Despite Ailing President Aliyev BP Considers Azerbaijan As A Stable State
Central Asia Daily
Baku, August 8: Azerbaijan may face a period of disruption due to the ill health of President Heidar Aliyev, but the transition of power if he dies will not threaten the oil industry, the head of BP in the country said. `There could be a period of uncertainty and disruption,` David Woodward, head of BP-Azerbaijan and the most influential Western oil man in the country, said in an interview, Turkish Daily News reports. `We could see some delays in decision-making to take projects forward. But overall, we expect projects to proceed according to plan.` `Short-term effects such as political uncertainty in the country, Iraq and so on, very rarely impact the sorts of plans and developments that we are undertaking here,` he said. `So far our plans haven`t been impacted in any way at all.`
Aliyev Has Heart Failure: U.S. Clinic
Tehran Times
Baku, August 8: The likelihood that 80-year-old Heidar Aliyev will stay on as president of Azerbaijan receded on Friday when doctors at his U.S. clinic said the veteran politician was suffering from heart failure and kidney problems, AFP said. In a statement reported by Azerbaijan`s official news agency, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio said: `President Aliyev... is currently being treated for congestive heart failure, which includes some kidney problems.` It added: `He has responded favourably to initial treatment. He has no neurological problems. He is resting comfortably in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine.`
More Protests Over Azerbaijan Appointment
The Washington Times
Baku, August 8: Police in the Azerbaijani capital dispersed a rally Friday by government opponents protesting the appointment of President Heidar Aliev`s son to the prime minister post, participants said. The protests have become a daily event in the run-up to the Oct. 15 presidential elections in this former Soviet republic. Aliyev is hospitalized with heart and kidney problems at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. His supporters insist he is improving and still plans to seek re-election. Aliev`s son, Ilham, was named prime minister Monday - making him the country`s second-highest ranking leader and first in the line of presidential succession. Opposition officials claim that Ilham Aliyev is manoeuvring to take over leadership of the tiny, oil-rich Caucasus nation if his father dies. Opposition parties gathered outside the Constitutional Court on Friday to criticize Ilham Aliev`s appointment and to call for clear information about Aliev`s health. Police broke up the rally and arrested seven participants, all members of the opposition party Musavat.
Ilkham Aliyev Sceptical About Opposition`s Chances At Presidential Elections
Interfax
Baku, August 7: Ilkham Aliyev, Prime Minister of Azerbaijan and one of the presidential candidates, has expressed scepticism regarding the chances of opposition candidates at the presidential elections in Azerbaijan. `I believe that their support in society is at a very low level. But at the same time, I feel, and this is required by political ethics, that each candidate should be treated with respect,` Aliyev told the press on Thursday.
Some 1,000 Foreign Observers To Monitor Presidential Elections In Azerbaijan - Foreign Minister
Interfax
Baku, August 7: Azerbaijan intends to involve at least 1,000 foreign observers to monitor the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev told reporters on Thursday. `We have already sent requests to some 30 countries and to all major international organizations asking them to send observers to the presidential elections,` the minister said. The OSCE is planning to send some 500 experts, he said. The presidential elections in Azerbaijan are scheduled for October 15.
Kazakh Opposition Party Again Refused Registration
Radio Free Europe
Astana, August 6: During the 6 August meeting with journalists at the Kazakh opposition`s national election headquarters, Kozhakhmetov said the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan coalition succeeded in registering 315 candidates from among 446 applicants for upcoming local-council elections. The rest were refused registration.
Kazakh Opposition Complains Of Pressure On Candidates
Radio Free Europe
Astana, August 6: The national election headquarters of the Kazakh democratic opposition has complained that opposition candidates for the local elections scheduled for 20 September are being pressured by the authorities, the chairman of the headquarters, Asylbek Kozhakhmetov, told journalists on 6 August, Interfax-Kazakhstan and Kazakhstan Today reported the same day. Specifically, candidates who work for organizations financed from the state budget or whose relatives work for such organizations are being pressured to withdraw from the race, and some have done so.
Kyrgyz Opposition Intends To Be United Behind Single Presidential Candidate
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, August 6: The Movement for the Resignation of [President Askar] Akaev and for Reforms for the People intends to support a single opposition candidate in the next presidential election, movement leader and human rights activist Topchubek Turgunaliev told journalists on 6 August, akipress.org reported the same day. He added that he believes his movement can unite 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the Kyrgyz opposition, which he said would be a great achievement in a country where so many fancy themselves to be politicians.
Azerbaijani President To Continue Medical Treatment In U.S.
Interfax
Baku, August 6: Aliyev, 80, had been undergoing medical treatment at the Gulhane military hospital in Ankara since July 8. Gasanov said doctors had recommended that Aliyev continue medical treatment in Cleveland, Ohio, where he underwent a coronary bypass procedure in 1999.
PM To Be Suspended During Pre-election Campaign
Interfax
Baku, August 6: Ilkham Aliyev duties as prime minister will be suspended in view of his candidature in the country`s presidential elections. Central Elections Committee chairman Inglab Nasirov told Interfax on Tuesday that Aliyev has three days to submit his request to this effect. `The requirements of the constitution and the Elections Code will be fully met. Ilkham Aliyev will be suspended from his duties as prime minister, but preserve his post, only for the period of the pre- election campaign,` he said.
