Uzbek Leader Addresses Parliamentary Session
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 24: The 11th session of the Uzbek parliament opened in Tashkent on 24 April. President Islam Karimov is attending the session. Uzbek president spoke at the session. First he expressed his views on the draft law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on introducing addenda and amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan. He also spoke to the parliament about the new wording of the draft law on elections, the setting up of a bicameral parliament in the country and stressed that work being carried out to create a legal basis for that was a logical continuation of reforms.
Uzbek Parliament Amends Constitution
Interfax
Tashkent, April 24: The Uzbek parliament passed a bill amending the country`s constitution on Thursday. President Islam Karimov, who spoke at the parliament session, said the amendments primarily concern provisions regulating the work of the top state authorities. Under the amendments to Article 89 of the constitution, the president will not lead the Cabinet of ministers. `This will put more responsibility on the prime minister and on the executive authorities in general,` he said. Other amendments concern a reform of the judicial branch, Karimov said.
Uzbek President Suggests To Reduce His Authorities
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 24: Uzbek President Islam Karimov has told the country`s parliament that the second part of the Article 89 in the country`s Constitution, which says that the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan is also the chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers is to be removed, Uzbek radio reported on 24 April. `The second part of Article 89, which says that the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan at the same time is the chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers will be removed` president noted. He added that `this method of re-distribution of presidential powers and authority, without any doubt, makes it possible to deepen further the democratic reforms in the construction of the state, increase the authority of the prime minister, government and its structures and increase their responsibility significantly, and this will be fixed in the Constitution.`
Nazarbayev Calls On Media To Develop Dialogue Between Civilizations
Interfax
Almaty, April 24: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has called on the media community to facilitate development of a dialogue between civilizations, cultures and religions. `Media support of initiatives aimed at developing dialogue is very important, as it opens new horizons of understanding and trust,` the president said at the opening of the 2nd Eurasian Media Forum in Almaty on Thursday. `Among the intellectual phantoms actively used over the past several years, the point that a clash between civilizations is looming is especially noticeable,` the president said.
Uzbek Parliament Starts Its Session In Uzbek Capital
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 23: The 11th session of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan of the second convocation will start in Tashkent today, 24 April 2003. The session will consider the following issues: 1. Implementation of the State Budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2002. 2. The bill of the Republic of Uzbekistan `On introduction of changes and additions to Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan`. 3. The bill of the Republic of Uzbekistan `On elections to the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan` (revised, first reading). 4. The bill of the Republic of Uzbekistan `On bankruptcy` (revised, first reading). 5. The bill of the Republic of Uzbekistan `On bank secrets` (first reading). 6. The bill of the Republic of Uzbekistan `On public organisations (first reading). 7. The bill of the Republic of Uzbekistan `On service in reserve of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan` (second reading). 8. Introduction of changes and additions to some legislative acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan. 9. Ratification of international agreement. The session will also consider a number of other issues within the powers of the Oliy Majlis.
Kocharian Urges People To Think Carefully When Electing Parliament
Interfax
Yerevan, April 23: Armenian President Robert Kocharian has called on the people to make a careful choice during parliamentary elections on May 25. `With disagreements between the executive and legislative branches, programs for the country`s development will be very difficult to implement,` Kocharian said while meeting with students in Yerevan on Tuesday. The president said he will personally support parties comprising the bloc of his supporters, which was put together in the run-up to the recent presidential elections.
Azerbaijan Leader Says He`s Healthy
The Nando Times
Baku, April 22: A day after he collapsed during a speech, Azerbaijan`s 79-year-old president declared Tuesday `I`m alive, healthy and here.` Geidar Aliev, who turns 80 next month, has been rumoured to be in frail health for years - even before the scare on Monday. Aliev took advantage of a televised meeting with U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson on Tuesday to display his health. `I feel well. Everything is normal,` he told Wilson. He then turned to the camera operators and waved, saying, `I`m alive, healthy and here.` Aliev had a heart attack in 1987 and underwent bypass surgery at a Cleveland, Ohio clinic in 1999. He underwent prostate surgery at the same clinic last February and had a hernia operation there earlier this year.
Azeri President Aliyev Collapses Twice
The Moscow Times
Baku, April 21: Azeri President Heidar Aliyev, who has ruled his oil-rich nation with an iron grip for a decade, collapsed twice before reviving to complete a televised speech on Monday. The presidential press service said Aliyev lost his balance because of a sharp drop in his blood pressure. `In a few minutes the pressure returned to normal,` it said in a statement. The 79-year-old president was addressing a military audience in the capital`s Palace of the Republic when he suddenly gasped, clutched his heart and collapsed. Live transmission ended abruptly as bodyguards rushed to support the man who has established an unassailable hold on power since becoming president in 1993. Broadcasting resumed 12 minutes later as the frail-looking leader, whom many Azeris call `Baba` (Grandfather), reappeared to a standing ovation from the hall.
Azerbaijan Threatens To Arrest Exile Politician If He Returns
Interfax
Baku, April 21: An Azerbaijani opposition politician who lives in the United States but has said he plans to go home in the summer will be arrested as soon as he comes back to Azerbaijan, where he is charged with large-scale embezzlement, a minister said on Saturday. Rasul Guliyev, who has been living in the United States for several years, used to head Azneftyag, Azerbaijan`s biggest manufacturer of oil products, and later became parliament speaker and leader of the large opposition Democratic Party.
