop taking place in Warsaw on September 28-29. In an interview with RFE/RL correspondent Ahto Lobjakas, he says engagement remains the best way to tackle difficult regimes. He also says he hopes to see gradual progress in those post-Soviet nations where human rights abuses remain regular and democratic standards have yet to take root.

France, Kazakhstan seal long-term energy accords

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-07T11:53:06+02:00

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, eyeing broader geopolitical engagement between Europe and Central Asia, have announced the signing of a number of agreements between their two countries involving oil and gas.

French President Sarkozy on state visit in Astana

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-07T11:43:32+02:00

France and Kazakhstan have signed energy and business deals worth $6bn (£3.8bn) during a visit to Astana by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Officials forcing entertainers to sing praises to the government

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-07T11:36:29+02:00

As it struggles to keep a lid on political dissent while also trying to keep the wheels from coming off the economy, the government of Uzbekistan is co-opting the country’s entertainment industry. Local show-biz personalities are being forced to conform to the state’s wishes, and those who don’t get with the program are having the plugs pulled on their careers.

Auction of children’s sweat

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-07T11:30:41+02:00

While children around the world have access to free and worthy education, their coevals in Uzbekistan don’t have it. The reason is that they are forced to risk their lives in order to satisfy state’s appetite in cotton.

The European Union’s consideration to lift the arms embargo on Uzbekistan gives the signal to Uzbekistan’s government that the EU is prepared to accept Uzbekistan’s atrocious human rights record

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-05T12:55:06+02:00

The European Union’s consideration to lift the arms embargo on Uzbekistan gives the signal to Uzbekistan’s government that the EU is prepared to accept Uzbekistan’s atrocious human rights record.

Allow access, freedom for civil society

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-02T14:32:27+02:00

Human Rights Watch joined the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and 13 other groups in issuing a statement today calling on governments and companies that have recently gained access to Turkmenistan to use their connection to improve the lives of the country's more than 5 million people. The groups said these governments and companies should also press Turkmenistan to allow international civil society groups and human rights organizations to work in the country.

Nabucco Pipeline: Results of a survey (in Russian)

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-10-01T14:54:09+02:00

Объединенная евразийская экспертная сеть (JEEN) представляет результаты экспертного опроса по проблеме реализации проекта Nabucco.

Good intentions and child labor

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-29T10:40:41+02:00

Economic sanctions may be a noble way to show solidarity of some players of international community but those are rarely successful. It may seem obvious but yet it is exactly what is missing in the debates on the issue of child labor in Uzbekistan.

Statement by ETG

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-29T14:29:13+02:00

Statement by Eurasian Transition Group

The Internet Site KUB published a report by ETG, called "The Aliyev Dossier".

ETG would like to underline that KUB has no authorization for publishing the text, because it is an unofficial draft paper, that is still in the working process.

ETG is unaware of how KUB could get an electronic copy of this working paper.

ETG tried to contact the administrators of the web-site, but could not find a postal adress. Through the ICANN directory an adress in Russia was determined, but this adress is unreachable. Thereofore, we publish this statement on our web site.

Eurasian Transition Group, Bonn, 29.08.2009

Turkmen President's Interview: "We are Criminals" he said.

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-25T11:34:11+02:00

(AP) — ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan - Energy-rich Turkmenistan has signed a deal with independent Russian gas producer Itera to jointly develop an offshore field in the Caspian Sea, Turkmen state media reported Monday.

In a signing ceremony overseen by the presidents of Russia and Turkmenistan on Sunday, the sides agreed to begin work next year on developing the field, which is estimated to hold 160 million tons of recoverable oil and 60 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

Uzbek Appeals Court Upholds Sentence on Journalist

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-25T09:56:59+02:00

Human rights activists and media experts have expressed disappointment at an appeals court’s decision to uphold a 12-year sentence handed down to journalist Dilmurod Sayid a month-and-a-half earlier.
The decision was made on September 11, when the Samarkand provincial court reviewed Sayid’s appeal.

Surkhandarya students pick cotton, ones in Ferghana continue their studies

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-25T09:52:04+02:00

The Human Rights Society Ezgulik (Mercy) reported classes suspended at approximately 600 schools out of 840 in the Surkhandarja region of Uzbekistan on the order from the regional administration's Directorate of Education.

Uzbekistan cuts natural gas supply to the south of Kyrgyzstan due to debts

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-25T09:50:21+02:00

In the night of September 24 of 2009 Uzbekistan shut natural gas supply to the southern region of Kyrgyzstan, 24.kg information agency reports. This happened due to the debt of the consumers in the city of Osh.

Rakhat Aliyev, the former son-in-law of Nazarbayev, got married

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-25T09:48:15+02:00

Rakhat Aliyev, the former highly ranked official of Kazakhstan, got officially married second time and took the family name of his wife, Svoboda slova Kazakh newspaper reports.

German election could unlock Caspian

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-24T16:37:07+02:00

While Western Europe seems bored by the German election, it is being closely watched in the Caspian region. For the countries sitting on the massive energy potential of the Caspian Sea, Sunday's outcome is of vital importance.

Speech by Turkmen President at UNGA

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-24T11:12:21+02:00

The speech by Turkmen President Berdymukhamedov at the UNGA.

Uzbeks issue posters of suspects

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-23T18:21:19+02:00

Posters of 23 wanted men have gone up in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, where officials say they are moving against Islamists threatening the state.

The Uzbek authorities say these men are alleged extremists

The army of cotton growers started the battle for harvest

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-23T15:14:01+02:00

The cropping of raw-cotton is launched in the Khoresm Oblast of Uzbekistan. It is traditionally driven by the populations and dozens of thousands of students of secondary and higher education institutions. The decision to send the youth to the fields was made by local authorities prior to Ramadan holiday – the end of sacred month of Muslim fast (this year it was September 21).

The cotton growers, getting into buses

Are reforms back on the shelf?

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-23T14:43:06+02:00

Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov is making a trip to the United States this week which includes a speech at the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly and meetings with top US officials. It will be difficult for him to present himself as the hoped for reformer who is willing to take Turkmenistan out of present isolationist course.

Cash crunch causing retail gridlock in Uzbekistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-23T13:25:21+02:00

In most of the villages of Uzbekistan, people haven’t seen cash for ages as they get paid with oil or grain instead of money. In the remote valley, state-affiliated banks are now making payments in coins, not notes, according to local media reports. This is creating havoc for shoppers and shop owners alike.

Senior OSCE official visits Kazakh rights defender in detention, stresses importance of fair appeals process

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-21T14:51:14+02:00

Following a meeting today with Kazakh human rights defender Yevgeny Zhovtis in the detention centre where he is held outside Almaty, the first deputy director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Douglas Wake, stressed the importance of full respect for fair trial standards in the consideration of Zhovtis' appeal.

Perspectives of the Nabucco Pipeline: Interview (In Russian)

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-21T14:38:45+02:00

Редакция сайта Объединенной евразийской экспертной сети ( JEEN ) провела экспертный опрос по проблеме перспектив реализации проекта Nabucco. В опросе приняли участие эксперты из России и стран СНГ. На основе опроса сформирован аналитический обзор, который будет опубликован в ближайшее время на сайте Сети JEEN ( j - een . com ). Предваряя презентацию отчета, редакция сайта публикует эксклюзивное интервью с Виталием Куликом, директором Центра исследований проблем гражданского общества (Украина) по указанной проблеме.

Muslim and Christian worship attacked

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-21T14:33:54+02:00

Uzbekistan continues to take action against peaceful meetings for worship, Forum 18 News Service has learned. Children in Namangan Region are banned from attending night prayers in mosques during Ramadan, the Deputy Hokim telling Forum 18 that "children of school age should not attend religious meetings at all." In Bukhara region, an imam confirmed to Forum 18 that women are banned from attending Friday prayers in mosques, claiming that "women are not to attend mosques according to Hanafi teachings". Raids continue on Protestant worship, with prosecutions of some congregation members and church leaders. After one such raid, police claimed that they had confiscated Muslim and Jehovah's Witness literature, but the Protestants maintain to Forum 18 that police invented this claim. Senior Lieutenant Farrukh Abduganiyev, Inspector of Crime Prevention in Almalyk, and Major Shavkat Aminov, Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department, were among 18 officers who took part in this raid. Six of the Church's members are due to be tried for unregistered religious activity tomorrow (18 September).

Pentagon plans for deployment of special force to states outside Afghanistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-18T08:14:34+02:00

The US military is preparing for a worst-case scenario in Central Asia. The Pentagon is presently developing plans covering the potential deployment of elite Special Forces to Central Asian states other than Afghanistan.

Is Turkmenistan a reliable partner for the EU? New ETG Analysis

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-16T12:42:45+02:00

Relations between the European Union (EU) and Turkmenistan are focused on establishing an energy dialogue. Prior to the death of President Niyazov, Turkmenistan was the most isolated country in Central Asia. Ties between Brussels and Ashgabat were poor at best. The emergence of Berdymukhamedov as Niyazov’s successor and his subsequent election to the presidency gave the EU a chance to move bilateral relations with Turkmenistan to a qualitatively new level. The initial rhetoric of the new president was promising. He appeared to identify some changes in foreign and economic policy, namely, a strengthening of the country’s orientation towards the West. This encouraged Brussels to hope for new opportunities with Turkmenistan.

Uzbek human rights “progress” claim

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-16T11:05:42+02:00

Human rights activists in Uzbekistan say they disagree strongly with claims by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, that the human rights situation is improving in the country.

Austrian TV: Interview with Rakhad Aliyev

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-09T12:33:58+02:00

Austrian TV: Interview with Rakhad Aliyev from Tse Grad on Vimeo.