New Azerbaijani PM Introduced To Cabinet
Interfax
Baku, August 5: Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ilkham Aliyev was introduced to the Cabinet by head of the president`s executive office Ramiz Mekhtiyev on Monday, a source in the presidential administration has told Interfax. `The Cabinet will continue working as usual. Its policy will not change and the political course pursued by Heidar Aliyev will not change, either. We shall do everything possible to ensure Azerbaijan`s further prosperity,` Ilkham Aliyev said.
Kazakh Opposition Intends To Invite Foreign Papers To Assess Zhaqiyanov`s Health
Radio Free Europe
Astana, August 5: The leadership of the opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement intends to invite foreign medical experts to assess the health of imprisoned DVK co-founder Galymzhan Zhaqiyanov, DVK press secretary Vladimir Kozlov told Gazeta.kz on 5 August. Zhaqiyanov is serving a seven-year sentence for alleged abuse of office while he was governor of Pavlodar Oblast.
Ailing Azeri President To Return Home From Turkey Thursday
Voice of America
Ankara, August 5: An Azerbaijani diplomat says ailing President Heidar Aliyev will return home from a Turkish hospital later this week. The 80-year-old president, who has been undergoing heart treatment in Turkey, has not been seen in public since he was flown in July to a military hospital in the Turkish capital.
Duvanov`s Lawyers Appeal To Kazakh Supreme Court
Radio Free Europe
Astana, August 5: The lawyers of imprisoned opposition journalist Sergei Duvanov told a news conference on 5 August that they have appealed to Kazakhstan`s Supreme Court to review the case against their client, the official news agency khabar.kz and other Kazakh media reported the same day. Duvanov was sentenced to a three-and-a-half-year prison term in January 2003 on a charge of forcibly raping a minor. He denies the charge, and the Kazakh opposition considers the accusation to be politically motivated, in retaliation for Duvanov`s investigative journalism, particularly in connection with the `Kazakhgate` bribery scandal.
Azerbaijan Opposition Slams `Dynastic` Succession
Uzbek Daily
Moscow, August 5: Azerbaijan is on the verge of becoming the first former Soviet republic to undergo a dynastic transfer of power, following parliamentary approval for ailing President Heidar Aliyev`s son to be named prime minister and heir apparent. Four-fifths of the country`s 125 lawmakers on Monday voted in favour of Ilham Aliyev becoming premier, while opposition partied boycotted the vote in disgust. Leading opposition figure Isa Gambar called the decision an `illegal action by Azeri authorities to seize power` and said opposition parties were demanding that it be annulled. Under constitutional provisions passed a year ago, Azerbaijan`s prime minister becomes acting president if the president is incapacitated or resigns. Those amendments were opposed at the time by opposition parties who saw them as a ploy to catapult Aliyev`s 42-year-old son to power. The government dismissed the criticism about Monday`s vote, saying there was `nothing illegal` in Ilham Aliyev`s appointment.
Presidential Candidate Dies In Baku
Interfax
Baku, August 5: Parliamentarian Shadman Gusein, one of Azerbaijan`s presidential candidates, died on August 5, the press service for the Azerbaijani parliament told Interfax. He was 57.
Azerbaijan Won`t Put Up With Karabakh Claims To Have Separate State - Speaker
Interfax
Baku, August 4: Azerbaijan will never put up with claims by Karabakh separatists to form an independent state, parliament speaker Murtuz Aleskerov said at Friday`s meeting with Heikki Talvitie, an EU special envoy to the South Caucasus. `This problem has only one solution, that based on international standards of law, respect for the territorial integrity of a state and the inviolability of its borders,` Aleskerov said.
Azerbaijani Opposition Calls For Statement On President`s Health
Turkish Daily News
Baku, August 4: Opposition groups called on the government over the weekend to make a clear statement about the health of the nation`s hospitalized president, expressing doubt he is fit to rule and demanding opposition candidates be allowed to run in October`s presidential election. In a declaration issued at a demonstration that drew nearly 5,000 people in Baku, opposition leaders said the government must `bring clarity to questions about President Heidar Aliev`s condition and particularly to questions relating to his ability to carry out his duties.` If the government does not fulfil the demand, Aliev`s appointments and decrees `will be considered illegal,` said the statement approved at the rally, which was held with permission from city authorities.
Azeris Rally On Aliyev Rumours
The Moscow Times
Baku, August 4: Thousands of opposition party supporters rallied in Baku on Saturday to demand a free and fair presidential vote as rumours swirled that Azeri President Heidar Aliyev was dead and his son may be tapped to succeed him. Azeri officials denied that Aliyev, 80, had died in the Gulhane military hospital in Turkey, where he has been receiving medical treatment since early July. A report of his death was carried by opposition newspapers Saturday after appearing first on a Turkish web site. Despite official reassurances, diplomats and residents in Baku said concern was growing about Aliyev`s health, which has been fragile for years, and suggestions that his son Ilham would be installed in his place.