Kyrgyz Servicemen Interested In Contract Service In Russian Armed Forces
Interfax
Bishkek, April 24: Kyrgyz servicemen will be interested in contract service in the Russian Armed Forces, head of the Kyrgyz Defence Ministry press service Colonel Merbek Koilubayev told Interfax on Thursday. He was commenting on the Russian decision to allow CIS citizens to join the Russian armed forces on contract basis.
Russian Air Base In Kyrgyzstan Will Strengthen Central Asian Security - Kyrgyz Official
Interfax
Bishkek, April 24: The upcoming relocating of Russian planes to Kant [Kyrgyzstan] and the creation of an air base under the Commonwealth of Independent States` Collective Security Treaty is important for Central Asian security, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Askar Aitmatov told Interfax on Wednesday. `This will undoubtedly benefit Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, Russia and the U.S.,` he said. `One should not overly accentuate possible differences in the two super-powers` approaches to security.
Armenia Has No Ambitions To Join NATO - Defence Minister
Interfax
Yerevan, April 24: Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisian on Wednesday cautioned against confusing Armenia intention`s to bring its Armed Forces into line with western standards with a desire to join NATO. `This does not mean that Armenia wants to become a member of the North Atlantic alliance,` Sarkisian told journalists. The defence minister said that the army plans to replace Soviet- era communications systems with advanced U.S.-made equipment worth more than $3 million, which was provided by the United States on a gratuitous basis.
Kazakh Military Says Journalist Trying To Avoid National Service
Radio Free Europe
Astana, April 23: Yuri Khalikov, a journalist with Kazakh Commercial Television, is trying to avoid military service, khabar.kz asserted on 23 April, quoting the Kustanai military commissariat. Khalikov is currently involved in a legal dispute with the authorities over his reports, and his case has attracted the attention of the independent media in Kazakhstan, for whom it is another example of government harassment of journalists. Khabar.kz quoted oblast military commissar Igor Losev as saying that Khalikov obtained a postponement of his military service last fall for health reasons before he became embroiled with the local authorities, but he was not exempted.
Urals Mechanic Optical Plant To Cooperate With Uzbek Air Forces
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 23: Urals Mechanic Optical Plant (UMOP) and the Uzbek Air Forces held negotiations on military-technical co-operation.
Kazakh Defence Minister Urges Collecting Fees For Use Of Missile Testing Site
Radio Free Europe
Astana, April 23: Kazakhstan`s Defence Minister Colonel General Mukhtar Altynbaev was quoted in the 23 April issue of `Ekspress-K` as saying that air-defencespecialists from a number of countries, including some outside the CIS, have asked to use the formerly top secret Saryshagan missile-test site. He said he believes allowing foreign specialists to use the site for a fee will bring in tidy sums. He added that the 2001 shooting down of a civilian aircraft during military exercises in Ukraine could have been avoided if the Ukrainian military had used the remote Saryshagan site. A Belarusian aair-defencespecialist was quoted as saying that Kazakhstan has managed to organize the training process at Saryshagan even better than was the case in Soviet times when he trained there.
Russia To Turn Infantry Division Into Military Base In Tajikistan
Interfax
Moscow, April 22: A Russian military source told Interfax on Tuesday that an agreement is planned to be signed at a Collective Security Treaty summit in Dushanbe on April 28 to turn the 201st Motor Rifle Division into the 4th Military Base. `The presidents of Russia and Tajikistan are to sign the bilateral accord, which took the military departments and diplomats of these countries two years to draft,` said the source. The draft points out that Russia`s 4th Military Base will function in Tajikistan for five years.
US To Help Finance Uzbek Aircraft Production
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, April 22: The United States intends to become involved in Uzbekistan`s aircraft industry, uzland.uz reported on 22 April, quoting a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent the previous day. According to the report, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency has allocated $260,000 for the first stage of joint construction of the IL-114 at the Tashkent Aviation Plant. Uzbekistan is to construct the fuselages, while engines, electronics, and interior components will be supplied by U.S. companies. Before the break-up of the USSR, the Tashkent plant produced up to 60 planes a year, but is now manufacturing only one or two annually, due to lack of orders. Over the last 10 years, the Indian Air Force has ordered several planes from Tashkent, the report stated.
Dushanbe Summit To Elect New Secretary General Of Collective Security Council - Source
Interfax
Moscow, April 22: The Collective Security Council session that is to take place in Dushanbe on April 28 is expected to elect a new secretary general of the council, a competent source in the council`s administration told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday. The current secretary general, Valery Nikolayenko, will be replaced because his three-year term in office has expired, the source said. `Replacement of Collective Security Council Secretary General Valery Nikolayenko is put on the agenda of the Collective Security Treaty summit in Dushanbe on April 28.
Azerbaijan Interested In Joining NATO - President Aliyev
Interfax
Baku, April 21: Azerbaijan is interested in joining NATO, Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev said at a meeting with Bruce Jackson, the chairman of the U.S. Committee on NATO, said on Friday. `We are doing everything to speed up this process without making unnecessary noise,` Aliyev said.
