Turkmen President Elected Chairman Of People`s Assembly
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, August 15: On 15 August, the second day of the Halk Maslahaty session, the assembly adopted President Niyazov`s proposed change in the status of the body itself, according to turkmenistan.ru. In future the Halk Maslahaty is to remain in permanent session. Previously it met only once a year. Niyazov was elected chairman of the assembly. The chairman of parliament, Ovezgeldi Ataev, was elected Niyazov`s deputy.
Azerbaijan Leader Cynical Of Democracy
Central Asia Daily
Baku, August 15: Azerbaijan`s newly appointed prime minister and the man expected to be its next president said Friday it would be `naive` to believe his country could be a perfect democracy, but vowed the government will do its best to ensure upcoming presidential elections are free and fair. In an interview with The Associated Press, Ilham Aliyev said the health problems of his father, President Heidar Aliyev, could catapult him to the presidency sooner than he would like. Both Aliyev`s are on the ballot for October`s election, but Ilham Aliyev says he registered as a candidate only to assist in the campaign of his 80-year-old father, who has been hospitalized in Turkey and then in Cleveland since July 8. On Friday, the younger Aliyev said he would remain on the ballot and his father would withdraw his candidacy `only if his physical condition will not allow him to run.` However, Aliyev said he was optimistic his father would emerge victorious from both his illness and the election.
Four More Presidential Hopefuls Refused Registration In Azerbaijan
Radio Free Europe
Baku, August 15: At its 14 August session, Azerbaijan`s Central Election Commission (CEC) voted against formally approving four applications for registration to contest the presidential election scheduled for 15 October on the grounds that the candidates concerned failed to submit the required minimum 45,000 valid signatures in their support, Turan and zerkalo.az reported on 14 and 15 August, respectively. The four are Civic Solidarity Party Chairman Sabir Rustamkhanli; Modern Musavat Party leader Hafiz Hadjiev; Social-Democratic Party co-Chairman Araz Alizade; and National Congress Party Chairman Ikhtiyar Shirin. The CEC did, however, finally approve the registration of Lala Shovket Gadjieva, who was found to have submitted fewer than 45,000 valid signatures, after she agreed to forfeit her 165 million manat ($33,725) deposit.
Kyrgyzstan To Remove Monument To Lenin From Central Square
Pravda
Bishkek, August 15: Kyrgyzstan is beginning to dismantle a monument to the leader of the world`s proletariat, Vladimir Lenin, which stands in the central square of Bishkek, the capital of this Central Asian republic. Aiming to change symbols decorating the central square, authorities ordered to remove the monument, reported the republic`s cabinet of ministers.
Azerbaijan To Vote In Presidential Elections As Scheduled
Interfax
Baku, August 15: Presidential elections will be held in Azerbaijan on October 15 according to schedule, the country`s Constitutional Court ruled on Friday. The country`s Prosecutor General`s Office had asked the court to interpret Article 179.1 of the Elections Code. Under the article, `if the president ceases to perform his duties before the deadline specified by the Constitution, presidential elections will be held early. If this happens after the date of scheduled presidential elections is specified, early presidential elections will be scheduled.`
Azeri PM May Withdraw Presidential Candidacy In Favour Of His Father
Turkish Daily News
Ankara, August 15: Azerbaijan`s newly appointed Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev, a former first vice president of the state oil company, said he may withdraw his candidacy for the presidential elections in favour of his ailing father. Both Aliyev`s are on the ballot for the Oct. 15 presidential elections. However, Ilham Aliyev has insisted he has registered as a candidate only to work more actively for his father`s campaign.
Heidar Aliyev To Run For Azerbaijani Presidency If His Health Improves - Son
Interfax
Moscow, August 15: Ilham Aliyev`s father, Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev, will run in the upcoming presidential elections if his health allows. Ilham Aliyev, the country`s prime minister, made this statement in an interview with Moscow`s Izvestiya newspaper . `His life is his work. For this reason, he will make this decision on his own. Nobody, especially his family, will try to influence him. I think that if his health allows (and I hope that it will), he will run for president. If his health deteriorates, we will wait and see,` he said. Asked whether his own candidacy will prevail if his father agrees to take a long rest, Ilham Aliyev said: `Yes, it looks that way.`
Annual People`s Assembly Opens In Turkmenistan
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, August 14: The annual session of Turkmenistan`s Halk Maslahaty (People`s Assembly) -- according to the constitution the country`s highest body of power -- opened in the Caspian port of Turkmenbashi on 14 August with a lengthy report by President Saparmurat Niyazov, turkmenistan.ru and all Turkmen and numerous Russian media reported the same day. A main point on the agenda of the session is the approval of Niyazov`s program for the socio-economic development of the country up to 2020. As part of the program, the president called for participants in the session to pass into law his practice since 1993 of supplying free gas, electricity, and water to the country`s citizens. Niyazov promised that, beginning in 2005, salaries will double every five years.