Ilkham Aliyev Promises To Continue His Father`s Economic Policy
Pravda
Moscow, August 4: Ilkham Aliyev, who was appointed Prime Minister of Azerbaijan earlier in the day, has promised to continue his father`s economic policy. The economic policy pursued by President Heidar Aliyev must be continued, Aliyev`s son told journalists on Monday. He added that it was also necessary to `broaden experience and increase potential in this sphere.`
Kyrgyz Ombudsman Intends To Sue Newspaper
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, August 4: Before departing on a UN-sponsored trip to the Czech Republic and Estonia to study the working of ombudsman`s offices in those countries, Kyrgyzstan`s Ombudsman Tursunbai Bakir-uulu told a press conference on 1 August that he intends to sue the newspaper `Agym,` akipress.org reported on 4 August. Bakir-uulu said that he had the necessary documents ready to launch the suit, but the `Agym` staff and the publication`s chief editor were all on vacation.
Azerbaijan President`s Son Appointed Country`s New PM
Voice of America
Moscow, August 4: Azerbaijan`s parliament has voted to appoint the son of ailing President Heidar Aliyev as the former Soviet Republic`s new prime minister. The move could pave the way for the younger Aliyev to assume the presidency against strong objections from the opposition. As a result of Monday`s vote and constitutional amendments passed last year, 41-year-old Ilham Aliyev will automatically take over as president of Azerbaijan if his father is incapacitated or resigns. The vote was taken during a special parliamentary session at the request of the president, whose failing health has been in the spotlight ever since he collapsed on national television in April.
New Party Forming In Uzbekistan
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, August 3: In a step toward legal registration, the founding congress of the Agrarian Party was held on 2 August in a suburb of Tashkent, vremyamn.ru reported the next day. If the group succeeds in registering as a political party, it will be the only one in the country that has not been set up by the authorities. However, Uzbek human rights activists might question how independent the new organization will be, as it is the brainchild of Soviet-era parliamentarian and post-independence human rights activist Marat Zahidov, who is considered by many in the Uzbek opposition as a pawn of the government.
Azeri Opposition Leader Registers As Presidential Candidate
Voice of America
Baku, August 3: The leader of Azerbaijan`s biggest opposition party has been registered as a candidate for October`s presidential election. Azerbaijan`s election commission Sunday voted to include Musavat party leader Isa Gambar on the October 15 ballot. The commission also approved the inclusion of two other candidates, Abutalib Samedov and Hudrat Hasanquliyev.
Five Azerbaijani Presidential Candidates Formally Confirmed
Radio Free Europe
Baku, August 2: Azerbaijan`s Central Election Commission on 1 August confirmed Ilham Aliev`s registration as a candidate for the 15 October presidential election, Turan reported. Two days later, the commission likewise confirmed the registration of opposition Musavat Party Chairman Isa Gambar; pro-presidential Alliance for Azerbaijan Chairman Abutalib Samedov; and Gudrat Gasankuliev, who heads a pro-presidential splinter group that broke away from the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party. Five of a total of 19 registered candidates have now been confirmed. The first to be formally confirmed was President .Aliyev
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Begins Anti Terrorism Exercises In Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, August 6: Military units from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia launched the first stage of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) anti terrorism exercises at a Kazakh air base on 6 August, khabar.kz, Interfax, and other Central Asian and Russian media reported. The three countries are members of the SCO along with Tajikistan and China. Tajikistan has sent observers to the exercises, which will involve training in intercepting aircraft, dropping airborne troops, and encircling and eliminating a terrorist group. The head of the Chinese military delegation to the exercises told journalists that the exercises confirm the common stance of the SCO member states on countering terrorism. The second stage of the exercises is scheduled to take place in Xinjiang on 11-12 August.
Sukhumi Warns Georgia Against Blocking Passage Of Abkhaz Ships
Interfax
Sukhumi, August 6: The defence minister of the breakaway Republic of Abkhazia, Vyacheslav Eshba, has warned Georgia against attempts to block the passage of Abkhaz military and commercial vessels. Abkhazia is actively reinforcing its coast guard and weapons are being installed on civilian vessels, Eshba noted. `This is a response to the Georgian side`s intensified activities in the sea. Georgian warships have tried to advance in the direction of Ochamchir,` he said. `Attempts to block naval passage for Abkhazia or use force against its military or commercial vessels will trigger a war,` he said.
The People`s Liberation Army Of China Delegation Arrived In Kyrgyzstan
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, August 6: A delegation of the general stuff of the Chinese People`s Liberation Army led by major-general Dian Hun has arrived today in Kyrgyzstan. During the negotiations at the Ministry of Defence of the Kyrgyz Republic issues of military-technical cooperation, training of military personnel and military cooperation in the frame of fighting with international terrorism were discussed. In the words of Deputy Defence Minister of Kyrgyzstan Oleg Chechel, the parties came to an agreement during the negotiations that the military cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan develop very successfully and has a good perspectives. In the course of the talks, it is emphasized that it is necessary to develop military cooperation in the near future in the new direction in fighting with international terrorism. O. Chechel said that the terrorism represents a danger both Kyrgyzstan and China as well as for the whole region. Kyrgyz Defence Minister Esen Topoev expressed gratitude to the Chinese side for the military-technical aid that renders since 1999.
Tajik - Indian Military Exercises Underway
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, August 6: Joint Tajik-Indian command staff and airborne military exercises were conducted from 2 to 5 August at the Fakhrobod training camp south of Dushanbe, Asia-Plus Blitz, centran.ru, and other Russian news agencies reported on 4-5 August. The objective of the exercises, according to Tajik Defence Ministry press chief Zarobiddin Siroev, was to practice joint actions to free hostages and annihilate terrorist groups. He added that the exercises were part of the Tajik Defence Ministry`s anti-terrorism training program as well as being part of a Tajik-Indian cooperation program that includes sending graduates of Tajik military institutes to India for further study.