Azerbaijan Sending 150 Troops To Guard Holy Sites In Iraq
Interfax
Baku, April 21: A company of 150 Azerbaijani soldiers will guard Muslim holy sites in the Iraqi cities of Qerbela, Qirkuk and Mosul, Azerbaijan`s defence minister said on Saturday. `Azerbaijan is also ready to carry out other tasks in Iraq as part of operations for the postwar reconstruction of the country,` Safar Abiyev told reporters.
Armenian Peacekeepers To Go To Kosovo
Interfax
Yerevan, April 21: Soldiers from the Armenian peacekeeping battalion will take part in international peacekeeping operations for the first time, the Armenian Defence Ministry`s press service told Interfax on Monday. On July 1, a group of Armenian servicemen will start performing a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo as part of the Greek peacekeeping battalion, the press service said.
NATO To Hold Disaster Relief Exercise In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 20: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) will carry out a disaster relief exercise in Ferghana Valley of Uzbekistan at the end of this month (28-30 April). A total of 20 countries, including both NATO and Peace for Partnership members, would participate in the operation. The scenario of the exercise, named `Ferghana 2003,` is based on a devastating earthquake and landslides striking Ferghana Valley.
Turkmenistan Hands Over U.S. Citizen Jailed For Alleged Assassination Attempt
MSNBC
Ashgabat, April 24: An American citizen accused in an alleged plot to kill Turkmenistan`s president was handed over to U.S. officials Thursday, after almost five months in prison. Opposition leaders and human rights advocates contend the assassination attempt was fabricated as a pretence for a brutal crackdown on President Sapamurat Niyazov`s opponents. Leonid Komarovsky of Newton, Mass., was arrested Nov. 26. The State Department criticized Turkmenistan`s investigation of the attack, saying U.S. officials were denied immediate access to Komarovsky and had received reports that entire families of suspects were being rounded up. Komarovsky, whose family has denied he played a role, was handed over to U.S. consular officials, said Anzhela Begdzhanova, an embassy spokeswoman.
Kyrgyz Ombudsman Thinks Hizb-ut-Tahrir Does Not Want To Be Legalised
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, April 23: Kyrgyz Ombudsman Tursunbai Bakir-uulu believes the banned Islamic extremist movement Hizb ut-Tahrir is not interested in being legalized in Kyrgyzstan, Interfax reported on 23 April. International organizations have appealed to the Kyrgyz authorities officially to recognize the movement and stop persecuting Hizb ut-Tahrir adherents. Bakir-uulu has questioned whether the group should be banned just because it wants to change the constitutional system. He pointed out that the Communist Party, which enjoys full legality, has the same aim. Bakir-uulu noted that if Hizb ut-Tahrir were legalized in Kyrgyzstan, its funding would dry up. In order to be legalized, it would have to change its political goals and accept official registration.
Kyrgyzstan To Toughen Efforts Against Hizb-ut-tahrir
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, April 22: Kyrgyz authorities are bolstering their efforts to counter the growing influence of the extremist Islamic movement Hizb ut-Tahrir, khabar.kz reported on 22 April. First Deputy Prime Minister Kurmanbek Osmonov addressed a meeting of the Osh Oblast administration that day, focusing on the allegedly illegal nature of Hizb ut-Tahrir`s activities.
Religious Extremism Spells Danger - Uzbek President
Interfax
Tashkent, April 22: President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, speaking at a press conference in Tashkent on Tuesday, said religious extremism is dangerous. Commenting on reports about stepped-up activity by the Khizb-ut- Takhrir religious extremists in neighbouring states, especially southern Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, he said `the fanaticism and extremism of this movement must not be underestimated.` He noted that the declaration of a jihad against the U.S. was `nothing but a blasphemy,` that could have `triggered tragic, unpredictable consequences, such as a war of civilizations.`
Uzbekistan, Germany sign agreement on financial co-operation
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 25:
The visiting delegation of German businesses, led by the Minister of Economy and Labour of the federal land of Saxony Martin Gillo held a meeting on Wednesday with Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the chairman of the Agency for Foreign Economic Relations (AFER) Elyor Ganiev. The sides have exchanged opinions on how to intensify co-operation in different sectors of the economy, in particular with regards to joint investment projects.
Turkmenistan Plans To Sell Gas For At Lease 3 Billion Dollars Annually
Turkmenistan.RU
Ashgabat, April 24: Starting from 2007, the annual benefits from selling of the Turkmen natural gas will make at least 3 billion USD annually. The Turkmen president Saparmurat Niyazov named this datat at the regular session of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan. Correspondent of Turkmenistan.ru reports from Ashkhabad that while resuming the results of his recent visit to Moscow, where documents on Turkmen-Russian partnership in gas sphere for 25 years were signed, as well as negotiations with the Ukrainian president, Niyazov underlined that trilateral co-operation of Ashkhabad, Moscow and Kiyev have huge potential. The forthcoming meeting on late May in St. Petersburg of the presidents of Russia, Turkmenistan and Ukraine will be devoted to the same theme.