Vienna-Kazakh "Strudel" (in Russian)

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-04T09:59:24+02:00

Венско-казахстанский слоеный пирог

Дело Алиева становится внутренней проблемой Австрии

Как известно, австрийские власти не выдали Алиева Казахстану и приостановили уголовное дело в его отношении. А те политики, которые проявили повышенный интерес к вопросу правомочности пребывания Алиева в Австрии, вынуждены отмываться от обвинений в пособничестве казахстанскому КНБ. Казалось бы, это должно было отбить охоту дальше углубляться в проблему «Астана v/s Алиев» для австрийского истеблишмента. Более того, такое впечатление укрепилось после создания в июле при австрийском парламенте временной комиссии по изучению, в числе прочих проблем, связей ряда политиков оппозиционных партий с КНБ Казахстана. Однако произошло неожиданное. Благодаря австрийской прессе в деле Алиева в последние дни оказались «замараны» практически все значимые политические партии Австрии, включая правящую Народную партию. В частности, речь идет о том, что ее политики (а именно эта партия несколько десятков лет держит в своих руках руководство МВД Австрии) обеспечили Алиеву вид на жительство в земле Нижняя Австрия, причем небезвозмездно. Называется имя бывшего министра внутренних дел Эриха Штрассера. Конкретные претензии в коррумпированности Алиевым обнародованы и в отношении видных представителей финансовых кругов Австрии. Приводятся сведения о конкретных схемах, по которым предположительно производилось отмывание денег Алиевым через счета австрийских футбольных клубов, указываются суммы.

Human Rights activist sentenced

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-04T09:24:10+02:00

Yevgeny Zhovtis, one of Kazakhstan’s leading human rights activists, was found guilty on September 3 of vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison. Prior to the reading of the verdict, Zhovtis denounced his two-day trial as a "political setup."

NATO envoy plays down Turkmen base plans

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-04T09:10:13+02:00

NATO special representative for Central Asia and Caucasus Robert Simmons has downplayed the controversy over Turkmenistan's plan to establish a naval base on its Caspian coast, saying it's natural for littoral states to boost border security to protect against an increasingly active transit route for illegal activities.

Women and Radicalisation in Kyrgyzstan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-03T10:48:04+02:00

Kyrgyzstan’s in creasingly authoritarian government is adopting a counter-productive approach to the country’s growing radicalisation. Instead of tackling the root causes of a phenomenon that has seen increasing numbers, including many women, joining groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), it is resorting to heavy-handed police methods that risk pushing yet more Kyrgyz towards radicalism. The authorities view HT, which describes itself as a revolutionary party that aims to restore by peace ful means the caliphate that once ruled the Mus lim world, as a major security threat. But for some men and ever more women, it offers a sense of identity and belonging, solutions to the day-to-day failings of the society they live in, and an alternative to what they widely view as the Western-style social model that prevails in Kyrgyzstan. Without a major effort to tackle endemic corruption and economic failure, radical ranks are likely to swell, while repression may push at least some HT members into violence. This report focuses pri marily on the increasingly important role that women are playing in the movement.

Trial against Human Rights activist opened

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-03T09:57:58+02:00

One of Kazakhstan’s most prominent human rights activists went on trial September 2, charged with causing death by dangerous driving. The trial has cast a spotlight on Kazakhstan’s judicial system. It is also being viewed as a litmus test of Astana’s commitment to democratic procedures, coming as it does just four months before Kazakhstani officials take over the helm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Statement ETG on press conference of Aliyev's lawyers in Vienna today (in German)

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-02T22:35:38+02:00

Erklärung der Eurasian Transition Group:

Der Vorstand der Eurasian Transition Group, e.V. gibt zum Pressegespräch der Kanzlei Brandstetter am 02.09.2009 in Wien folgende Erklärung ab:

Die im Pressebriefing der Rechtsanwaltskanzlei Brandstetter im Namen ihres Mandanten Dr. Rakhad Aliyev präsentierten Dokumente, welche beweisen sollen, dass unsere Organisation Teil des kasachischen Geheimdienstes oder der Regierung sei, sind unbegründet und führen in die Sackgasse.

Courting Turkmenistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-09-02T09:15:17+02:00

Each December, Turkmenistan celebrates "Neutrality Day," an official state holiday commemorating the reclusive country's aspiration to be the Switzerland of Central Asia. But for the first time in nearly a century, Turkmenistan is finally in play. Although the former Soviet republic has languished for decades, EU-Russian energy tensions, the war in Afghanistan, and the power politics of oil and gas have combined to fuel a new "Great Game" in Central Asia. The most coveted prize may be the hermit kingdom of Turkmenistan, which sits atop the world's fourth-largest reserves of natural gas, a huge amount of oil, and a strategic position in the heart of Central Asia. The United States, the European Union, Russia, China, Iran, and Turkey are all vying for influence in Turkmenistan. The only question is, at whose expense will future gains be made?

New abuse of jailed dissident

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-28T09:42:15+02:00

Uzbek authorities should promptly investigate new allegations of abuse against a political prisoner, Yusuf Jumaev, and ensure that his family is permitted regular visits, Human Rights Watch said today.

Uzbekistandoffish

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-27T20:09:45+02:00

In my opinion, Uzbekistan has been and remains the most able of the former Soviet Central Asian states to annoy, frustrate, and otherwise make life difficult for Russia. This is not to say that Russia’s government has no power in Tashkent. Allow me to digress -

Black Raiders of Kazakhstan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-27T19:57:05+02:00

A documentary in Russian on how Rakhat Aliyev became one of the most feared individuals in Kazakhstan.

TV report on Aliyev and the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee in Vienna

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-27T18:08:32+02:00

Central Asian experts discuss regional water issues in Almaty

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-27T16:31:01+02:00

On August 27 Almaty is hosting the session of working group for the development of regional agreement under "Facilitation of partnership for dam security in Central Asia" project, funded by European economic commission of UN (EEC), Asia-plus reports.

Trial of Kazakh rights activist postponed

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-27T14:32:55+02:00

The trial of the prominent Kazakh human rights activist Yevgeny Zhovtis has begun in the town of Bakanas in Almaty Oblast but lasted just for several minutes before it was postponed due to the absence of the defendant's lawyers, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Former Kazakh KNB head speaks on Aliev's role In kidnappings

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-27T14:30:23+02:00

The former chief of Kazakhstan's Committee of National Security (KNB) says the former son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev "might" have been involved in the kidnapping of two high-ranking bankers in Kazakhstan.

Another Independent Kazakh Newspaper Faces Closure

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-26T20:57:58+02:00

The independent Kazakh weekly "Respublika" is facing closure after a bank announced it was filing charges against it, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

The Aliyev Empire is striking back

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-26T18:22:29+02:00

After the second meeting of the Austrian Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry today and a demonstration, organized by relatives of the missing Nur Bank managers, the Aliyev Empire is striking back.

All began with the statement by A. Musayev, the former Chief of the Kazakh KNB and close ally of Dr. Aliyev this weekend, stating that all accusations against the former Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Austria are in fact true and that Aliyev himself gave the order to make an attempt on Musayev’s life.

Later on, a lawyer who represents the families of the Nur Bank managers made a statement, in which he announced legal proceedings against a local Governor in Lower Austriaa and a prosecutor in Vienna, claiming that both officials helped Aliyev to receive the permission to stay in Austria and that the prosecutor backed Aliyev during the judicial investigations. In addition, Austrian politicians said that they received informations about the transfer of bribes by Aliyev to accounts of organizations close to the political and social life in Austria.
All this might also be a part of parliamentary investigations in Austria.

Today, Dr. Aliyev published a statement, in which he accuses ETG and Michael Laubsch of being a paid lobbyist for the Kazakh KNB. He said the following: „ ... It is also a fact that through the German lobbyist Michael Laubsch and ETG (Eurasian Transition Group), which he controls, unbelievable and smeared accusations against the Austrian judicial system we brought up and I can prove, that this Mr. Laubsch, who claims to be independent, is in a close and friendly contact with KNB-agents in Vienna. I already handed over the evidence material to Austrian officials“. (this is an unofficial translation; the original text can be found at the bottom of this article).

ETG and Michael in person underline the fact that there was never a contact with KNB officials regarding the Aliyev case, nor was any other dialogue with Kazakh secret services. In addition to this fact, ETG will consider legal proceedings against Dr. Aliyev, because those accusations only have their grounds in the mind of a person, who lost all his power.

In the past, ETG kept silence concerning several attempts by Aliyev in attacking ETG on a legal and personal basis; it is worth saying that all attempts did not work, nor had a basis. But now we are convinced to make those attacks public, for our own safety and security.

Eurasian Transition Group
Michael Laubsch

The original text, written by Dr. Rakhat Aliyev:

„Faktum ist auch, dass über den deutschen Lobbyisten Laubsch und
die von ihm kontrollierte Organisation "ETG" (Eurasian Transition
Group) unglaubliche und geradezu hetzerische Angriffe gegen die
österreichische Justiz publiziert wurden, und ich kann beweisen, dass
dieser Herr Laubsch, der sich als unabhängig gibt, in engem und
freundschaftlichem Kontakt zu kasachischen KGB-Agenten in der
Botschaft in Wien steht. Dieses Beweismaterial habe ich mittlerweile
den österreichischen Behörden übermittelt.“

The Situation at the OSCE regarding Kazakhstan is not very calm (in Russian)

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-26T18:17:44+02:00

Михаэль Лаубш: Ситуация для Казахстана в ОБСЕ какая угодно, но не спокойная

Дворец Хофбург в Вене, где расположена штаб-квартира ОБСЕ
Новые требования Казахстана в адрес ОБСЕ вызвали волну критики среди других членов организации. С другой стороны, неожиданный союзник проявился у нее в Вене в "деле Алиева".

Former Head of KNB leaves his former ally (in Russian)

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-25T12:20:56+02:00

Бывший глава казахстанского КНБ Альнур Мусаев выступил с сенсационным заявлением в австрийской массовой газете Krone. Оно касается бывшего зятя президента Казахстана Рахата Алиева.

Nazarbayev received a gift (in Russian)

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-25T12:18:00+02:00

Назарбаев получил подарок

В Австрии разворачивается скандал вокруг бывшего зятя казахского президента
версия для печати

Alnur Musayev broke with Rakhat Aliyev (in Russian)

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-25T12:14:12+02:00

Политэмигрант Альнур Мусаев, осужденный в Казахстане к 35 годам тюрьмы, дал интервью нашему радио Азаттык. Он говорит, что провел свое расследование исчезновения двух менеджеров Нурбанка и пришел к новым открытиям.

Confessions of an Uzbek KGB officer

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-21T12:40:50+02:00

Newsnight hears the testimony of a man who claims he was an Uzbek intelligence officer.

Ikram Yakubov, who has defected from Uzbekistan, claims he was forced to fabricate evidence against innocent people and witnessed people being tortured.

He spoke to Peter Marshall.

You can watch the interview on BBC here.

Rights Activist Arrested

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-21T12:34:03+02:00

Uzbek authorities should immediately drop any unsubstantiated criminal charges against Oyazimhon Hidirova, chairman of the Arnasai Branch of the International Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, and free her from pre-trial detention, Human Rights Watch said today.