Activists React To Journalist`s Conviction
Kazakhstan News
Ankara, August 14: Human rights activists in Uzbekistan have expressed varying views on the conviction on Wednesday of Ruslan Sharipov, an openly gay Uzbek journalist. While some of them said that the trial had been politically motivated, others believed that he had been convicted according to the law. `It is a political case,` Vasilya Inoyatova, the head of the E`zgulik Human-Rights Society of Uzbekistan, told IRIN from the capital, Tashkent. She noted that whereas he had been charged with sodomy, the article concerning this offence was rarely acted upon in the country, and if the authorities considered that they could charge someone with sodomy, then many people in Uzbekistan could be brought to court on the same charge. So, although he had broken Uzbek law, she felt the authorities were going too far. `This is simply the vengeance of the police,` she asserted, adding that the police had taken revenge on him for his critical publications. But Mikhail Ardzinov, the head of the Independent Human Rights Organisation of Uzbekistan, disagreed, saying that Sharipov had been convicted accordance to the law.
Former Soviet Kyrgyz Party Officials Receive Privileges
Interfax
Bishkek, August 14: Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev has signed into law a bill on government guarantees to individual categories of former party leaders of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic. The presidential press service told Interfax on Thursday that the Legislative Assembly passed the bill in June. `It will apply to the heads of the Kyrgyz Soviet Communist Party who held their posts for no less than five years, as well as their families,` the press service said.
Turkmenbashi May Step Down - When He Hits 70
MSNBC
Ashgabat, August 14: Flamboyant Turkmen leader Saparmurat Niyazov, who is officially president for life, said on Thursday he might, all the same, step down by the end of the decade. The strongman leader, the object of a quasi-religious personality cult in his gas-rich Central Asian nation, told the People`s Council he was ready to leave his post before 2010 when he would turn 70, the age limit for presidency. `The destiny of the nation should not all the time depend on one single person,` he told the broad gathering of 2,500 parliamentary deputies, government officials and grey-bearded elders in this Caspian Sea port renamed after one of his titles.
Democratic Party Attempts To Protest Azerbaijani Central Election Commission
Interfax
Baku, August 13: The Baku police on Wednesday thwarted an attempt made by the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan to hold an unsanctioned protest in front of the Central Election Commission building. Seven party activists were arrested, Interfax has learned. Some 15 activists of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan tried to walk to the Central Election Commission building, shouting slogans supporting their leader, Rasul Guliyev, but were stopped by the police. The party later conducted a second protest, which was sanctioned, in front of the Supreme Court building.
Kazakh Activist Says Opposition Leaders Being Pressurised By Authorities
Radio Free Europe
Astana, August 12: The head of the Kazakhstan`s International Bureau for Human Rights, Yevgenii Zhovtis, has issued a statement claiming that the Kazakh authorities are putting pressure on imprisoned opposition figures Galymzhan Zhaqiyanov and Sergei Duvanov, possibly to force them to seek pardons, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 12 August.
Ilham Aliyev Says His Father`s Treatment Is On Track
Turkish Daily News
Ankara, August 12: Azerbaijan`s President Heidar Aliyev is undergoing treatment in Cleveland Clinic, the United States, and his treatment is on track, though it is not yet clear when he is returning to Baku, his son Ilham Aliyev said. The 80-year-old president was brought to the United States last week after spending a month in a Turkish military hospital in Ankara. He has not appeared in public, fuelling rumours and media reports that he was already dead.