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan To Be Ready For Use In Q3, 2004
Interfax
Baku, April 24: The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline will be ready for use by the middle of the third quarter 2004, a source in the Baku office of BTC Co. the operator for the construction and operation of the pipeline, told Interfax. Work is continuing to prepare the land along the route of the pipeline in Azerbaijan, so that the actual construction - the laying of pipes in the trench - may begin in June this year. The pipeline, which is 1,767 km long and has a diameter of from 850 mm to 1,150 mm, requires 11 million barrels or 1.5 million tonnes of crude to fill it, which amounts to quarterly production at the Chirag field.
Uzbek-Russian Gas Venture Set Up In Uzbek North
Hoover`s Online
Tashkent, April 23: A new Uzbek-Russian joint venture, Iygilik Gaz, specializing in processing gas extracted from deposits in the Ustyurt plateau and the Aral Sea coast, has been set up in Qonghirot District in Karakalpakstan [northern Uzbekistan]. Azerbaijani specialists, who have good experience in the field of development of wells, are providing the builders with assistance in setting up production lines. It is expected that the joint venture, which will process 150 t of gas condensate daily for manufacturing motor fuel, will be put into operation in June 2003, the Uzbek National News Agency has reported.
Uzbekistan, Romania To Set Up Two Oil And Gas Joint Ventures
Hoover`s Online
Tashkent, April 23: The Romanian oil and gas corporation UpetRom and the Uzbek holding company Uzbekneftegaz [Uzbek Oil and Gas] have signed a protocol of intent to cooperate in the oil and gas sector in Uzbekistan, a source in Uzbekneftegaz told Interfax. The source said that the agreement covers the setting up of two joint ventures - one to repair and modernize oil and gas production equipment and the second - to jointly develop oil and gas fields. A representative from the Uzbek oil and gas company said that the co-founder of the first joint venture from the Romanian side would be UpetRom-1 Mai SA (a UpetRom subsidiary) - a large producer of oil and gas equipment.
Probe Targets Exxon Mobil`s Role In Payment To Kazakhstan
Central Asia Daily
Almaty, April 22: A U.S. inquiry into oil deals in this Caspian Sea republic has turned into the largest investigation of possible bribery abroad since the U.S. started prosecuting such cases a quarter century ago, experts told The Wall Street Journal. The U.S. is investigating whether Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE:XOM - News) participated in a scheme to route $78 million in payments from U.S. and European oil companies to the Swiss bank accounts of Kazakhstan`s president and others. A retired senior executive of the former Mobil Oil Corp. and a New York businessman have been indicted in federal court in Manhattan in the three-year investigation. Experts say it is far from inevitable that Exxon Mobil itself will be indicted under the 1977 U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (News - Web sites), which bars U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials to obtain a deal. But, they say, the company will have to persuade prosecutors that its indicted former executive was a renegade, and that it did everything it could within reason to comply with the anti bribery law.
Session Of Committee Of Turkmen - Japanese Cooperation Held In Ashgabat
Turkmenistan.RU
Ashgabat, April 22: As correspondent of Turkmenistan.ru reported from Ashkhabad the five session of the Turkmen-Japanese committee for economic cooperation opened in Ashkhabad. Representatives of business circles of Japan - one of the states of the largest partners of Turkmenistan - took part in the session. According to the information provided by the Turkmen government over the past three years the foreign trade turnover of the both states made more than 320 million USD.
President Received Reports.
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, April 22: The Cabinet reported the President on the steps taken to realize the tasks, set in April the 4th Address to the Nation. The President set a goal to fund differentiated increase in pensions, establishment and capitalization of development institutions from republican budget. The Government has adjusted several macroeconomic figures of republican budget for 2003-2005 and drafted a law on introduction of changes in approved budget 2003.
EBRD Questions Turkmenistan`s High Growth Rate
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, April 22: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has questioned what it considers to be the improbably high official figures on the growth of Turkmenistan`s economy, Reuters reported on 22 April, citing the EBRD`s latest annual report on the progress of the transition economies. While it is widely believed in the international community that the official growth rates are inflated by creative accounting, if not outright falsification, they are too often accepted by foreign journalists and others who have no means of determining their accuracy. The EBRD estimated that the actual growth of the Turkmen economy in 2002 was 5.1 percent, not 21.2 percent, as the government claims.
Gas-rich Neighbours Cut Off Supplies To Tajikistan
Hoover`s Online
Dushanbe, April 21: Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have suspended gas supplies to Tajikistan `without prior warning`, Iranian radio from Mashhad reported on 21 April. `Uzbekistan used natural gas as political pressure on Tajikistan`s leadership in the past, too, and gas supplies would resume only after interference by senior government officials. But it is not clear yet how long the break in gas deliveries will last this time.
Romania May Become Main Chain In Uzbek Gas, Oil Export To Europe
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 21: Projects on oil and gas transportation to Europe will be the major issue of a three-day official visit by the Romanian President Ion Iliescu to Uzbekistan. Today, before his departure from Bucharest, Iliescu said to journalists that `Romania may become an important junction point on the route of oil and gas transportation from Uzbekistan and other states of the region via the Black and Caspian Seas to Europe.`
Uzbek Government Approves Privatisation Programme
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, April 21: Uzbekistan`s cabinet of ministers has approved a denationalization and privatization program for 2003-04, and it was signed by President Islam Karimov on 17 April, centrasia.ru reported on 21 April. The decree divides state firms into four categories. In the first two are firms that are either to be completely privatized or in which government shares are to be sold off. The third group, consisting of stagnating firms, is to be privatized or liquidated. The fourth group consists of strategically important industries in which the government will retain at least a 51 percent share.