Turkmen students studying at AUCA are not permitted to leave Turkmenistan for any reason!

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-21T12:31:47+02:00

This is what deputy minister of education told the parents of American University- Central Asia (AUCA) students at a meeting in the ministry held on August 18th. He also said the Turkmen government doesn’t need their liberal arts degrees. The official forgot that the Turkmen government doesn’t pay a penny for student’s education at AUCA.

Summer Break's Over

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-08-21T12:29:34+02:00

After some hot and nice days of summer, ETG is now back on track. So stay tuned !!!

EUCAM Policy Brief No. 6

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-06-15T08:14:53+02:00

The EU's approach to the development of mass media in Central Asia, EUCAM Policy Brief No. 6, June 2009

In spite of positive developments in terms of human rights, the rule of law and democratisation in Central Asia following the adoption of the European Union (EU) Strategy for Central Asia in June 2007, the state of the mass media continues to deteriorate in all five countries in the region.
This policy brief identifies tendencies and problems affecting the development of free media outlets in Central Asia and proposes ways and means through which the EU could engage to improve the situation.

Download the Policy Brief

EUCAM Policy Brief No. 7

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-06-16T08:12:07+02:00

Central Asia and the Global Economic Crisis, EUCAM Policy Brief No. 7, June 2009

In 2007 the EU published a Strategy for a New Partnership with Central Asia. In its initial stages the EU focused on developing new forums for dialogue with the Central Asian countries, and received some criticism for inadequate substantive actions. This Policy Brief argues that the current global economic crisis does not alter the priorities of the EU Strategy, but it does require the EU to stick to existing obligations and also provides an opportunity for fresh initiatives to better achieve the Strategy’s fundamental goals.
This EUCAM Policy Brief is part of a mini-series of three publications on the impact of the global slowdown on Central Asia and its relations with the European Union.

Download the Policy Brief

Turkmen, Uzbek eyes stray toward Brussels

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-06-04T17:09:35+02:00

Just a few years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine an official from Turkmenistan visiting Brussels to discuss exporting natural gas directly to the EU.

Slighted by Russia, Ashgabat courts EU

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-06-04T17:06:40+02:00

Officials at the European Commission have attempted to downplay the significance of meetings this week between Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and EU officials.

Activists appeal to the world community with the message to boycott Uzbek cotton

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-06-04T17:03:51+02:00

On June 4, the activists of Uzbekistan disseminated the message, where they appeal to the world community to boycott Uzbek cotton, because, according to the letter, "only boycotting can force Karimov’s regime to stop child labor practice".

Meet Human Rights standards

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-06-04T11:03:08+02:00

(Almaty) - The Kazakh government has seven months to improve its human rights record to meet the standards of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) before it takes over the institution's chairmanship, Human Rights Watch said today.

The new Turkmenistan, not much different from the old Turkmenistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-06-04T10:59:00+02:00

This documentary gives a look behind the scenes of Turkmenistan under President Berdymukhammedov. The film was made by journalist Simon Ostrovsky, and was funded by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee.

Open letter of Uzbek activists who call for boycott of Uzbek cotton to stop the practice of forced child labour

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-06-03T13:27:12+02:00

Despite ratifying International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions, Uzbekistan continues to use forced child labor.

Uzbekistan does not reinvest the proceeds from its cotton exports into cotton producers and the rural areas where it is grown, but siphons it into the hands of a small group of the country’s ruling elites.
World Bank and Asian Development Bank loans to Uzbekistan’s agricultural sector have not led to genuine reform. Uzbekistan’s continued reliance upon a command economy paves the way for loans to go into the hands of the ruling elite. Activists are calling for international financial instruments to lend to the Uzbek agro-sector only on a conditional basis, to encourage the reforms that would free Uzbek farmers from the tyranny of a corrupt regime.

Activists are calling for a boycott of Uzbek cotton. They call upon companies importing cotton, in particular the Dubai Multi Commodities Center , as well as retailers, to adhere to the principles of corporate social responsibility

The international community should not take at face value mere spoken or written commitments made by Uzbekistan, but should demand actions demonstrating a complete end to the practice of forced child labor that can be verified via an independent monitoring during the cotton season.

Activists call on the U.S. government and the EU to take steps to prevent their markets from being penetrated by products bearing traces of forced child labor.

Full text

New ETG Central Asia News Digest

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-06-03T09:14:36+02:00

ETG’s Central Asia News Digest, this month focusing on Turkmenistan, has been published. Send us an email to order the electronic version.
We are still working on the abriged English version, so keep in mind that this document is in Russian.

Central Asian gas: An opportunity Europe seems determined to miss

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-06-02T21:19:41+02:00

If ever there was a time for the European Union to cut the Gordian knot of energy dependence on Russia -- or, more precisely, cut out the Russian middleman currently controlling supply routes from the Caspian Sea region -- it is now.

What happened in Andijan two days after the attack of unknown terrorist

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-29T12:47:21+02:00

Despite information about unofficial state of emergency in the Uzbek city of Andijan the everyday life of the residents have been the same two days after the events of the night of May 26-27. This was announced by local human rights activist Saidjakhon Zainabitdinov to Ferghana.Ru.

Much of Kyrgyz-Uzbek border still shut in wake of attacks

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-29T12:44:19+02:00

All but a single Kyrgyz-Uzbek border crossing remain closed four days after two deadly attacks in Uzbekistan, including a shootout between police and unknown assailants near a border checkpoint, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

Казахстан: "средний зять" усиливает позиции

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-26T08:43:44+02:00

В Казахстане произошли изменения в руководстве крупнейших экономических институтов. Свое положение упрочил член семьи главы государства.

Andijan attackers’ identity still unclear

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-27T21:54:19+02:00

Attacks in and around the city of Andijan have been blamed on Islamic militants, although little is known about who they might be.

Is Turkey trying to help U.S. stay at Manas?

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-28T21:50:06+02:00

Scant attention has been paid to Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan, which began on May 26.

But some observers think Gul’s trip -- the first to Bishkek by a Turkish president in nine years -- is more than a bilateral visit and might be an important geopolitical gambit in which Gul is doing the West’s bidding.

Kazakhstan says reading 'banned' book no longer illegal

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-27T15:49:50+02:00

Kazakhstan's Prosecutor-General's Office has announced that people are allowed to read the previously banned book about President Nursultan Nazarbaev but not allowed to distribute it, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Kazakh atomic kingpin suddenly radioactive

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-27T15:42:32+02:00

Mukhtar Jakishev was once considered one of the richest and most powerful men in Kazakhstan: the head of a company with access to the world's second-largest reserves of uranium, with lucrative contracts with Russia, China, and India.

Nazarbayev signals Kazakhstan's OSCE priorities

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-26T17:07:46+02:00

On May 21 Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev characterized the country's forthcoming chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as a vital part of its interest in pursuing integration with Europe. Having entered the OSCE troika this year (alongside Finland and Greece), preparations are now well advanced for chairing the organization.

The Godfather-In-Law: Arkadi Dubnov's article in Vremja Novostei

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-26T15:27:07+02:00

Нурсултан Абишевич Назарбаев заслуженно пользуется репутацией одного из самых мудрых политиков на постсоветском пространстве. Так считали еще на пространстве советском, когда оно в этом качестве доживало свой век почти 20 лет назад. Не случайно же тогда еще 50-летнего первого секретаря Компартии Казахстана прочили в премьеры обновленного СССР.

Special operation in Andijan, border with Kyrgyzstan closed

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-26T14:45:22+02:00

Ferghana.Ru sources report an explosion on the premises of the municipal police department of Khanabad, city in the eastern part of the Andijan region of Uzbekistan, on May 25. Cause of the explosion remains unknown. The authorities and media offer no comments.

Shooting reported in Uzbek town

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-26T14:40:51+02:00

Police in Uzbekistan exchanged gunfire with a group of armed men in the eastern town of Khanabad and an explosion was heard, witnesses have said.

The multipurpose Human Rights activist

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-25T20:46:28+02:00

Aliyev’s blog post on Eurasian Transition Group and its Director Michael Laubsch (in Russian). ETG is not giving a comment on this, but would like to share this with its readers and members. Please contact Michael for any questions on the accusations in the article.

Kazakhstan's book ban and the issue of 'Prior Restraint'

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-25T14:22:58+02:00

"Godfather-In-Law," a book about Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, has struck a raw nerve with authorities in that country.

Kazakh officials investigating 'Godfather-In-Law' book

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-25T14:17:20+02:00

The Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office has launched an investigation into the book "Godfather-in-Law," written by President Nursultan Nazarbaev's former son-in-law, Rakhat Aliev, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

End of the banking boom

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-20T14:13:52+02:00

During the economic boom, Kazakhstan's banks borrowed heavily on international markets to finance massive investments in construction and real estate. The international credit crisis has left the country's banks extremely exposed, in turn putting a large section of the economy under threat.

Uzbekistan opens airbase to NATO freight

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-15T14:10:36+02:00

Four years after closing down a United States military airbase, Uzbekistan has given NATO access to transit facilities at Navoi airport. Although it has done so indirectly, through a deal with South Korea, NBCentralAsia analysts say the Uzbek leadership is deliberately .

Russia to clinch deals to hasten Europe gas link

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-15T14:07:41+02:00

Russia aims to speed up the new South Stream gas link to Europe by signing deals with transit states, and has rebuked the United States and former Soviet satellite states for backing a rival project.

Uzbek activists mark four years since Andijan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-14T14:05:10+02:00

Human rights activists in Uzbekistan and abroad commemorated the fourth anniversary of the Andijan tragedy on May 13. The date was passed over in silence by the authorities.

Итоги исследования: Казахстану на посту председателя ОБСЕ уготована роль посредника

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-18T19:47:46+02:00

Немецкая неправительственная организация ЕТГ провела исследование, посвященное ожиданиям западных политиков и экспертов от председательствования Казахстана в ОБСЕ в 2010 году.

Wirbel im Fall Rakhat Aliyev

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-12T19:42:44+02:00

Da liegt er nun im Spitalsbett einer Wiener Spezialklinik: die Augen müde, die Hände zittrig, die Stimme schleppend. „Charascho“, sagt Mukhtar Aliyev ein paarmal matt in das Mobiltelefon, das er an sein Hörgerät hält: „Gut.“
Am anderen Ende der Leitung ist sein Sohn Rakhat Aliyev. Was er sagt, ist nicht zu verstehen, es klingt aber aufgeregt. Der alte Herr verzieht gequält das Gesicht.