France To Help Tajikistan Repair Airport Runway
Interfax
Dushanbe, August 4: French military engineers will repair and upgrade the runway at Dushanbe Airport. A Tajik Foreign Ministry official told Interfax on Friday that this contract was signed by Transport Minister Abdudzhalom Salimov and French Ambassador to Tajikistan Pierre Andriuer on Thursday. All the necessary machines and equipment have already arrived from France.
Georgia Peacekeepers Depart For Iraq
Radio Free Europe
Tbilisi, August 4: A Georgian peacekeeping detachment left Tbilisi on 3 August for Kuwait en route for Iraq, where it will be deployed in Tikrit, Caucasus Press reported on 4 August. The contingent numbers 34 commandos from the crack Kojori battalion, 15 sappers, and 20 medical personnel.
NATO To Send Officials To Turkmen Exercises
Interfax
Ashgabat, August 4: NATO officials will be present at one- day training exercises that will take place on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea in mid-August. NATO Secretary General George Robertson sent a letter to Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov saying that he had asked the NATO International Staff to sent its representatives to these exercises to confirm the good traditions of cooperation with this country under the Partnership for Peace program, as well as to expand and strengthen these relations further. All types of Turkmen Armed Forces troops will take part in the event, which is intended to show the army`s capabilities in defending the country`s land, sea and air borders. The exercises will also include a demonstration of a hostage-release operation.
SCO Anti-terrorism Centre To Be Created In Tashkent
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 6: Russia welcomes an initiative by Uzbekistan to host an anti-terrorist centre of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Tashkent, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after his talks with his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov. The SCO consists of Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. `We welcome an initiative by Uzbekistan to host the SCO anti-terrorist centre in Tashkent and today Islam Karimov reported what is being done to implement it,` Vladimir Putin said. Moreover, according to the Russian president, during the talks much attention was paid to the development of economic cooperation in the CIS as well as to interaction in the world.
Abkhazia Protests To Georgia Over Terrorist Act In Gala District
Interfax
Sukhumi, August 5: The Foreign Ministry of the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia has protested to Georgia over an act of terror staged in the Gala district on Monday. The ministry declares that `such actions pose a threat to the peace process, breed uncertainty and hostility and cannot contribute to resolving the existing problems peacefully.` Abkhazia`s foreign policy department urged the conflicting sides to take all necessary measures to rid the republic of the threat of terrorism. A mini-bus from Abkhazia`s Sate Customs Committee came under fire from unidentified gunmen near the village of Chubukhindzh at around 2:00 p.m. local time. The attackers killed two committee officers and wounded two others. The Abkhaz Interior Ministry does not rule out that the trap was set up by terrorists from Georgia. Tbilisi has not commented on the incident so far.
Four Central Asian States Agree On Joint Anti Terrorism Operations
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, August 4: Heads of the law enforcement and security agencies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan agreed at a conference in the Kyrgyz city of Osh on 2 August to conduct future joint operations against international terrorists, religious extremists, and drug traffickers, RIA-Novosti and akipress.org reported on 4 August. Bolot Djanuzakov, head of the Kyrgyz presidential office`s department for defence, security, and law enforcement, told a press conference on 4 August that the participants at the Osh meeting had also agreed to share information and work out specific ways to cooperate in the fight against terrorism.
Kazakhstani GDP Grew By 10.4 per cent Over First Six Months Of 2003
Kazakhstan News
Almaty, August 8: According to preliminary information, the GDP of Kazakhstan grew by 10.4 per cent over the first six months of 2003, compared to that of the corresponding period of last year, when the economic growth rate was 9.2 per cent, Kazakhstani Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov declared. `The results of the first six months are obviously encouraging for us. At the same time the economy has not yet entered the stage of sustainable development,` Akhmetov pointed out at a government meeting, attended by the President, on Thursday, August 7.
Frontera To Begin Drilling At Fields In Georgia In October
Radio Free Europe
Tbilisi, August 8: The U.S. oil company Frontera Resources and its partners - the Chinese companies GAC Energy and Tuha Oil - plans to start drilling at fields in the Dedoplistskaroi region in eastern Georgia at the start of October this year, a source in the Georgian presidential press service told Interfax. The source noted that management from the U.S. and Chinese companies met with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze on Wednesday to discuss the development of oil fields in Georgia.
Kazakhstan To Increase Oil Export Through Russia By 2 Million Tonnes In 2003
Interfax
Moscow, August 7: Kazakhstan intends to increase the transit of oil through Russia by 2.2 million tonnes this year. The minutes of the meeting of the Russian government commission on the use of trunk pipeline show that Kazakhstan is planning to reduce the transit of oil through Ukraine by the same amount. The commission has asked the Russian energy minister and the company Transneft to consider the possibility of the transit of Kazakh oil by August 10 and submit proposals on this issue.