Foreign Investment In Armenia Up 77.5 per cent In 2002
Interfax
Yerevan, April 20: Foreign investment in Armenia (not including government administration and loans received by the banking system) totalled $217.5 million in 2002, including direct investment of $141 million, up 77.5 per cent and 85.7 per cent respectively from 2001, the national statistics service reported.
Kyrgyzstan Able To Serve As Re-Export Market For Iran
Tehran Times
Qazvin, April 20: Qazvin Governor General Masoud Emami assessing Iran`s exclusive exhibition in Bishkek (April 15-21) as positive, said here on Saturday that Kyrgyzstan can serve as a good market for re-export of Iranian goods to other destinations. Iran`s exhibition in Bishkek is attended by 38 Iranian producers out of which 19 units are from Qazvin Province. Speaking to reporters, he said that despite the active presence and investment of other states including the U.S., Russia and Turkey in Kyrgyzstan, Iran`s exhibition was warmly welcomed by Kyrgyz officials.
Uzbekistan Backed War In Iraq Despite Anti-war Moods - President
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 25: Uzbekistan gave its unqualified backing to the USA`s decision to disarm Iraq, since the decision was correct and well-founded, Uzbek President Islam Karimov has said. Addressing the Uzbek parliament on 24 April, broadcast by Uzbek radio the same day, Islam Karimov said that Uzbekistan`s support had come at a time when US plans came under severe criticism in the world. `We unequivocally supported, and are continuing to support, the USA`s position on disarming Iraq, since its approach was correct and its stance was well founded. We all know that the policy and proposals of the USA, Great Britain and their allies came under severe criticism that time. He said that US-led military operations in Iraq had been timely.
India To Renew Focus On CIS Countries
The Financial Express
New Delhi, April 25: India is renewing efforts to get business from countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The ministry of external affairs has roped in the corporate sector to do the spadework. Starting next month, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will organise a series of conferences in New Delhi as well as take business missions to central Asian countries and conduct studies on business opportunities in the region. Federation of Indian Industries of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) will also be taking a delegation to CIS countries. Foreign affairs ministry joint secretary Rajiv Dogra told FE, “India wishes to strengthen its relations with CIS countries. For this, the ministry has asked the CII to have brain storming sessions on CIS countries. There will be seminars and discussions which will enable the Indian businessmen to learn more about that region and the opportunities available of investing in various sectors there.”
Envoys of Denmark, Belgium, Australia present credentials
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 24: President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received credentials from the newly appointed ambassadors of Denmark, Belgium and Australia at his Oqsaroy residence on Wednesday. Presenting credentials to the Uzbek leader, Ambassador of Denmark to Uzbekistan Lars Vissing noted that the main aim of his mission would be strengthening co-operation between the two states, firsly, in the economic sphere. Ambassador of Belgium Andre Mermier said "Belgium and Uzbekistan have a large unrealised potential, especially, in the trade sphere".
Uzbekistan, Germany Sign Agreement On Financial Cooperation
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 24: The visiting delegation of German businesses, led by the Minister of Economy and Labour of the federal land of Saxony Martin Gillo held a meeting on Wednesday with Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the chairman of the Agency for Foreign Economic Relations (AFER) Elyor Ganiev. The sides have exchanged opinions on how to intensify cooperation in different sectors of the economy, in particular with regards to joint investment projects.
Khatami, Aliyev Talk On Phone
Tehran Times
Tehran, April 24: President Mohammad Khatami and his Azeri counterpart Heydar Aliyev talked on the phone on Tuesday. President Khatami called Azerbaijan a brotherly and friendly neighbour, expressing hope that positive steps taken by the two nations will forge closer bilateral ties. Khatami also voiced satisfaction over the improving health of the Azeri president, adding that he hopes to meet him in the near future in Baku. President Aliyev, too, thanked the Iranian president for his gesture of friendship and called for expansion of ties between Tehran and Baku, IRNA reported.
Regional Security Summit To Convene In Dushanbe
Central Asia Daily
Islamabad, April 24: An upcoming summit in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, set to begin on Monday, is expected to deliver the formation of a permanent council and headquarters for the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) - a six-member military and political alliance of the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. `There is a need for co-operation on issues such as drug trafficking and terrorism, and this development will be positive,` Vladimir Sotirov, the UN secretary-general`s special representative in Tajikistan, told IRIN from Dushanbe.
Bilenser To Visit Baku
Turkish Daily News
Ankara, April 24: Bursa Greater Municipal Mayor Erdogan Bilenser will pay a visit to Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, on June 16 on `special assignment` for the Department of Culture and Action related to the Council of Europe. According to a written statement from the municipality, Bilenser will be accompanied by the mayors of Fribourg and Zagreb municipalities within the scope of the project `Support for Three Caucasus Capitals` conducted by the Council of Europe.