Uzbekistan gives US air base it needs for Afghan operations

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-11T22:18:51+02:00

With a helping hand from South Korea, the United States has reestablished a strategic presence in Uzbekistan - sort of. The development provides a boost for US efforts to press an offensive against Islamic militants in Afghanistan, and offers evidence that Russia’s influence in Central Asia is waning.

EU Parliament postpones vote on Turkmen treaty

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-04-03T08:45:11+02:00

The European Parliament has again postponed a vote on a trade agreement with Turkmenistan, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports.

Turkmenistan needs Europe too for gas sales

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-04-23T08:40:50+02:00

Turkmenistan has told the West it sought to find new ways of diversifying its gas exports, in a snub to Russia, which wants to keep the energy-rich former Soviet republic on a tight leash.

EU agrees deal on energy

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-08T08:35:16+02:00

The European Union has agreed on joint goals with supplier and transit states at talks in Prague aimed at establishing long-term energy and transport links with the Middle East and Central Asia.

Terrorist Threat on rise in Ferghana

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-08T08:30:24+02:00

The threat posed by Islamic militant groups in Central Asia, especially in the Kyrgyz and Tajik portions of the Ferghana Valley, appears to be growing, according to the US State Department’s recently released annual report on terrorism.

Spiegel: Der lange Arm des Präsidenten

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-05-11T08:23:29+02:00

Seit zwei Jahren wird der Ex-Schwiegersohn des Herrschers Nursultan Nasarbajew in Wien von kasachischen Agenten gejagt. Jetzt belastet er den Staatschef schwer. Hinter der Familienfehde steckt ein internationaler Kampf um die Reichtümer am Kaspischen Meer.
Erst als das Schnitzel gegessen und das Tafelsilber abgeräumt ist, packt Rachat Alijew aus. Kasachstans selbsternannter "Staatsfeind Nummer eins" fischt aus prallgefüllten Reisetaschen Akten, die er als ins Wiener Exil gerettete Dokumente ausgibt. Vor der Eingangstür zum Maria-Theresia-Salon des Fünf-Sterne-Hotels Sacher, wo Alijew sich verschanzt hat, halten Leibwächter die Stellung.

Ashkhabad wonders whether Russia still has deep pockets

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-04-03T10:13:08+02:00

It is clear that nothing happened during Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s just-concluded visit to Moscow that could shake up a stalling relationship. Experts are still wondering, however, about what exactly occurred during Berdymukhamedov’s talks with top Russian officials, including President Dmitry Medvedev.

Open letter to the Chairman of the German Social Democrats

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-26T11:43:53+01:00

Probably only for insiders in Germany and Switzerland: The Chairman of the SPD, Franz Muentefering, said recently that the German Army could invade in Switzerland, in order to get an agreement on opening the Swiss bank secret for the German fiscal authorities. Although he of course did not intend to do so (strange kind of humour), a huge discussion began in the German and Swiss press.
A specialist on Central Asia wrote an open letter to Chairman Muentefering, which we would like to publish here (sorry, only in German). If you need a rough translation, let us know.

Turkmenistan and Russia will make new gas agreements

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-26T09:04:13+01:00

Negotiations between presidents of Russia and Turkmenistan Dmitry Medvedev and Gurbankuly Berdymuhammedov took place in Moscow on March 25.

Uzbek Government acts to avert unrest

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-26T09:01:43+01:00

On March 27, the Senate or upper house of Uzbekistan’s parliament will meet to discuss the role of local government in implementing a national strategy designed to mitigate the effects of global financial crisis, the official website Gov.uz reports.

Fears of social unrest in Tajikistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-26T08:58:05+01:00

A piece in Slate last week took a snapshot of village life in Tajikistan and what could happen if "upward of 1 million young, restless, broke, and mostly male Tajiks" returned home from Russia "to a nation without electricity and bereft of jobs, impoverished and misgoverned, where half the population is under the age of 18."

Rights group calls on Turkmenistan to back up promises

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-26T08:55:51+01:00

The Turkmen government should fully implement the recommendations issued by the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the rights watchdog Amnesty International has said.

Ex-Soviet states pledge NATO help on Afghanistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-26T08:53:32+01:00

Reuters - A grouping of former Soviet states that controls a key land route from Europe to Afghanistan has agreed to offer "every kind" of help to NATO forces there, its head said.

The French military remains a welcome presence in Dushanbe

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-19T11:47:32+01:00

For seven years, passengers arriving at the Dushanbe Airport may have noticed several western military planes and temporary hangers at the far end of the tarmac. On occasion, they could see twin-prop C-160 transport aircraft; at other times sleek Mirage fighter jets.

Pentagon looks to become engine for economic stabilization

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-19T11:45:10+01:00

A Pentagon-funded aid program to Tajikistan will aim to promote economic development in some of the most neglected parts of the country over the next three years, in an attempt to "prevent the rise of another Afghanistan."

Is Aliyev looking for a new home?

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-16T10:29:51+01:00

He is a condemned man in his native country, and is increasingly unwelcome in his adoptive home. And now Rakhat Aliyev, the disgraced former son-in-law of Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev, is looking for a new country where he can gain asylum, allege two relatives of a missing former bank executive.

Aliyev has been living in exile in Vienna, Austria, since Nazarbayev ousted him in 2007 as Kazakhstan’s ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. That move came amid a burgeoning scandal, in which Aliyev was implicated in the disappearances of two executives at Nurbank - Zholdas Timraliyev and Aybar Khasenov. Aliyev possessed a large stake in Nurbank at the time.

According to Timraliyev’s wife, Armangul Kapasheva, Austrian authorities are growing uncomfortable with Aliyev’s asylum status. Austrian authorities remain reluctant to send Aliyev back to Kazakhstan, where in January of 2008 he was convicted in absentia to a 20-year prison term on kidnapping racketeering and other financial crimes. [For background see the Eurasia Insight]. But there is the possibility that Aliyev could face a trial in Austria. "The ground is shifting for Aliyev in Vienna," Kapasheva said in an interview with EurasiaNet.

Kapasheva added that she has been passed information that Aliyev, sensing danger in Austria, has put out feelers to other states to accept him as an asylum seeker. Two countries that Kapasheva named were Great Britain and the United States. Upon hearing the rumors, she said she contacted US diplomats, who flatly denied receiving any such request from Aliyev.

To make sure, Kapasheva and her sister-in-law, Gulnara Timralieva, traveled to the United States recently to meet with officials in New York and Washington to raise awareness about Aliyev’s alleged involvement in the Nurbank executives’ disappearance.

Kapasheva retains the belief that her husband is still alive and expressed frustration that Aliyev refuses to meet with relatives of the missing men. "We’re not bloodthirsty," she said. "We just want to know what happened."

Source: Eurasianet

Social problems brew as labour migrants return home

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-13T16:26:14+01:00

A serious social problem is brewing in Uzbekistan, where hundreds of thousands of labor migrants are estimated to be returning home due to the lack of employment prospects in Russia and Kazakhstan.

“Internet monitored and controlled, even in democracies”

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-12T19:48:26+01:00

After joint appeal with Amnesty International for an end to online censorship, Reporters Without Borders issues report on “Enemies of the Internet”

Deutsche Bank complicit in Niyazov's terror regime

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-12T10:22:33+01:00

A new report slams a leading German bank for allowing Turkmenistan’s former president, Saparmurat Niyazov, to stash billions of dollars in state earnings in a personally controlled account.

Uzbek and Turkmen Unite on Energy, Water

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-12T10:19:19+01:00

NBCentral Asia observers are concerned at a proposal by Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to demand a rigorous study of the impact of planned hydroelectric schemes in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Hillary Clinton and Michel Obama to present the award of courage to Mutabar Tajiba

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-12T10:16:33+01:00

On March 11, at the solemn ceremony in Washington DC the US State Secretary Hillary Clinton and first lady Michel Obama will present «International Women Courage» award to the representatives of eight countries: Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Guatemala, Iraq, Malaysia, Nigeria and Yemen.

Regional ties are key to stability in south, Central Asia

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-12T10:11:49+01:00

It is a pet peeve of many a "Eurasianist" geopolitical analyst that the U.S. State Department groups Central and South Asia together in its organizational structure. There may be historical links across Afghanistan, they argue, but these pale in comparison to the Caspian-Central Asia region's links to Russia, the West, and even China. Indeed, the geopolitics of energy, security, and development across Eurasia are usually put in terms of east-west (Western-oriented) and north-south (Russia-oriented) links.

Another mosque is named after the president Berdymukhamedov

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-12T10:06:36+01:00

The main mosque of Mary, Turkmenistan, will now bear the name of Hajji Gurbanguly.

Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan confirm new supply outes

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-06T08:11:39+01:00

On February 24 and 25 Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov paid a state visit to Uzbekistan for talks with President Islom Karimov. The discussions, which covered a wide range of issues, signaled a further strengthening of bilateral ties; but this was overshadowed by the confirmation by both leaders that their countries would participate in the northern supply route, assisting in the delivery of non-lethal materials to Afghanistan (Uzbek National News Agency, February 25). This is a further indication that the security dynamics in the region are rapidly changing following Russia's recent moves to undermine the U.S. military presence at Manas and activate the CSTO Rapid Reaction Forces. U.S. and NATO planning staffs are evidently engaged in a search for viable options to ensure continued supplies for the forces in Afghanistan.

Prospects for renewable energy in Uzbekistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-05T21:52:36+01:00

Uzbekistan’s long history of renewable energy research began in the 1920s, when its first lab dedicated to water heating collectors was created. Since then Uzbekistan has continued to pioneer research in the field. Dr. Sultan H. Suleimanov, Head of Laboratory of the “Physics-Sun” Scientific Association, Materials Science Institute at the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, spoke at Carnegie to elaborate on the type of renewable energy work underway in Uzbekistan. Carnegie's Martha Brill Olcott moderated the discussion.

Prominent human rights activist Maxim Kushelov is placed to psychiatric facility

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-05T21:50:00+01:00

On March 4, 2009 the prominent Kyrgyz human rights activist Maxim Kushelov was arrested together with the colleague Mihail Kosolapov by the police on the way to White House of Kyrgyzstan, where they were planning to organize another demonstration under “Street Democracy lessons”.