Uzbekistan Wants Gazprom Involved In Developing Uzbek Gas Fields
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, August 6: Uzbekistan wants the Russian gas firm Gazprom to help develop its natural-gas deposits, Uzbek President Islam Karimov told a press conference at the end of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand on 6 August, RIA-Novosti, uzreport.com, and other Uzbek and Russian news agencies reported. Putin told the press conference that among the topics covered in nearly three hours of talks were possible cooperation in energy, aircraft construction, and light industry. He added that the Russian government is ready to back Gazprom`s activities in Uzbekistan, including the expansion of the gas-pipeline network.
Azerbaijan To Receive $120 Mln From ADB In 2004-2006
Interfax
Baku, August 6: Azerbaijan can expect to receive $120 million in loans from the Asia Development Bank in 2004- 2006, a spokesman for the country`s finance minister told Interfax. The credit program envisages loans of $40 million per year, of which $20 million will be easy term loans and $20 million commercial, the source said. The program is currently being approved with the bank.
Group To Study Kazakh Oil Export Via Idle Ukraine Pipeline
Uzbek Daily
Houston, August 5: Kazakhstan and Ukraine are examining the possibility of using a recently built, but still idle oil pipeline through Ukraine as an export pipeline for Kazakh oil, reports Dow Jones Business News. Built by the Ukraine government in 2001 to transport Caspian oil to European markets, the 9 million tonne/year pipeline line extends from Odessa on the Black Sea to Brody in Ukraine. Kazakhstan`s Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said on July 30 that the two nations would form a working group to examine the feasibility of using the pipeline, which is not yet operable because of a lack of users. `The Kazakh government considers the Odessa-Brody link to be a viable alternative for Kazakhstan`s oil,` a ministry spokesman said. Ukraine`s oil transportation company, Ukrtransnafta, formed in June 2001 to operate Ukraine`s three pipelines, is said to be currently negotiating with the Swiss Capital Group and Drake Group over forming a consortium to operate the pipeline, according to Ukrtransnafta director Oleksandr Todiychuk, who told a press conference July 19 that the company plans to involve some experienced foreign firms in this project as well.
US$85 Million Project Begins For Revival Of Aral Sea
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 5: After nearly half a century of studying and deploring the drying up of the Aral Sea, one of the worldīs greatest environmental disasters, an international agency is building a dike to resuscitate part of the sea, New York Times reported. There is broad agreement that it is impossible to return the sea level to its pre-1960 level, 72 feet higher than it is now. That was before the rivers that fed it were diverted to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. The World Bank is financing the next best option, US$85 million project to revive the northern part of the sea, known as the Small Sea, while giving up on the largely dead Big Sea to the south. Work on the project, an eight-mile dike, started here last month. Officials expect three miles to be completed by 31 December, with the rest to be finished next year, Yuri Ponomarev, the site manager for the main contractor, from Moscow, said in an interview here.
Six Pharmaceutical Plants Halted In Uzbekistan Over Poor Sales
Interfax
Tashkent, August 5: Six pharmaceutical plants have come to a standstill in Uzbekistan after showing poor performance in the sale of their products, the agency running the country`s pharmaceutical industry has said. These plants include Tashkent`s Uzkhimfarm, the industry`s largest enterprise, while six other plants, among them several with partial foreign capital, may stop production at any moment, a source in the Uzfarmprom agency told Interfax.
Uzbek Top Banker Confirms Currency Convertibility On Track
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 4: Deputy chairman of the Uzbek central bank, Shukhrat Toshmurodov, has confirmed in a TV interview that the Uzbek government will ensure the convertibility of the national currency on current transactions by the end of 2003. In an interview with Uzbek TVīs weekly Tahlilnoma news programme, Toshmurodov stated that multiple exchange rates have been unified as part of the requirements laid down by the IMF. `As of today, the exchange rates of the official and parallel markets have been unified. As for the lifting of restrictions, those which currently exist in our legislation are to be lifted soon,` Toshmurodov suggested.
ADB Holds Conference On Trade And Transport In Central And South Asia
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, August 3: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) held a conference on 2-3 August at its Manila headquarters for transportation and trade ministers from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to promote economic cooperation in Central and South Asia, uzreport.com reported on 3 August. Iran took part as an observer. According to the report, the conference ended with the signing of a protocol on specific actions to be taken in cooperation with the ADB to improve transport and trade within the region, with the ultimate goal of reducing poverty. The conference participants also agreed to establish a Central and South Asia Transport and Trade Forum to promote discussion and action on regional transport and trade issues.
Nazarbayev Opens New Refinery At Massive Oil Field
Turkish Daily News
Almaty, August 3: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Friday opened a new oil refinery at the country`s largest oil field, part of the country`s drive to become one of the world`s leading oil exporters. The new refinery in the western Kazakh oil field Karachaganak is funded by an international consortium that includes ChevronTexaco, BG Group, Eni and Lukoil. The refinery is capable of handling up to 7 million metric tons (7.72 U.S. tons) of oil a year. Nazarbayev said a gas refinery is also being built at the site and should be completed by this fall.
Kyrgyzstan May Obstruct Ukraine`s Accession To WTO If Debts Are Not Paid
Interfax
Bishkek, August 8: If Ukraine fails to pay its debt to Kyrgyzstan, totalling about $27 million, Kyrgyzstan will object to its admission to the World Trade Organization, Andrei Iordan, an advisor to the Kyrgyz prime minister, told Interfax on Friday. As Kyrgyzstan is the sole CIS nation that has been admitted to the WTO, Ukraine or any other CIS country cannot be admitted without Kyrgyzstan`s approval, he said. On the other hand, `Kyrgyzstan is prepared to be paid in cash or in kind, in particular in facilities built in Kyrgyzstan by Ukraine. However, Ukraine has not officially admitted the existence of this debt,` Iordan said.