Aliyev`s Opponent Pledges `true Alliance` With Turkey
Turkish Daily News
Ankara, April 24: Azerbaijan in a post-Haydar Aliyev era will develop a `true alliance` with Turkey and will press further with its policy of integration with Western institutions, the leader of the country`s strongest opposition party said. President Haydar Aliyev collapsed during a speech broadcast live on television on Monday, sparking high concerns over his ailing health. With rumoursmounting that his prostate cancer is getting worse every day, analysts are pondering possible changes in the country`s politics and foreign policy should the ailing president have to leave his post on health grounds.
Uzbekistan, India Agree On Joint Efforts To Combat Terrorism
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 23: India and Uzbekistan have agreed to closely interact to combat the `common` threat of terrorism, hold joint training of personnel and exchange information and expertise, Russian press reported. The first meeting of the India-Uzbekistan joint working group on combating International Terrorism in Tashkent, which concluded on Tuesday, `assessed that both countries face common threat of terrorism and there was considerable similarity in its nature, source, pattern and methodology which necessitated joint co-operation,` an Indian diplomat in Tashkent said over the phone. The Indian delegation led by R. Dogra, joint secretary, central Asia division of the Ministry of External Affairs had `frank and cordial discussions in the spirit of co-operation` with Uzbek Deputy foreign minister I. Nematov and other officials, an Indian embassy statement said. The two-day meeting underscored the shared perception of the two sides on security and terrorism related issues, the statement said. The Indo-Uzbek joint working group, which comprises experts from various agencies of the two countries including defence, identified specific areas of bilateral co-operation in combating terrorism including joint training, exchange of experts and expertise and swapping information. This was the first such dialogue by Uzbekistan with any country on bilateral basis.
Turkmenistan Demands Extradition Of Two Suspects From Sweden
Turkmenistan.RU
Ashgabat, April 23: The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan has demanded from authorities of the Kingdom of Sweden to hand over to the Turkmen law enforcement bodies Saparmurat Iklimov and Khalmurad Esenov who are the organizers of November 25, 2002 attempt of power capture and change of constitutional rights in Turkmenistan and assassination on the Turkmen President Sapamurat Niyazov.` The state news service of Turkmenistan reports that the note of protest says that the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan earlier officially addressed to the representatives of the Kingdom of Sweden with request to hand over to the Turkmen side the aforementioned persons, grounding the request by the facts of participation of these persons in felonies and referring to clauses of the criminal Code of Turkmenistan according to which a criminal proceedings are instituted.
Niyazov Orders People With Turkmen-Russian Dual Citizenship To Make Choice
Interfax
Ashgabat, April 23: Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov has issued a decree under which people having dual Turkmen- Russian citizenship must voluntarily choose between them. The Turkmen chief of state`s decree stipulates that `people who were granted dual citizenship under the December 23, 1993 Turkmen- Russian agreement on settling dual citizenship issues have the right to choose citizenship of one of the countries within two months.`
Only Women To Take The Post Of US Ambassadors To Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan.RU
Ashgabat, April 23: Another woman-diplomat can replace the US Ambassador to Turkmenistan Lora Kennedy, who has finished her diplomatic mission in the USA, correspondent Turkmenistan.ru informs from Ashkhabad. The statement by the White House reads that Tracy Ann Jacobson will take the post of the US Ambassador in Ashkhabad if her nomination is approved by the Senate.
Uzbek, Romanian Leaders Sign Joint Statement, Bilateral Documents
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 22: The official part of Romanian President Ion Iliescu`s visit to Uzbek capital started on Tuesday with one-to-one talks with Uzbek President Islam Karimov. A number of bilateral documents have been signed as a result of the talks, Uzbek Radio reported. One of them is a joint statement signed by the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, and the Romanian president, Ion Iliescu; an agreement on tourism between the governments of Uzbekistan and Romania, signed by the Uzbek Minister of Foreign affairs, Sodiq Safoyev, and Romania`s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mircea Geoana. The two ministers also exchanged notes and signed an agreement on diplomatic and business passports and visa-free trips by citizens. After that the two presidents answered journalists` questions.
Azeri PM Visits U.S.
The Moscow Times
Baku, April 22: Azerbaijan`s prime minister made an unscheduled visit to the United States a day after Azeri President Heidar Aliyev collapsed during a speech broadcast live on television, officials said Tuesday. Prime Minister Artur Rasizade flew to the United States on Monday night, an official in the Azeri government said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Cooperating With American Congress.
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, April 22: MPs received the message of American congressmen. They are proposed to establish Kazakh-American friendship group. American congressmen believe the process contributing to the two states` positions rapprochement in the issues of international terrorism combating, improvement of fundamental human rights observance and support of democratic development of Central-Asian states. American congressmen stressed that Kazakhstan had succeeded much in new institutions of democracy establishment after it gained sovereignty. They stressed the two sates had `developed large-scale bilateral relations`, which strengthened significantly after September strategy.