No easy routes into Afghanistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-05T21:46:54+01:00

“WELCOME to Freedom’s Frontier,” reads a wooden sign at the pine-clad headquarters of America’s Manas airbase in Kyrgyzstan. With its picnic tables, mountain views and community-outreach programmes, this site provides a tranquil vantage-point for the war in Afghanistan, just 90 minutes’ flight away. But Kyrgyzstan said in February that it was closing Manas, which the American-led coalition uses to ferry thousands of troops into Afghanistan each year and as a base for refuelling planes for combat aircraft.

Clinton to present award to Uzbek Human Rights defender

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-05T21:44:14+01:00

Uzbek human rights defender and former political prisoner Mutabar Tajibaeva will receive the International Women of Courage award in Washington next week.

Kyrgyzstan says U.S. base closure is final

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-05T21:41:25+01:00

Kyrgyzstan will not reverse its decision to shut a U.S. military air base that was used by Washington for the war in Afghanistan, a spokesman for President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Thursday.

Kyrgyzstan open to air base talks with U.S.

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-05T10:26:10+01:00

Kyrgyzstan is ready for talks with the United States on the future of its Manas military air base, which is due to be shut down in six months, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

Human rights and military bases

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-05T09:59:52+01:00

In his Washington Post op ed last week, Kyrgyzstan’s long-time ambassador to the U.S. gave us a fascinating insight into the process of base negotiations. Once the U.S. had its base, he wrote, all concerns about human rights and democracy went out the window. The base became the alpha and omega of the U.S.-Kyrgyz relationship, a development he wisely termed detrimental to both sides. With U.S. expulsion from its prime supply base in Kyrgyzstan now looming on the horizon just as the Obama Administration prepares to implement its ramp-up in neighboring Afghanistan, the U.S. quest for a base to replace Manas (Ganci) Air Force Base is getting feverish. And how does this affect human rights policy?

Russia does not protect its citizens in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-05T09:41:05+01:00

On March 2, the independent press-center hosted the press-conference “On the protection of compatriots’ rights in Turkmenistan. The problem in the freedom of move for citizens of Uzbekistan” in Moscow. The press-conference was attended by deputy manager of Human Rights Commissioner in Russia Georgyi Kunadze, Civil Assistance Committee chairman, Memorial human rights center Council member Svetlana Gannushkina, Memorial human rights center Central Asian program head Vitalyi Ponomarev and Vremya novostei international observer Arkadyi Dubnov.

Turkmen, Uzbeks to Help NATO’s Afghan Effort

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-05T09:37:02+01:00

Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are to allow NATO freight to cross their territory on its way to Afghanistan. NBCentralAsia see this as a clear sign that both states want to cooperate with the West, and also to demonstrate a new commitment to work in tandem with one another.

Two more independent journalists behind bars

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-03-05T09:33:17+01:00

Two independent Uzbek journalists arrested on trumped-up charges should be released immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Kyrgyzstan to face the power cuts as Kazakhstan quits the electricity grid

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-27T08:43:58+01:00

Kyrgyzstan said it is forced to limit electricity use in its northern regions, including the capital city of Bishkek, during peak hours, from 18.00 to 22.00, 24.kg news agency reports.

Russia’s resurgence & the closing of Manas

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-27T08:40:53+01:00

After Russia forced Kyrgyzstan’s hand in closing Manas Airbase, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), formed in 2002, has increased its role by creating a Rapid Reaction Force.

Kazakhstan ratifies Kyoto protocol

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-27T08:37:03+01:00

Kazakhstan approved on Thursday its membership in the Kyoto protocol, a U.N.-led pact to fight global warming that would allow the vast Central Asian nation to sell emission permits.

Russia and Its Neighbors

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-27T08:34:08+01:00

A glimpse at recent prominent headlines involving Russia - “Conflict with Georgia”, “Gas Dispute with Ukraine”, “Financial Aid to Kyrgyzstan” - clearly illustrates that Moscow’s evolving agenda in the post-Soviet space can no longer be ignored. The United States must recognize that former Soviet states are and will continue to be an increasingly crucial focus of Russia’s foreign policy.

Afghan supply train makes way through Uzbek territory

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-27T08:29:43+01:00

Uzbekistan is allowing the transit of non-military goods bound for US troops in Afghanistan. President Islam Karimov confirmed February 25 that a train full of cargo was rattling its way across the domestic rail network.

Ashkhabad opens airspace to US and NATO supply flights to Afghanistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-27T08:26:16+01:00

Citing a desire to help Afghanistan in "matters of humanitarian concern," Turkmenistan’s leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, announced February 25 that Turkmenistan will permit US and NATO planes to ferry non-military goods to troops in Afghanistan across the Central Asian country’s airspace.

Turkmenistan now less isolated, but still repressive

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-24T12:13:04+01:00

It is two years since Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov was elected president of Turkmenistan to succeed Saparmurat Niyazov (aka Turkmenbashi), who died suddenly in December 2006. In order to get a better understanding of whether and how the situation in Turkmenistan has changed in terms of political and civic freedoms, the media, and changes within the government, a comparison is called for between Berdymukhammedov's first and second years in power.

EU weighs image, energy in relations with Turkmenistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-23T10:30:52+01:00

With immense natural-gas fields located within reach, Turkmenistan is in a prime position to provide the gas needed to make the EU's Nabucco gas-pipeline project a reality.

Despite Kyrgyz vote to close U.S. Base, Gates explores options to keep it open

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-20T17:28:27+01:00

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that the United States might consider increasing payments to Kyrgyzstan for access to a crucial air base, just hours after the Kyrgyz Parliament voted to terminate the lease and require the Americans to vacate the base within six months.

“We have not resigned ourselves to this being the last word,” Mr. Gates said at a meeting here of NATO defense ministers to discuss the need for more combat forces and reconstruction teams in Afghanistan.

The base, in Manas, plays a central role for NATO’s Afghan mission. It provides transit facilities for thousands of personnel and 500 tons of cargo each month, and it is used by the tanker aircraft that refuel fighter planes on missions over Afghanistan. The Obama administration has called the war there a high priority, announcing this week that an additional 17,000 American troops would be sent in the coming months. The loss of the base is seen as a serious challenge.

Mr. Gates said the United States remained prepared to discuss with Kyrgyzstan whether larger fees were warranted for use of the base, but he cautioned, “We are not going to be ridiculous about it.”

“Manas is important,” he said, “but it is not irreplaceable.”

He said that American negotiators already were deep into discussions with “a number of different countries,” including Russia, about alternatives to the logistics hub in Kyrgyzstan.

It remained unclear how quickly the United States would have to find an alternative. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev of Kyrgyzstan was expected to send Washington an official notice, but American officials said they still did not know when it would be received or when the six-month countdown would start. Mr. Bakiyev signed the legislation on Friday.

The bill in Parliament was approved by 78 of the 81 lawmakers present, with two voting against it and one abstaining.

The Kyrgyz government in Bishkek had longstanding complaints about the base and had asked for more cash compensation. Tensions were exacerbated in 2006 when an American serviceman fatally shot a Kyrgyz truck driver.

Mr. Bakiyev announced the move to close the base at a news conference with President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia, who this month promised to shore up Kyrgyzstan’s struggling economy with about $2.15 billion in loans and grants. Moscow has long complained about the continued American military presence in Central Asia, and many in Washington concluded that Russia had encouraged the move in an attempt to assert its dominance in the region.

Although Russian and Kyrgyz officials say there was no connection between the Kremlin’s financial aid and efforts to kick out the Americans, senior American officials have complained that the Russians are trying to have it both ways — with the Kremlin expressing a desire to support the international military mission in Afghanistan while pressing the Kyrgyz government to end American access to its air base.

In public comments as part of the vote, Kyrgyz lawmakers portrayed the action as the culmination of years of complaints and said the American presence in Central Asia had outlasted its usefulness.

“It is impossible to make people of Afghanistan live by standards which are brought in from abroad,” said Kabai Karabhekov, a member of Parliament. “One has to give an opportunity to Afghan people to build their country themselves.”

The shadow of Russian actions in Central Asia and Central Europe fell over the session of NATO ministers here, as Mr. Gates also was pressed on whether the Obama administration intended to move forward with a plan for missile defenses in Europe that had been a priority of the Bush administration’s foreign policy and that had brought threats of military retaliation from Russia.

Mr. Gates, in his first overseas trip since he began serving the new president, said the missile defense bases planned in Poland and the Czech Republic would proceed if the technology proved it could work and was affordable.

Neither of those two caveats were part of the Bush administration’s language when discussing requirements for the bases.

But Mr. Gates also made it clear that the Obama administration had not yet met on the issue of missile defense policy, and that no decisions had been made on how to proceed.

“The administration has not yet reviewed where it is on a whole range of issues,” Mr. Gates said, including the missile defense program and how to manage that within the relationship with Russia.

Mr. Gates said the radar proposed for the Czech Republic and the 10 interceptor missiles for Poland were to counter a potential threat from Iran, and he reiterated that the United States would work with NATO and wanted Russia as a partner in the effort.

To reassure his hosts here, Mr. Gates said that a series of new bilateral military cooperation efforts with Poland were proceeding even as the prospects for the missile defense site on Polish territory remained uncertain.

Also Thursday, NATO officials confirmed that Germany had pledged 600 more soldiers to the mission in Afghanistan.

“We welcome the commitment of additional German forces for the upcoming Afghan national elections,” said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary. “For those contests to be credible, voter turnout must be robust and representative, and improving the security situation is the key to making that happen.”

Italy announced this week that it would add 500 troops to the alliance mission in Afghanistan by April.

Source: New York Times

US moves suggest Afghan NATO supply-route talks with Kyrgyzstan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-20T17:25:39+01:00

Kyrgyzstan's eviction of U.S. forces from an air base in the country was already seen as a setback for NATO's efforts to expand its presence in Afghanistan.

That's because the air base at Manas, whose lease to the U.S. forces came closer to ending with Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev signing off on a parliamentary bill calling for their eviction, has long served as a key staging post for the alliance's military operations in Afghanistan.

Bakiev's signature is the final step before Kyrgyz authorities issue a notice that will give the United States 180 days to vacate the facility, used as a transit point for 15,000 troops and some 500 tons of cargo each month to and from Afghanistan.