Littoral States To Continue Talks On Caspian Sea Status
IRNA
Baku, August 8: A meeting of foreign ministers of Caspian states is planned for the end of this year or the beginning of 2004, the Russian president`s envoy to talks on the status of the Caspian Sea, Viktor Kalyuzhny, told Itar-Tass. He has come to Azerbaijan`s capital Baku from Astrakhan with a delegation of the Volga region`s cities to attend the international conference `The Great Volga Way` opening under the auspices of the United Nations. As for the meeting of the foreign ministers of the littoral states, at which a draft convention of the status of the Caspian Sea, the Russian diplomat said it could be held in the first half of 2004. `Now we are working on this document alone,` Kalyuzhny said. He said the talks of working groups at the level of deputy foreign ministers `are going positively, considering the frequency of their meetings`.
German Defence Minister To Visit Uzbekistan On Sunday
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 8: Federal Defence Minister of Germany Peter Schtruk will pay a short visit to Uzbekistan on 10 August. According to German Embassy in Tashkent, Schtruk will hold negotiations with his Uzbek counterpart Kadyr Gulyamov. On 11 August he will leave for Kabul, Afghanistan, to participate in the process of handing over of the command over peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan from Germany and the Netherlands to NATO.
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Start Border Demarcation
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, August 7: Having agreed on the delimitation of their common frontier after four years of work, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are starting the procedure of actually marking the border, khabar.kz reported on 7 August. The process of setting up markers on the 1,251-kilometer border is expected to take 18 months. According to khabar.kz, the presidents of the two countries agreed in late 2002 that no barbed wire or fences would be used. According to `Ekspress-K` on 6 August, some questions remain about the placing of markers in villages that straddle the border.
OSCE And Kyrgyzstan Sign Agreement On Implementing First Major Police Assistance Programme
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, August 7: The Kyrgyz Government has signed a key agreement today with the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, launching a comprehensive OSCE police assistance programme aimed at establishing community policing, improving the quality of criminal investigation and strengthening the emergency response capacity of the police force. `This is a first step in establishing a dynamic and transparent partnership between the OSCE and the police of Kyrgyzstan,` said Ambassador Aydin Idil, Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, at a ceremony with the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Nikolai Tanaev. The signing of this formal Memorandum of Understanding took place during a visit to Bishkek by the Organization`s Senior Police Adviser, Richard Monk, who is head of the Strategic Police Matters Unit in Vienna, which will assist with the implementation of the various projects by the OSCE Centre, in co-operation with the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry.
Putin Appoints New Head Of Uzbek-Russian Commission
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 7: Russian President Vladimir Putin received Deputy Prime Minister Boris Alyoshin, after returning from Samarkand. Russian leader appointed Alyoshin as head of the Russian-Uzbek intergovernmental commission for trade and economic relations. Putin informed Alyoshin that he had told Uzbek President Islam Karimov about Russiaīs proposals for commission operations. `We spoke about this with the Uzbek president. I told him about our proposals and he will be pleased if they materialise,` he said. The president asked Alyoshin to actively joint efforts to form the commission.
Putin, Karimov Discuss Gas And Terror
The Moscow Times
Samarkand, August 6: Russia and Uzbekistan agreed Wednesday to boost cooperation on gas pipelines as President Vladimir Putin paid his first visit to the country since it became a key U.S. ally in the war on terror. Uzbek President Islam Karimov hosted Putin for a one-day working visit in the legendary Silk Road town of Samarkand, the 14th-century capital of Tamerlane`s empire and Karimov`s hometown. The two leaders talked for about three hours, covering a wide range of issues including economic relations, the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan and terrorism. Gazprom has recently signed long-term cooperation deals with the Uzbek state gas company, and Karimov on Wednesday expressed strong support for strengthening ties with Russia.
Ukrainian Government Has Approved A Draft Agreement Between Kazakhstan And Ukraine On Supplies Of Kazakhstani
Central Asia Daily
Kiev, August 6: The Ukrainian government has approved a draft agreement between Kazakhstan and Ukraine on supplies of Kazakhstani oil to Ukraine. The agreement is to be signed by Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Minister Sergey Yermilov. Speaking at a news conference Yermilov said that Kazakhstan was rapidly scaling up its oil output. According to him, at first Kazakhstan would supply Ukraine with 8m tons of oil a year. The agreement also envisages that both parties will intensify collaboration in oil transportation technologies, ensure free-access, safe and continuous transit of oil through a system of backbone oil pipelines of both countries, RBC reports.
Azerbaijan Welcomes Iran`s Economic Assistance
IRNA
Baku, August 6: Azeri Minister of Economic Development Farhad Aliyev here on Wednesday appreciated Iran` economic assistance to his country. In a meeting with Head of Iran`s Customs Administration and Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Massoud Karbasian he said the Iran has always assisted Azerbaijan on various issue, including establishing ties between Nakhichevan and Baku, customs facilities and transportation affairs . Commending Iran on its interest in Azerbaijan`s security and stability, he added, `I am confident that economy and trade relations between Tehran and Baku will strengthen in the future.` He further highlighted Iran`s dlrs 40 million loan and dlrs two million grant for upgrading of the Azerbaijan roads as `significant`. Karbasian called the visit by the Azeri President Heidar Aliyev to Iran last year as a turning point in bilateral ties.