Tashkent To Take Part In Humanitarian Projects In Iraq - Uzbek President
Interfax
Tashkent, April 22: President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan has said his country could take part in humanitarian projects in Iraq. Addressing a press conference in Tashkent on Tuesday, he said `we would be prepared to assist primarily in medicine, education, the construction of communications and in land improvement and irrigation.`
Ambassador Presented Credentials
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, April 22: The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Egypt and several Middle East states Bagdad Amreyev presented credentials to Jordan king Abdalla II ben Husein ben Talal ben Abdalla. The king Abdalla II showed great interest to Kazakhstan. He expressed willingness to develop contacts with the republic and said greetings and best wishes to President N. Nazarbayev.
Romanian President Ion Iliesku Arrives In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 21: President of Romania Ion Iliescu (profile) arrived in Tashkent with an official visit on 21 April 2003. Uzbek Prime Minister Utkir Sultonov welcomed the high-ranked guest at Tashkent airport. On Tuesday Romanian leader will hold private talks with the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov. Later extended negotiations will take place, which should result in signing of a number of bilateral agreements. On the same day President Iliesku will meet the speaker of the Uzbek parliament Erkin Khalilov.
Date Of Auction For Kazakh Nuclear Plant Set
Interfax
Almaty, April 21: The date of an auction for Mangyshlak Nuclear Power Plant in Mangistau region, western Kazakhstan, has been set. According to an official statement from the nuclear plant`s receiver Bakyt Chirchikbaev, the auction will be held on April 29 (English method - rising price) and, if this is not successful, again on April 30 (Dutch method - falling price), this year. The auction will be for the property complex of Mangyshlak Nuclear Power Plant, involving a single production cycle, needed to provide constant energy supply and ensure radioactive safety at the BN-350 reactor, in one lot, the press release said. The lot includes buildings, installations, equipment, engineering networks, transmitters, documentation, unfinished construction sites, accounts receivable and goods and materials. The start price is 6.041 billion tenge. The minimum price for Dutch method is 111.769 million tenge.
Kyrgyzstan Invites Russian Experts To Help Restore Uranium Storage Facilities
Interfax
Bishkek, April 21: The Kyrgyz Emergency Situations Ministry wants experts from the Russian Nuclear Power Ministry to take part in drafting technical documents on the restoration of uranium storage facilities. This idea was expressed at an OSCE-sponsored international conference addressing the situation with uranium storage facilities, which finished in Bishkek on Friday. Anarkul Aitaliyev, director of the Emergency Situations Ministry`s monitoring department, told Interfax that `in 2001, the Russian Nuclear Power Ministry conducted a feasibility study on the restoration of 30 storage facilities in Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz Emergency Situations Ministry has selected Russian experts who have profound experience in such issues to start drafting technical plans for repairs, restoration and other efforts,` he said.
Kyrgyz lower house approves amnesty
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, April 24: Kyrgyzstan`s Legislative Assembly approved an amnesty for 786 prison inmates to reduce overcrowding in the country`s penal institutions, RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service reported on 24 April. Assembly Deputy Azimbek Beknazarov, head of the opposition Asaba Party, told the lower house that the prisons are "overflowing," citing the case of a women`s facility designed for 100 inmates that now houses 700.
Rights Activist Under Threat
Central Asia Daily
Ankara, April 23: The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) believes that Ramazan Dyryldaev, the chairman of the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights (KCHR), is being sought by representatives of the Kyrgyz interior minister in the context of a campaign to discredit the KCHR. The case is significant in that it reveals that despite what the government tells the international community, it does not tolerate criticism. `Dyryldaev has been harassed by Kyrgyz authorities for a number of years, because he documents violations of human rights standards and official corruption,` Aaron Rhodes, the IHF executive director, told IRIN from Vienna. `There has been a long-term effort to intimidate and silence him and to thwart the work of the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights.`
Uzbekistan`s Ombudsman Reports On 2002 Results
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, April 22: Uzbek Ombudsman Sayora Rashidova reported to the Commission on the Implementation of Constitutional Rights and Freedoms on 22 April that in 2002 her office received more than 6,000 requests for help from citizens and was able to resolve 250 of them, uza.uz reported. She added that her office has warned a number of officials about alleged violations of human rights. Most of the requests, Rashidova was reported as saying, involved public order, social protections, and alleged violations of labour laws and health-care rights. The ombudsman`s office, which has been functioning since 1996, has expanded its work to include observing court trials, conducting its own investigations, and carrying out other monitoring.
Kyrgyz Ombudsman Gains Right To Visit Prisons
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, April 21: The lower house of Kyrgyzstan`s parliament on 21 April adopted enabling legislation that gives the country`s ombudsman the right to visit prisons and other detention facilities, akipress.org reported. This right previously was limited to the president, prime minister, and members of parliament.
Ombudsman Reports On Human Rights, Stresses Openness
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 21: Commission for citizens` rights and freedoms of Ombudsman held an extended meeting in Uzbek Parliament, where human Rights Plenipotentiary reported on activities in the least year. 5,000 claims were reported, most regarding proper enforcement of rights and freedoms in such fields as social protection, healthcare and others. Most of the obstacles and improper enforcements reportedly come from administrations of cities and districts. Better openness and accessibility were stresses as key measures in this regard.