Now, defense ministers from NATO countries meeting for a second day in Krakow, Poland, will have to address another setback: The government in Pakistan's Punjab Province has cancelled a private deal on a new supply terminal for overland NATO deliveries into Afghanistan from the port city of Karachi. They say the deal was cancelled because of security concerns.

The main land route into landlocked Afghanistan passes through Pakistan's lawless Khyber tribal region and another land crossing through the southwest province of Baluchistan. Regional insurgency is rife in those areas and pro-Taliban militants have been focusing attacks on bridges, terminals, and even convoys of NATO supply trucks.

Alternative Routes

With the pressure growing on NATO's logistical support, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates confirmed at the NATO gathering in Krakow that Washington is now in talks with several other countries about alternative supply routes that would replace Manas.

Still, Gates suggested that talks on the future of the base are still open and that there could be negotiations with Bishkek about the amount of money paid for maintaining a U.S. presence at Manas.

He told reporters in Krakow on February 19 that the Pentagon is looking to see if there is justification for Bishkek to receive a larger payment. But he said Washington was "not going to be ridiculous about it."

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are possible alternatives. U.S. Rear Admiral Mark Harnitchek has been in Dushanbe for talks with Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi on the issue.

Harnitchek said in Dushanbe on February 19 that Tajikistan has agreed in principle to the use of its railways and roads for the transit of "nonlethal" military supplies into Afghanistan:

"Clearly any nation that shares a border with Afghanistan is important, and because the distance to our bases in Afghanistan is likely the shortest from Tajikistan, so by extension, Tajikistan is very important," Harnitchek said.

Harnitchek also said Uzbekistan has agreed to the transit of cargo and that the Pentagon plans to send 50 to 200 cargo containers each week from Uzbekistan to Tajikistan and then by land into Afghanistan.

But U.S. officials are emphasizing that no formal agreement has been signed yet.

Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry has declined to comment on whether it had approved the transit of NATO supplies across its territory. General David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command, visited Uzbekistan on February 17 in what appears to have been an attempt to seek the use of the country as a transit route for supplies in Afghanistan.

Moscow Give And Take

Kyrgyz President Bakiev announced the pending closure of Manas earlier this month, complaining the United States was not paying enough rent for the base. His announcement came shortly after he secured $2.15 billion in aid and loans from Russia during a visit to Moscow.

That has led some observers to conclude that the Kremlin has had a hand in instigating the closure of Manas. But Russia also has offered the use of its railroad network for the overland transport of nonlethal military supplies into Afghanistan.

Patrick Moon, the assistant U.S. secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs, said in Helsinki this week that the route would carry cargo from Latvia through Russia and Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan -- and eventually on to Afghanistan. He said the first trains could carry that cargo before the end of February.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of NATO defense ministers' meeting in Krakow, Gates warned that Moscow is trying to "have it both ways" by offering help in Afghanistan and undermining U.S. efforts there at the same time.

Gates also has sought to downplay the significance of Manas, saying that it is import but not irreplaceable.

Analysts see those remarks, and moves by the Pentagon to seek alternative supply routes, as a sign that price negotiations are still under way between Washington and Bishkek on the use of Manas.

Source: RFE/RL

Last flight out of Kyrgyzstan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-20T10:08:14+01:00

For two weeks, the U.S. struggle to hold on to its last air base in Central Asia has made headlines, and the vote in Kyrgyzstan's parliament yesterday to close Manas Air Base will spark still more coverage. Analysts have rushed to portray this as a new chess match between a resurgent Russian Federation and a recalibrating United States; just as a new American president seeks to bolster the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, the principal land corridor from Pakistan is severed through a bridge bombing and the likely air base closure threatens the Obama administration's plan. The oversimplified but oft-repeated explanation is that Kremlin pressure is the source of Washington's predicament.

Moscow indicates it won't be ignored in the 'near abroad'

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-19T14:39:02+01:00

On a recent visit to Moscow, the president of Kyrgyzstan announced that he was canceling the U.S. right to use the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan, which has served as a transit point for U.S. and NATO shipments to Afghanistan since December 2001. S. Frederick Starr, a long-time expert on the Caucasus and Central Asia, says Russia is using a "carrot and stick" approach to attempt to force the United States out of the air base. He says this shows Moscow's determination to reclaim its traditional influence in the so-called near abroad and its determination "to establish a sphere of influence, and they mean an exclusive sphere of influence, in the former Soviet territories, including the Caucasus and Central Asia."

Kazakh officials deny involvement in Austrian spy scandal

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-19T14:35:21+01:00

Kazakh officials have denied any involvement in an espionage scandal in which two Austrian policemen were arrested for spying for Kazakhstan.

The US is changing its policy towards Central Asia

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-19T07:50:47+01:00

Today we can see the U.S.A. changing its policy towards Central Asia, which is connected with the renewal of the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan under new President Barack Obama.

Two Austrian policemen detained for spying for Kazakhstan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-18T10:53:28+01:00

The prosecutor's office in Vienna has confirmed that two Austrian policemen have been arrested for allegedly spying for Kazakhstan, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

US adopting new views on possible security threats in Central Asia

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-18T10:50:02+01:00

Security threats are rapidly shifting in Central Asia, according to the America’s intelligence chief. Hazards faced by the United States coming from Central Asia are now more likely to be connected to economic factors, than to Islamic radicalism. The US government’s shifting perception of Central Asian security indicates that policy making in President Barack Obama’s administration will not be guided by "Islamophobia," some experts contend.

Did Petraeus secure an Afghan transit agre ement with Tashkent?

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-18T10:45:51+01:00

The chief of US Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus, has wrapped up a visit to Uzbekistan. Sources indicate that the discussions went well, and that the United States may have secured Tashkent’s permission to begin rail shipments of non-lethal supplies via Central Asia to Afghanistan.

What was the Turkmen Gas deal in Tehran?

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-17T19:14:00+01:00

Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov visited Tehran on February 13-14 and, following a meeting with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, spoke about new energy deals between the neighboring countries.

Barack Obama's Uzbekistan Problem

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-17T14:57:21+01:00

President Barack Obama's administration is not yet a month old, and editorialists have already accused the new president of losing his innocence after he was forced to abandon his lofty talk of bipartisanship over the economic stimulus plan. But a touch of partisan politics at home is nothing compared with the ethical predicament now looming in Central Asia, where Obama may soon need to choose either funding a vicious dictator in Uzbekistan or hindering the mission in Afghanistan. Getting into bed with Uzbekistan could be Obama's first ugly but necessary foreign-policy compromise.

Rakhat Aliyev: Racketeer or Reformer?

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-17T12:13:35+01:00

The controversy surrounding Rakhat Aliyev, the former son-in-law of President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, who has been found guilty in absentia of kidnap and racketeering, has recently spilled into the columns of US and European newspapers.

Petraeus in Uzbekistan to discuss Afghan supply routes

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-17T12:11:32+01:00

General David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command, has arrived in Uzbekistan for talks on new supply routes for U.S. troops in Afghanistan and other security issues, the U.S. Embassy there said.

German NGO banned by Tajik authorities

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-16T21:20:46+01:00

A Dushanbe court has banned the activities of a German NGO operating in Tajikistan, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports.

Ten years after terror's arrival in Central Asia

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-16T21:17:01+01:00

When Tashkent's central districts were rocked by series of bombings 10 years ago, terrorism was not a word commonly equated with Central Asia.

Kazakh Ministry rejects Aliev's blackmail accusations

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-16T21:13:38+01:00

The Kazakh Foreign Ministry has officially rejected accusations that the government was involved in a campaign to blackmail former presidential son-in-law Rakhat Aliev, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Kyrgyzstan takes step towards U.S. air base closure

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-16T16:08:39+01:00

Kyrgyzstan moved a step closer to evicting U.S. troops on Monday after the government sent to parliament the final package of documents required to close down an air base used to support U.S. forces in nearby Afghanistan.

President Karimov issues warning on water

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-16T09:08:04+01:00

Uzbekistan’s access to water is under threat and needs to be protected, President Islam Karimov told his cabinet on February 13.

Mixed signals out of Kazakhstan as the Central Asian country prepares for its OSCE chairmanship

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-16T09:04:35+01:00

It looks as though the pressure on Kazakhstan to pay heed to human rights just might be starting to pay off.

Astana willing to adress torture issue

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-16T09:01:20+01:00

Kazakhstani human rights activists involved in a project to tackle torture in three Central Asian states have given a cautious welcome to Astana’s willingness to engage on the issue. Activists offer far less enthusiastic assessments when discussing the use of torture in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

New ICG Report: On the road to failure

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-13T18:02:41+01:00

Far from being a bulwark against the spread of extremism and violence from Afghanistan, Tajikistan is looking increasingly like its southern neighbour – a weak state that is suffering from a failure of leadership. Energy infrastructure is near total breakdown for the second winter running, and it is likely migrant labourer remittances, the driver of the country’s economy in recent years, will fall dramatically as a result of the world economic crisis.

President Berdymukhammedov to give an official visit to Iran

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-13T17:49:40+01:00

On February 13, the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, begins two-day official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Three years on, Kazakh politician's killing haunts Nazarbaev regime

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-13T17:45:42+01:00

Three years ago today, Kazakhs were shocked by the news that the leader of the opposition Naghz Aq Zhol (True Bright Path) party had been found dead in an Almaty suburb. Altynbek Sarsenbaev and two associates had been shot execution-style, with their hands tied behind their backs.

The issue of “Manas” is going to be considered by another parliament committee on February 17

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-13T09:25:06+01:00

It is expected that the governmental decree on dissolving the contract for the use of “Manas” airbase by air forces of USA and their anti-terrorist coalition allies in Afghanistan will be considered by another Jogorku Kenesh (parliament) committee of Kyrgyzstan. This was declared by the press-service of the republican parliament.

It is worth saying that on February 9 the parliament committee for defense, security, law and judicial order reform already approved the withdrawal of airbase from the territory of the republic. Now, the session of the committee for constitutional law, state structure, legislation and human rights will consider this topic on February 17, 2009 at 2pm.

The Kyrgyz Republic draft Law “On denunciation of response note of Kyrgyz Republic foreign affairs ministry to the note # 542, issued by the Embassy of the United States of America, dated December 4, 2001, and together forming the Agreement between the government of Kyrgyz Republic and the government of the United States of America” was addressed to the parliament by the government of Kyrgyzstan on February 4th.