Karimov Says Uzbekistan Wants To Work With Gazprom
Interfax
Samarkand, August 6: Uzbek President Islam Karimov said his country wants Gazprom to explore Uzbek oil and gas deposits and would like it to be the pipeline operator. `Uzbekistan is definitely interested not only in Gazprom coming to our deposits, but also in Gazprom being the pipeline operator in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan,` Karimov told a news conference on Wednesday following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand. Karimov said one of the most important issues addressed during the negotiations was oil and gas cooperation.
Iran Calls On Azerbaijan To Serve As Bridge Between Russia, India
IRNA
Baku, August 6: Head of Iran`s Customs Administration Masood Karbasian said here Wednesday that Iran and Azerbaijan, as two countries sharing common borders and age-old ties, can serve as a bridge between Russia and India in line with North-South corridor. Karbasian further told his Azeri counterpart Kamaluddin Heidarev that Iran and Azerbaijan, as two members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), can have close cooperation within the framework of the organization.
Russian President Visits Uzbekistan
Press Agency Uzbekistan
Tashkent, August 6: On August 6 Russian President V.Putin paid a working visit to Uzbekistan. The two presidents discussed bilateral relations and international problems.
Iranīs Ambassador Hossein Naraqhian On Uzbek-Iran Relations
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 5: The visit of Uzbek President Islam Karimov to Iran in mid-June 2003 opened a new page in Uzbek-Iranian relations, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Uzbekistan Hossein Naraqhian told BVV Business Report. The visit of the Uzbek leader to Tehran strengthened bilateral confidence and served the development of relations of the two countries in all spheres, Ambassador Naraqhian said. The diplomat noted that the ministries and departments of Uzbekistan and Iran were developing projects aimed at implementing agreements signed in Tehran by Uzbek and Iranian officials. Hossein Naraqhian said that President Karimovīs visit to Tehran was also aimed at development of relations of Uzbekistan and Iran with the neighbouring Afghanistan. The three countries agreed to create a corridor which will allow landlocked Uzbekistan, as well as other Central Asian nations, to access sea ports of Iran and further Europe. The corridor will pass from Termez to Herat and Mazar-e Sharif to Iran.
Russian President To Visit Only Samarkand
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 5: Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit only Samarkand during his trip to Uzbekistan, which starts on 6 August 2003. According to Turkiston Press quoting Russian Embassy in Tashkent, Putin will familiarise with historic monuments and meet Uzbek leader Islam Karimov in the city. During the talks between two heads, it is expected to discuss state and perspectives of bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and Russia, as well as international problems of mutual interest.
Uzbek Envoy To China Presents Credentials
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 5: New Uzbek Ambassador to China Nosir Yusupov presented credential to Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of the People on 4 August. Uzbek President appointed Yusopov as an envoy to China in June. Earlier Yusupov held post of Minister of Agriculture and Water Management.
Guliyev: Azerbaijan Should Settle Regional Conflict For Integration To EU
Baku Today
Baku, August 4: The regional conflicts in South Caucasus should be settled out for Azerbaijan to integrate to European Union. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vilayat Guliev, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, made such statement at the meeting with Heikki Talvitie, special spokesman for EU in South Caucasus. He said the international organizations should deal with Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict for its peaceful resolution. He called on international community to remove current status-quo and noted EU has corresponding mechanisms and influence to change the present situation. Guliev estimated the violations of cease-fire regime by Armenia and destructive statements, made by its officials, as an effort to worsen social-political situation.
US Withholds Criticism Of Newly Appointed Azerbaijani PM
Voice of America
Washington DC, August 4: The United States has declined to criticize the installation of the son of Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev as the country`s new Prime Minister and, potentially, the next president in the event of his father`s incapacitation. But the State Department said it hopes Ilham Aliyev will help reform the Central Asian country`s electoral system. The State Department had been strongly critical of the constitutional referendum last year that made Monday`s political scenario in Azerbaijan possible. But it is withholding criticism of Ilham Aliyev`s confirmation as prime minister by the parliament in Baku and said the United States looks forward to working with him as he assumes his new duties.
Conference On Cooperation In Central, South Asia Ends
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 3: Ministers from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and representatives of ADB signed a protocol outlining concrete actions designed to improve economic cooperation in transport and trade among the countries of Central and South Asia. The Government of Iran participated as an observer. The protocol, signed at the close of the two-day Ministerial Conference on Transport and Trade Cooperation in Central and South Asia, marks a firm commitment by each government and ADB to work together to improve transport links and trade in the region.
Kazakh Police Detains Uzbek Woman With Nearly 1 Kg Heroin
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 7: Officers from the transport policeīs department for fighting drugs have detained a female Uzbek citizen for possession of heroin at the Shymkent, the centre of South Kazakhstan Region railway station, the Kazakh Interior Ministryīs press service has told the Kazakhstan Today news agency. According to the police officers, the woman, born in 1960, was detained on a platform of the railway station. A total of 796 g of heroin was found when the woman was body searched.