International Donors Say Kyrgyzstan Most Corrupt Of Poor CIS Countries
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, April 23: A report just published by the World Bank, IMF, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the economic progress of the seven poorest CIS countries describes Kyrgyzstan as the most corrupt of the seven, akipress.org reported on 23 April. The so-called CIS Seven are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The report asserts that, on average, firms in Kyrgyzstan spend 3.8 percent of their income on bribes. The figure was based on data obtained during a survey of the business climate by the EBRD and World Bank. The report notes that, in general, managers in the seven poorest CIS countries said some aspects of the investment climate, including the extent of corruption, have improved since the first overview was done in 1999, with the only country registering increased corruption being Kyrgyzstan.
Special Focus
Turkmenistan: UN Human Rights Commission Condemns Turkmen Abuses For The First Time The United Nations Human Rights Commission has passed a resolution condemning Turkmenistan for a range of abuses including torture and political and religious repression.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav041903.shtmlLittle To Lose: Opposition In Azerbaijan Azerbaijani domestic politics is characterized by increasingly limited pluralism, as President Heidar Aliyev`s administration exerts a dominating influence over both mass media and grassroots activity. In addition, opposition parties are hampered by their own limitations.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav020303.shtml
Ethnic Kazakhs Find Tutular Homeland To Be Economic Haven The settlement of Baibesik in Kazakhstan sits on a sparse, uninviting plain about a 40-minute drive outside Almaty. The settlement itself is strewn with garbage and lacks most amenities, including indoor plumbing. Yet, it is a place where ethnic Kazakh immigrants seem happy to start building a new life in their titular homeland.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/culture/articles/eav042203.shtml
Aliyev`s Health Status Won`t Have Large Impact On Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan Pipeline: Experts Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev has been a vital promoter of a pipeline project that would transport Caspian Basin energy resources from Baku through Georgia and on to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. Aliyev`s recent health scare has added to lingering questions surrounding the project`s feasibility. However, many experts believe that pipeline construction is far enough along that it is no longer dependent on Aliyev`s ability to remain in power in Azerbaijan.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav042203.shtml
President`s Health Scare Focuses Attention On Political Transformation Process In Azerbaijan Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev made a television appearance April 22 in an effort discourage speculation about the state of his health, a day after suffering from apparent chest pains during a speech to military cadets. Nevertheless, the incident is prompting renewed speculation about the political succession process in Azerbaijan.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav042203.shtml Aliyev`s Health Issue Raises Specter Of Succession Crisis In Azerbaijan Over the past decade, Azerbaijan`s relative stability has rested on the foundation of President Heidar Aliyev`s image of unchallenged authority. That image was seriously tarnished by the recent, public display of Aliyev`s frail health. Now, members of Azerbaijan`s political and intellectual elite are raising concerns about Aliyev`s ability to run the country. They are also worried that lingering leadership questions could invite a new era of instability in Azerbaijan.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav042303.shtml Constitutional Court Stirs Armenian Political Controversy While Armenian President Robert Kocharian and his political opponents bitterly disagree about the legitimacy of the president`s recent re-election, both loyalists and opposition parties are dissatisfied with the Armenian Constitutional Court`s handling of the disputed voting results.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav042303.shtml Georgia Sets Its Sight On NATO
Georgia`s unwavering support for U.S. efforts in Iraq has contributed to Tbilisi`s image as Washington`s chief strategic partner in the Caucasus. Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze is capitalizing on this co-operation to facilitate and expedite Georgian membership into NATO. Goodwill alone, however, will prove insufficient to earn a place in NATO.
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http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1346The Russian Air Force In Kyrgyzstan: The Military ImplicationsIn June 2002, Kyrgyz Defence Minister Esen Topoyev announced that Kant airbase would be made available for CIS Collective Rapid Deployment Forces (CRDF), apparently signalling the intention of the Kyrgyz government to re-enter the fold and reorienting its security needs toward Moscow. This demonstrated that Bishkek looks for multiple security partners, including the West, to support its own fragile security.
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http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1345
Bus Attack Highlights Problems In China - Kyrgyz Relations What appeared at first to be a serious but unfortunate accident involving a long distance bus travelling from the Kyrgyzstan capital, Bishkek to China took a more serious turn when it emerged that the passengers and drivers had been shot and killed before the bus caught fire. Diplomatic relations between China and Kyrgyzstan, already tense, were once again thrown into focus.
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http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1347
Washington`s Design On Azerbaijan Depend On Democratic TransitionThe Bush administration, eager to maintain Azerbaijan`s pro-Western orientation, is pondering its policy options given the uncertainty surrounding Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev`s health. Some US officials are emphasizing a need for transparency in the succession process, whenever it occurs, saying that an open and democratic transfer of power would help Azerbaijan avoid instability, while setting a democratic precedent for other countries in the Caucasus.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav042403a.shtmlExpanding Turkish-Georgian Strategic Ties Rankle Russia
Turkey seeks to expand its security presence in the Caucasus, and Georgia has expressed interest in the possible implementation of a Turkish military training program. Closer strategic ties between Ankara and Tbilisi are rankling Russian leaders, who have already cautioned Georgia against taking "steps that violate the existing balance of forces in the Transcaucasus."
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav042503.shtml
Report Dated 25 April 2003