“Ferghana.ru” was reporting earlier that the decision of Kyrgyzstan’s officials to end the activity of anti-terrorist coalition military base was announced by the President of the country, Kurmanbek Bakiev, at the press-conference in Moscow on February 3, 2009.
It is worth to remind that US airbase was launched in Kyrgyzstan on December 2001, based on UN mandate, supporting “Enduring freedom” anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan, conducted by of coalition forces. Today, there are more than one thousand US soldiers as well as military transport aircrafts and fuel servicing planes, located at the airbase.

Source: Ferghana.ru

Robert Gates: “Manas” airbase, possibly, will not be closed

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-12T18:53:19+01:00

American “Manas” airbase in Kyrgyzstan is an important spot on the way to Afghanistan, but it is possible find alternative for it. This was announced by US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates on February 10, the Lenta.Ru reports with the reference to Agence France-Presse. “Manas” base is not irreplaceable, Mr. Gates said and added that American military officials already started looking at alternatives. Moreover, USA “do not foreclose the possibility” that the base would remain open.

The journalists request information minister to change the behavior of overreached officials

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-12T18:49:26+01:00

The journalist community of Kazakhstan, human rights activists and public figures of the country directed open letter to the culture and information minister, Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed with the request to take control over the situation with the ejection of the chief editor of TDK 42 TV channel in Uralsk, Lukpan Akhmediarov, the KazTAG reports.

President of Kazakhstan signed amendments to draft on issues of organization and actrivity of Islamic banks and organization of Islamic financing

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-12T18:46:01+01:00

President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed law 'On making amendments and additions on making amendments and changes to some legislative acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the issues of organization and activity of the Islamic banks and organization of Islamic financing,' which is aimed at implementation in the republic of the system of Islamic banking, agency reports with reference to press service of the president.

Kazakh Opposition urges President to review politician's murder

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-12T16:09:23+01:00

Leading Kazakh opposition politicians and intellectuals have urged Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev to review the murder case of opposition leader Altynbek Sarsenbaev, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Turkmenistan: Continuing failure to fulfil promises

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-12T16:03:44+01:00

Politically motivated harassment, detentions and imprisonments continue unabated in Turkmenistan despite the government's promises to uphold human rights, Amnesty International said today, ahead of the government’s second anniversary.

US options after Kyrgyz base closure

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-11T11:47:27+01:00

US officials are looking for alternative ways of transporting soldiers and goods to Afghanistan after a decision by the Kyrgyz government to close a US base on its soil.

Central Asia's great water game

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-11T11:01:21+01:00

Apples are a valuable source of income for Khadija and her family in summer, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

With a severe shortage of energy supplies affecting all aspects of life this winter, she has decided the family orchard is best suited to provide firewood for the cooking stove that now serves as a main heating source.

A new direction for U.S. policy in the Caspian region

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-11T10:58:58+01:00

Focusing U.S. policy in the Caspian on containing Russian and Chinese influence has done little to advance U.S. security interests, and reduced its standing in the region to its lowest level in decades. The Obama administration needs a new approach that provides opportunities for local leaders to engage with the United States in economic and political development, concludes a new policy brief by Martha Brill Olcott.

Interview with Arkadiy Dubnov: «The countries, lacking the culture of discussion, are not able to cooperate»

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-11T10:53:23+01:00

The extraordinary summits of EurAsEC and CSTO, which took place in Moscow on February 4th, have resulted in, at first glance, important decisions that require substantial financial investment and strong political will from the member countries. The “Ferghana.ru” correspondent interviewed Arkadiy Dubnov, the expert on Central Asia and international observer of “Vremya Novostey” newspaper, on whether it is possible to view the establishment of 10 billion US dollars antirecessionary fund and operational response collective forces as “advancement”.

Nabucco agreements to be signed in spring

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-11T10:47:43+01:00

Nabucco Managing Director Reinhard Mitschek says the project's members will meet in Ankara this spring to sign agreements to implement the gas pipeline.

Blogger establishes contact with Minister

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-04T11:45:27+01:00

Translation of the post by Askhat on the Kazakh-language neweurasia.

Recently, I left this comment on the blog of Akylbek Kurishbayev, the Kazakhstan’s Minister of Agriculture

Uzbek authorities deny reports about journalists' arrest

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-02-04T11:42:04+01:00

The Uzbek Prosecutor-General's Office has denied reports that five journalists were recently arrested in Uzbekistan.

The Tashkent-based human rights organization Ezgulik reported on January 26 that five journalists working for the magazine "Irmoq" were arrested by police and accused of spreading the ideas of the Turkish Islamic group Nurcular.

Ezgulik's Abdurakhmon Tashanov told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service that the journalists have been monitored by police since September.

The chief editor of "Irmoq," Khamza Jumayev, confirmed that his five journalists have "problems" but did not elaborate.

Source: RFE/RL

Austria hears witnesses in Kazakh kidnapping case

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-29T16:02:17+01:00

An Austrian court began hearing witnesses Tuesday in a kidnapping case involving Rakhat Aliyev, the former son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, a group representing the victims said.

Uzbek group linked to video terror threat against Germany

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-29T15:57:12+01:00

Referring to Germany's involvement in international coalition operations in Afghanistan, six masked men claiming to be members of the Islamic Jihad Union in a video posted on the Internet say the group has prepared a "few surprise gifts for the occupation forces."

Kazakhstan's media law amendments valuable first step, further reform needed, says OSCE media freedom representative

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-29T15:53:55+01:00

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, welcomed today the adoption of a number of amendments to Kazakhstan's media law, and underscored the need for further democratization of media governance.

European Parliament: Iran should participate in Nabucco pipeline

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-29T15:49:15+01:00

Iran could hold the key to breaking the European Union’s energy dependence on Russia, a senior European parliamentary official has told EurasiaNet.

EU-Central Asia-Russia: The inept Gas triangle continues

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-29T15:41:42+01:00

It was just last week that I put in a blog piece that the EU’s chances of diversifying their gas supplies were extremely poor.

Results of the Nabucco Conference in Budapest

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-29T15:38:33+01:00

There was an air of optimism following a one-day Nabucco international natural-gas pipeline conference in Budapest.

Austrian justice investigates accusations against Aliyev again (in Russian)

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-29T15:24:56+01:00

В Австрии органы юстиции и СМИ снова обнаружили интерес к так называемому делу Р. Алиева

По прошествии полутора лет после того, как венский суд принял решение не экстрадировать в Казахстан бывшего посла республики в Вене, бывшего заместителя председателя КНБ и, что немаловажно, бывшего зятя президента Н. Назарбаева, прокурор земельного суда Вены во вторник заслушал свидетельницу из Казахстана А. Капашеву.

First 2009 edition of ETG Central Asia News Digest released

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-25T19:29:38+01:00

The first edition of ETG’s Central Asia News Digest 2009 is available. This time we focus on Turkmenistan, discussing the health system, the energy supply in Turkmenistan, the influence of the financial global crisis on the country, reasons for Berdymukhamedov’s decision to fire members of the cabinet and the negotiations with NATO on security and further cooperation.

Again, this report is available in Russian and can be ordered.

A new witness in the Aliyev-case appeared

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-10T13:05:44+01:00

Justice Department in Austria: Aliyev case on the run again

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-24T12:33:25+01:00

After ETG’s press release in December 2008, the Austrian officials now got the order from the Government to the case against R. Aliyev, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Ambassador and, last but not least, son-in-law of the Kazakh President. Follow-up the article by „Der Standard“ here, ETG will publish an unofficial translation later.

Kazakhstan’s Peacekeepers Penciled in for Afghanistan?

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-23T20:45:21+01:00

On January 14 Commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM) General David Petraeus, visited Kazakhstan. Among the key senior Kazakh military officers he met with was Lieutenant-General Bolat Sembinov, the deputy defense minister responsible for cooperation with the West. Ostensibly they discussed progress in implementing the new five-year bilateral military cooperation program agreed on in February 2008. General Petraeus was especially interested in bolstering stability in Afghanistan.

Karimov quells Russian gas fears, secures deal

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-23T20:40:59+01:00

Uzbekistan has pledged to support a new trans-Russian gas pipeline, easing Moscow's fears it would succumb to European pressure to bypass Russia with its energy supplies and reduce its influence in the region.

Jailed activist remains out of contact with wife and lawyer

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-23T20:38:00+01:00

Mutabar Turgunova told RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service that her husband, Azam, a well-known human rights activist who is serving a 10-year sentence, has had no contact with his lawyer or with her since December.

A vocal human rights activist for more than a decade, Turgunov has defended the rights of political and religious prisoners and protested against the use of torture in Uzbekistan's prisons.

He once told Human Rights Watch that "if everybody stays silent, the situation would get even worse."

In October, he was tried and convicted on charges of extortion.

But since the case was reviewed last month, "neither I nor his lawyer know where he is," Turgunova said.

EU to expand contacts

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-23T20:34:27+01:00

The European Union is to expand relations with Turkmenistan by opening a diplomatic mission in Ashgabat, a source in the Turkmen government has told Trend.az. According to the Azeri news agency, the aim is to "extend mutually beneficial cooperation" between energy rich Turkmenistan and Brussels.

Turkmenistan's 'gray cardinal' leaves government

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-23T20:30:10+01:00

With the resignation this week of a cabinet minister widely regarded as the "gray cardinal" behind its current president, Turkmenistan has lost the last of the old guard installed by the late strongman Sapamurat Niyazov.

Medvedev visits as Uzbekistan looks West...again

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-23T20:23:59+01:00

Dmitry Medvedev is expected to stress bilateral cooperation as he makes his first state visit to Uzbekistan since becoming Russia's president in May.

Incompetent officials hinder Turkmen reforms

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-23T18:11:07+01:00

Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov is engaged in a major reshuffle of his top officials, although NBCentralAsia analysts question whether simply bringing in new faces will be enough to make government more efficient.

Students prohibited to approach the US Embassy in Tashkent

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-23T18:06:46+01:00

Ferghana.Ru sources in Tashkent say that administration of colleges and universities demand written reports from their students on every visit to the US Embassy.

Russia on Nabucco

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-23T18:01:58+01:00

Russia will not oppose the construction of the Nabucco pipeline and is keen to see it become a success, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Tuesday.