About 4.5 Tonnes Of Drugs Seized In Tajikistan In 2003
Interfax
Dushanbe, August 5: A UN report has said that Tajikistan ranks among the world`s top five in terms of the amount of heroin and raw opium seized every year. `Operations against the illegal turnover of drugs in Tajikistan provide a strong barrier to drug transit from Afghanistan to Central Asia, Russia and Europe,` the Tajik Drugs Control Agency said in a release circulated on Monday. In the first half of 2003, 4,379 kilograms of opium-group drugs (heroin and raw opium) were seized in Tajikistan. During the same period, 275 kilograms of opium-group drugs were seized in Kazakhstan, 201 kilograms in Uzbekistan and 87 kilograms in Kyrgyzstan.
IAEA To Fund Search For Radiation Sources In Pankisi Gorge
Interfax
Tbilisi, August 7: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is to fund an expedition of experts from the Georgian Radiation Safety Service to check for sources of radiation in the Pankisi Gorge. On August 15, 25 Georgian experts will set out to the Pankisi Gorge for two weeks. They will have all the necessary equipment, including a mobile laboratory, a gift from the German government, Service chief Iosif Kakushadze told Interfax on Thursday. The expedition will most likely find caesium-137 capsules, which Soviet troops used in their radiation meters. Dozens of similar capsules have been discovered and neutralized in different parts of Georgia in recent years. A few years ago, eleven border guards received a strong doze of radiation from capsules left behind by a Soviet chemical regiment.
Kyrgyz Ombudsman Reports On Work Over Past Two Months
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, August 2: Kyrgyz Ombudsman Tursunbai Bakir-uulu gave a report on 1 August on the work of his office in June and July, a period of severe financial crisis for the office (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 17 June and 25 July 2003). According to an akipress.org report posted the same day, Bakir-uulu said that in the two-month period his office received 2,246 complaints from citizens, 1,244 of which were accepted for investigation. Five hundred ninety-three persons visited the office and 353 had had oral consultations with the staff. The ombudsman also said he launched an investigation of the Djalal-Abad Oblast hospital, in which the authorities tried to interfere, and said he discovered that a private automobile repair shop had been set up at the Osh Oblast psychiatric hospital.
Special Focus
Azerbaijani Opposition Leader Voices Concern Over Potential For Confrontation In BakuIsa Gambar, head of the Musavat Party and one of Heidar Aliyev`s most prominent critics, told EurasiaNet that he expects pressure to build on the Azerbaijani opposition in the coming weeks and months. He adds that the risk of a political confrontation is rising in Baku.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/qanda/articles/eav080403.shtml
Ilham Aliyev`s Appointment As Azerbaijan`s PM Sets Stage For Dynastic Transition
Azerbaijan`s parliament on August 4 approved the appointment of ailing President Heidar Aliyev`s son, Ilham, as prime minister. The move, denounced by an opposition leader as a `usurpation of power,` clears the way for a dynastic-style transfer of power in the oil-rich Caucasus nation.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav080403.shtmlAttention In Azerbaijan Fixes On Ilham Aliyev`s Political Staying Power
Now that Ilham Aliyev has become Azerbaijan`s prime minister, setting in motion a long planned political transition, perhaps the most asked question in Baku today is whether President Heidar Aliyev`s son possesses the skills and charisma to last at the top of the country`s political pyramid.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav080503.shtmlKyrgyzstan Struggles To Stem Smuggling
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan agreed on August 1 to improve coordination of border enforcement as a way to lessen the threat of terrorist incursions. However, the countries have made little headway on efforts to fight smuggling.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav080503.shtmlInvestigation: Kyrgyz `Slaves` On Kazakh Plantations
Migrants from Kyrgyzstan who take jobs on Kazakh farms find they are trapped into cheap labour with no rights. Thousands of seasonal workers travel from Kyrgyzstan every year to take manual jobs on tobacco plantations in Kazakhstan.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/rca/rca_200308_222_1_eng.txtAliyev Keeps Azerbaijan In The Family
In the field of statecraft, `royal republics` have been a trend of recent history. Beloved by undemocratic regimes in Asia (North Korea), the Middle East (Syria) and Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo), the ageing presidents of these countries have had their `eligible` sons carry the torch against their respective peoples` wishes.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EH07Ag02.htmlAzerbaijani President Seeks Medical Treatment In US, Amid Building Tension In Baku
Ailing Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev departed a Turkish hospital August 6 for ongoing treatment in the United States. The move comes amid escalating tension in Baku over the elevation of the president`s son, Ilham, to prime minister, and the looming possibility of a dynastic political succession.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav080603.shtmlIllicit Traders Work The Georgia-turkey Shuttle
Illegitimate trade comprises up to four-fifths of Georgia`s economy, with many vendors and goods crossing Georgia`s border with Turkey. While smuggling continues, Georgia and Turkey remain far from agreement on tariff and trade policies that would promote open interstate commerce.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav080603.shtmlRussia Backs Dynastic Political Succession Scenario In Azerbaijan
Russian policy makers are solidly backing Azerbaijan`s political transition process, viewing the impending transfer of power from President Heidar Aliyev to his son Ilham as offering the best chances of maintaining political stability in the resource-rich nation. Moscow also feels an intra-family succession could help avert competition in the Caucasus between Russia and the United States.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav080703a.shtml
Report Dated 8 August 2003