Azerbaijani Premier Insists His Appointment Was Constitutional
Radio Free Europe
Baku, August 11: Prime Minister Aliyev told journalists in Baku on 11 August that opposition complaints that his appointment as prime minister violates the country`s constitution are without foundation, Turan and Interfax reported. `Everything was done within the framework of the constitution,` Aliyev said, adding that his experience as first deputy president of the state oil company SOCAR qualifies him for the post of premier. Aliyev also said that his father`s health is `improving,` Turan reported.
Azerbaijanis Protest PM Appointment
BigNews Network
Baku, August 10: Pressure is mounting in Azerbaijan for the resignation of Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev, who is also the son of the country`s president. A 10,000-strong crowd protested Saturday in the capital, Baku, asking the prime minister to step down, the BBC reported. Parliament last week approved the appointment announced by his seriously ill father, President Heidar Aliyev. The approval paves the way for Ilham Aliyev to succeed his 80-year-old father, which opponents reject. They want free elections.
Azeri Court Asked To Change Election Law
The Moscow Times
Baku, August 10: Azeri President Heidar Aliyev`s government wants to cancel a provision in the electoral code that would automatically postpone presidential elections if the ailing president resigned or became incapacitated. The Constitutional Court agreed Friday to consider a request by the Prosecutor General`s Office that would ensure that the Oct. 15 presidential election goes ahead as planned, the state information agency Azertaj reported. Analysts and opposition groups said Saturday that the proposed change reflects the government`s confidence that Aliyev`s son Ilham is already well-placed to succeed his father as president.
Two More Presidential Candidates Approved In Azerbaijan
Radio Free Europe
Baku, August 9: Azerbaijan`s Central Election Commission formally registered two further presidential candidates on 8 August, raising the total number to seven, Turan reported on 9 August (see `RFE/RL Caucasus Report,` 8 August 2003). The two most recent candidates to be registered are Adolet party Chairman and former Prosecutor-General Ilyas Ismailov and National Unity Party Chairman Yunus Oghuz.
Azerbaijani Opposition Protests Imposition Of Monarchy
Radio Free Europe
Baku, August 9: Opposition parties convened a mass protest in Baku on 9 August against the appointment of President Aliyev`s son Ilham as prime minister, Turan reported. Estimates of the number of participants ranged from 3,000, according to Baku police; to 10,000, according to dpa; or even 20,000, according to the organizers. Opposition party leaders condemned Ilham Aliyev`s appointment as a reversion to the Middle Ages or to ancient Rome, according to Turan.
Anti-Terror Exercises Only A First Step
The Moscow Times
Moscow, August 14: Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- which include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- on Tuesday completed their first-ever joint anti-terrorism exercises, in Kazakhstan and then in Yili of the Xinjiang autonomous region of China. The two-phase, six-day military manoeuvres were an important occasion in the SCO`s brief history and an indication that the organization has finally left the drawing board and is moving into the second phase of its development. When the SCO was first established in June 2001, there was great expectation that the regional bloc would be a vital actor in dealing with issues in Central Asia. Originally a multilateral mechanism aimed at stabilizing the border regions between China and the former Soviet Union through confidence-building measures and the reduction of military forces, the Shanghai Five -- as it was known at the time -- has since moved toward taking on combating cross-border terrorist activities as one of its key tasks.
Iran Concerned By US, Azerbaijani Caspian Naval Exercises
Radio Free Europe
Tehran, August 14: A spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in Baku, Ezatollah Jalali, expressed concern on 14 August over the U.S.-Azerbaijani naval exercises in the Caspian Sea that began the previous day, Interfax reported. Azerbaijan`s Defence Minister Colonel General Safar Abiev told journalists on 13 August the objective of the exercises `is the protection of our oil fields against terrorist attacks and other emergencies.` The Iranian spokesman, however, argued that the participation of other countries in such exercises is unnecessary as the five Caspian littoral states (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Russia) have agreed to resolve all regional issues without soliciting the input of other countries.
Tajik Defence Minister Denies Stories Of US Payoff
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, August 14: Tajikistan Defence Minister Colonel General Sherali Khairulloev has denied reports in the Russian and Central Asian media that the United States has offered Tajikistan a credit of $1 billion if the country will reject a Russian plan to establish a full-scale military base there, Asia-Plus Blitz reported on 14 August, quoting the Defence Ministry`s press service. The U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan, Franklin Huddle, denied the story in a published letter to a Russian military journal.