The EU’s got a gas problem

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-23T17:56:44+01:00

So it appears that Ukraine and Russia have finally come to terms on a Gas Transportation deal that will allow the former Soviet state to receive gas and send it on to Western Europe. This is just the latest in a long line of dramas involving the transport and ownership of energy reserves between the triangle of Russia, Central Asia, and the EU. For Russia must first acquire most of the gas it sells to Europe from its former Soviet states to its south, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

US and Central Asia during the "Obama Era"; Interview Deutsche Welle (in Russian)

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-21T17:01:46+01:00

"В фокусе будет находиться Афганистан, а права человека и дальнейшая демократизация в Центральной Азии не будут столь важны"- считает немецкий эксперт

US Embassy in Turkmenistan: Improving relations

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-20T12:18:24+01:00

The U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat says bilateral relations have improved since Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov came to power in late 2006.

Rumsfeld and Central Asia

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-20T12:14:27+01:00

Eurasianet writer Joshua Kucera reported on an interesting story involving former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s new foundation, which focuses on the Central Asian region. Kucera starts out skeptical of Rumsfeld and his foundation’s motivations at first, neoconservative policy pushers?, but his research seems to lead him to conclude that their goals are of a non-partisan and generous nature.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan as a Ministry of Propaganda

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-20T12:07:25+01:00

On January 15 2009 Embassy of Uzbekistan to the United States released a press release on the consideration of Uzbekistan’s National Report within the framework of Universal Periodic Report of UN Human Rights Council.

Interview with Nabucco official

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-20T12:03:50+01:00

The ongoing dispute between Russia and Ukraine over natural-gas shipments to Europe has left the European Union cold -- and eager to re-examine its options for fuel supplies. One alternative is the Nabucco pipeline, which would ship Central Asian gas directly to Europe and circumvent Russia and other troublesome countries altogether. But the EU has yet to put its weight fully behind the Nabucco project, which is still years away from completion.

Petraeus visits Turkmenistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-16T09:04:16+01:00

U.S. Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus on Jan. 15 arrived in Turkmenistan to seek cooperation in improving security in Afghanistan, The Associated Press reported. Petraeus will meet with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimukhammedov on Jan. 16. His trip is part of a tour of Central Asian countries aimed at getting assistance for U.S. efforts to secure supply lines for troops in Afghanistan.

Top US General courts Astana's participation in Afghan resupply initiative

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-15T09:47:04+01:00

The head of the US Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus, is touring Central Asian states amid frenzied speculation that Kyrgyz leaders are considering closing an American air base outside of Bishkek in return for $2 billion in assistance from Russia.

If Obama and Khamenei want to get along, they should start watching TV

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-15T09:39:44+01:00

At five minutes to five yesterday afternoon, Tehran time, Iranian television viewers finally got the channel they have been asking for. It delivered both national and international news in a snappy, professional style. The first item was about Gaza. The channel also reported the results of a specially commissioned opinion poll which suggests that 94% of Iranians believe their country is entitled to develop civil nuclear power but only 50% are comfortable with the idea of the Islamic Republic having nuclear weapons. Then there was an interactive programme called Your Turn, with people from inside and outside the country ringing and texting in to discuss Iranians' perceptions of themselves and the world's view of Iran.

Death threats against journalist continue

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-14T21:24:10+01:00

Journalist Osman Hallyev continues to receive death threats as pressure on him and his family members continues because of his work for RFE/RL's Turkmen Service.

Freedom House: Human Rights Erosion in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan continued in 2008

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-14T21:20:01+01:00

According to US-based Freedom House recent Freedom In The World 2009 (FITW) annual report, based on analysis of the events from January 1 to December 31 of 2009, none of Central Asia states had positively changed the situation with human right.

US seeking Afghan supply route via Kazakhstan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-14T21:16:16+01:00

ALMATY (Reuters) -- The United States is talking to Kazakhstan about using the former Soviet republic as a transit point for supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command chief General David Petraeus has said.

HRW calls on the new US President to reverse the damage of the Bush years

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-14T21:11:28+01:00

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has used its annual report to urge the incoming Obama administration to make the protection and defense of human rights the central tenant of its policy decisions on foreign and national affairs.

Web 2.0 used by Kazakh PM

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-14T14:24:14+01:00

The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan K. Masimov is probably the first PM of Central Asia who announced an interactive blogging page. Citizens should be able to post comments in Russian or Kazakh language and getting in dialogue with the PM. It was also said that Masimov asked all Cabinet ministers to starting blogging.

New Central Asia Facebook Group

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-14T12:13:12+01:00

This is an invitation for the new founded „Central Asia Group“ on Facebook. Please feel free to join.

Turkmen leader to keep lid on democracy

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-14T08:10:21+01:00

The first session of Turkmenistan’s new parliament suggests that President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov plans to maintain tight control over the institution, commentators interviewed by IWPR.

The struggle for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-13T09:05:55+01:00

When Kazakhstan's Parliament ratified a treaty establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia earlier this month, the effort to ban nuclear weapons from the region took its final step. Throughout the Cold War, Central Asia had been the epicenter of the Soviet nuclear testing program--with the Soviet military conducting 456 nuclear tests in Kazakhstan alone. Appropriately then, the treaty was signed by representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in September 2006 at Semipalatinsk, the main Soviet test site in Kazakhstan.

Nabucco Pipeline may be operating by 2015, EU says

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-13T09:01:32+01:00

The Nabucco pipeline could be pumping gas to Europe by 2015, the Czech Deputy Prime Minister of European Affairs has claimed.

Nabucco Pipeline's competitors (in German)

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-09T08:19:37+01:00

Der russisch-ukrainische Gasstreit hat die Diskussion über Alternativen für Europas Gasversorgung neu in Gang gebracht. Nicht nur die europäischen Abnehmerländer stehen vor der Frage, wie sie eine Diversifizierung ihrer Versorgung erreichen können. Auch Russland sucht neue Exportrouten, um von Transitländern wie der Ukraine unabhängiger zu werden. Die Strategen des Staatsmonopolisten Gazprom versuchen das auf zwei Wegen: Nord Stream, die geplante Ostsee-Pipeline, soll Erdgas vom russischen Wyborg durch die Ostsee direkt ins deutsche Lubmin bei Greifswald führen. Das Projekt, an dem auch die deutschen Unternehmen BASF/Wintershall und Eon sowie die niederländische Gasunie beteiligt sind, stößt jedoch auf Widerstände bei den baltischen und skandinavischen Anrainern, die mit den Genehmigungen zögern.

Is Ashkhabad's interest in Nabucco rising?

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-09T08:13:35+01:00

The head of Germany’s second largest electricity and gas company, RWE AG, hailed Turkmenistan’s "promising" market and expressed a readiness for "constructive interaction in the energy sphere" during a visit to Ashgabat, news agencies report. This visit is raising speculation about Turkmen intentions to participate in the long-planned trans-Caspian and Nabucco pipeline projects.

Former Soviet States weigh Israel ties vs. popular anger

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-09T08:09:23+01:00

In Azerbaijan, Islamic activists have rallied several times since the beginning of the year against Israel's military operations in Gaza.

Niyazov's image disappears from bank notes

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-09T08:07:24+01:00

The minimum wage and state pensions in Turkmenistan have increased by 10 percent as of January 1.

Ashkhabad turns off the switch to Tajikistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-09T08:04:59+01:00

Turkmenistan has suspended electricity exports to Tajikistan because Dushanbe has failed to sign a transit agreement with Uzbekistan that would see Tashkent levy a 10 percent transit fee on its impoverished neighbor.

Authorities intimidate journalist

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-07T09:50:58+01:00

A correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty working in Turkmenistan has been warned that he will face retribution, if he continues reporting for the broadcaster’s Turkmen service.

Central Asia's era of cheap gas comes to a close

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-07T09:47:19+01:00

Starting on January 1, Uzbekistan increased the gas price it charges neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan for natural gas to $240 per 1,000 cubic meters, saying last year's price of $145 was far below real market prices.

Ashkhabad reveals that gas won't start flowing to China in 2009

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2009-01-07T09:42:28+01:00

Turkmenistan has postponed start date for exporting natural gas to China. At the same time, Ashgabat reported that work on a 7,000-kilometer transnational pipeline was proceeding at "full speed."

German and Austrian "Realpolitik" concerning Turkmenistan

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2008-12-10T17:48:44+01:00

The global economic slowdown appears to be giving Turkmenistan’s leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, a boost.
Turkmenistan’s own relative isolation has proven a benefit during these tough economic times, shielding Ashgabat from some of the worst effects of the worldwide credit crunch. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. At the same time, the crisis has infused European governments, especially Germany, with a sense of urgency to conclude new deals that help embattled exporters. The fact that Berdymukhamedov’s administration seems to be one of the few governments in the world today with money to spend is prompting European states to de-emphasize Ashgabat’s troubled record on civil society development.

New Government in Austria uncomfortable with Aliyev

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2008-12-27T17:01:09+01:00

After the collapse of the Austrian Government under Chancellor Gusenbauer and the early elections with a new government the new political leadership at the Danube would like to reassess the case of R. Aliyev, who was convicted in absentia in 2007 for a long-term sentence by a Kazakh Court of a variety of charges, including kidnapping and foundation of a criminal organization. Although Kazakh authorities asked for the extradition of the former Kazakh Ambassador in Austria in 2007, a Vienna court turned down Astana's extradition request for Aliyev, saying he could not expect a fair Kazakh trial. Meanwhile, authorities in Vienna were still discussing the possibility of bringing action against the former son-in-law of the Kazakh President under Austrian law.

Military Rivalry in Central Asia

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2008-12-23T11:31:51+01:00

The attacks of 9/11 and the ensuing war in Afghanistan did not start the new "Great Game" in Central Asia. Local governments had already grasped the Islamist threat, as well as Russia's neo-imperial longings to dominate the region. Central Asia's great energy stakes, meanwhile, had already determined American resistance to Moscow's policy.

2008 In Review: Russia, EU See Caspian Energy Dreams Def

info@eurasiantransition.org — 2008-12-22T11:31:36+01:00

In the new geostrategic "Great Game" between Russia and the West over the future of Caspian and Central Asian energy resources, the prize resembles a set of traditional matreshka Russian dolls. The outermost doll represents the three nations bordering the Caspian itself -- Azerbaijan, , Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. In the middle of the collection is Uzbekistan, the most populous of the new Central Asian nations. The innermost doll consists of the two most easterly "Stans," Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, rich in hydroelectric potential, but relatively poor in hydrocarbons.