Struggle Against Terrorists Being Thrashed Out During Russian-Tajik Exercises
Pravda
Moscow, August 14: The methods of blocking and liquidating a large group of terrorists in Tajik district bordering on Afghanistan, who penetrated the republic from the south, will be thrashed out during the Russian-Tajik exercises. RIA Novosti was told on Thursday at the press service of the Tajik defence ministry that the first stage of joint command-staff exercises of the 201st motor rifle division of the Russian Federation and the power structures of Tajikistan began at Lyaur testing ground, 10 km to the south-west of Dushanbe. Taking part in the manoeuvres are also the motor rile regiment of the 201st motor rile division and formations of the Tajik armed forces. The manoeuvres are controlled by commander of the 201st motor rile division major-general of the Russian Federation Yuri Perminov.
Uzbek Armed Forces Hold Drill On Uzbek-Turkmen Border
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 13: Specialised subdivisions of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan are holding operative-tactic exercises in the mountainous areas of Kashkadarya region. According to Uzbek TV´s Akhborot programme, the drill is aimed to improvement of skills of staff in conduction of operation in mountains and studying of the area that borders with Turkmenistan. During the exercises, subdivisions of Internal Forces with border guards and operative forces will strengthen methods of joint operation in difficult conditions, the report said.
Georgia Invites UN To Resume Kodori Gorge Patrolling
Interfax
Tbilisi, August 13: Georgia has officially invited the UN to resume the monitoring of Abkhazia`s volatile Kodori gorge, Georgian Minister without Portfolio Malkhaz Kakabadze said on Wednesday. `Georgia is ready to provide full security guarantees to UN military observers in case the monitoring is resumed,` Kakabadze told Interfax-Military News Agency.
Foreign Advisors To Help Georgia In Border Accommodation
Interfax
Tbilisi, August 13: Advisors from Germany and the U.S. who arrived in Georgia to work out recommendations for the national border guard service reform have left for the border to study the situation all along its perimeter. `The German and U.S. border experts who are instructed by their national governments to provide assistance to Georgia in reforming its border guard agency have started studying the situation all along the state border perimeter,` a source in the Georgian State Border Guard Agency told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday.
Uzbek President Receives US General John Abizaid
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 13: US Armed Forces Central Command Chief Lt Gen John Abizaid discussed security cooperation with senior Uzbek officials on 13 August as part of his familiarisation tour of Central Asia. Uzbekistan`s President Islam Karimov received John Abizaid at his presidential residence Oqsaroy on 13 August. Welcoming John Abizaid´s visit, Islam Karimov said that the Uzbek government was interested not only in military and technical cooperation with the USA, but also in cooperation in the social, economic, political, cultural, and educational fields. Overall, the government is interested in developing comprehensive relations in various areas of society´s life, he said. During the meeting, the sides discussed the present situation in Afghanistan and Iraq, rebuilding these countries, and also maintaining regional security, developing cooperation between Uzbekistan and the USA in the military and technical fields, cooperation in personnel training, and other issues of interest to the sides.
US Centcom Chief Visits Kyrgyzstan
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, August 12: The new chief of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General John Abizaid, met with Kyrgyz First Deputy Defence Minister Alik Mamyrkulov and National Security Council Secretary Misir Ashirkulov on 12 August to discuss cooperation in preparing the Kyrgyz armed forces for peacekeeping activities, kabar.kg, Interfax, and RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service reported.
Russia Wants To Build Military Base In Tajikistan
Interfax
Moscow, August 12: Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov has confirmed Russia`s plans to set up a military base in Tajikistan and preserve its Norek fiber-optic system. `We would like to establish a military base in Tajikistan and man it with servicemen from the 201st Motorized Rifle Division stationed there. In addition to this, we are committed to preserving the Norek complex,` Ivanov told journalists in Moscow on Tuesday. The defence minister added that the creation of a military base will proceed in parallel with building Tajikistan`s military infrastructure. He said that the Foreign Ministry, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry and the Finance Ministry are holding negotiations with Tajik officials.
New U.S. Central Command Chief Meets With Tajik President
Interfax
Dushanbe, August 12: Regional security and the situation in Afghanistan dominated the agenda of a Monday evening meeting between Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov and head of the U.S. Central Command Gen. John Abizaid. Abizaid, who has recently replaced Gen. Tommy Franks at this post, told Tajik television that his Central Asia tour, whose itinerary includes Tajikistan, is a get-to-know trip. He arrived in Dushanbe to introduce himself to the Tajik president.
Azerbaijan To Send Peacekeepers To Iraq On August 3
Interfax
Baku, August 12: One hundred fifty Azerbaijani peacekeepers, including 120 soldiers and 30 officers, will leave for Iraq on August 13, Azerbaijan`s Defence Ministry told Interfax on Tuesday. Azerbaijani peacekeepers will serve in the predominantly Turkmen towns of Kirkuk, Najaf and Kerbala, and will guard Muslim holy sites and vital facilities. They will be attached to the American contingent. Ramiz Nadzhafov, the head of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry`s Department for Military Cooperation, earlier said that the U.S. will bear related expenses of $3.5 million.
New Commander-in-Chief Of The US Army`s Central Command Pays An Official Visit To Kyrgyzstan
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, August 12: A new Commander-in-Chief of the US Army`s Central Command General John P. Abizaid pays an official visit to Kyrgyzstan. He met today with Chairman of the General Headquarters, First Deputy Defence Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic colonel Alik Mamyrkulov. According to the press service of the Kyrgyz Defence Ministry, the parties discussed during the meeting issues of further military cooperation between the two departments and problems of security in the world and region. General J. Abizaid will meet also with Secretary of Security Council of Kyrgyzstan Misir Ashyrkulov. General J. Abizaid assumed duties as the Commander, U.S. Central Command on July 7, 2003.
Second Stage Of SCO Drill Ends In China
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 12: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states held second phase anti-terrorism exercises in Yili, China. The drills included a simulated attack on a terrorist base and the rescue of hostages. The first stage of the exercises was held at a Kazakh air base last week. SCO began as the Shanghai Five forum in 1996 with the aim of resolving Soviet-era border disputes.
Kyrgyzstan Ready To Approve Russian Air Base
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, August 12: Kyrgyzstan is ready to sign an agreement with Russia on opening a Russian air base in the town of Kant, ITAR-TASS reported on 12 August, quoting Kyrgyz Defence Ministry spokesman Mirbek Koilubaev. Koilubaev added that the actual date of signing the accord now depends on the Russian side. The base, which is intended to be part of the CIS Collective Security Organisation`s rapid-reaction force, is scheduled to open in October.
Uzbekistan Agrees To More German Troops At Air Base
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 11: Bundeswehr will continue using an aerodrome in the [southern] Uzbek city of Termez on the border with Afghanistan, German Defence Minister Peter Struck, now on a working visit in Uzbekistan, said here Sunday, 10 August. The Uzbek government has given consent to a further deployment of German forces in Termez, he told ITAR-TASS. Based in Termez a limited German military contingent is engaged in humanitarian aid to and peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan.
Germany To Help Uzbekistan Train Army Officers
Interfax
Tashkent, August 11: Germany will help Uzbekistan`s armed forces train and retrain officers, German Defence Minister Peter Struck told a Sunday news conference in Tashkent. `The current visit to Tashkent will give a positive impetus to the advancement of military-technical cooperation between Uzbekistan and Germany,` he said. Earlier, he met with his Uzbek counterpart Kadyr Gulyamov. They discussed ways of strengthening regional security, greater resistance to terrorism and drug trafficking and further stabilization in Afghanistan. Struck said that Germany`s operations in Afghanistan are possible on the basis of close cooperation with Uzbekistan.
Georgian Peacekeepers May Be Sent To Afghanistan
Interfax
Tbilisi, August 11: Georgian Defence Minister David Tevzadze has not ruled out the possibility that Georgian peacekeepers may soon be sent to Afghanistan. After talks with NATO Supreme Commander in Europe Gen. James Jones, who was in Tbilisi on a one day visit, he told reporters that NATO `is interested in the involvement of the armed forces of partner countries in the peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan.`
Shanghai Cooperation Exercises Continue In China
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, August 11: The first stage of military exercises conducted by the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ended in Kazakhstan`s Semipalatinsk Oblast on 9 August, with the second stage starting in China`s Xinjiang Province the following day, RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service and centrasia.ru reported on 10 August. Both stages of the exercises are focused on developing the capacity to deal with terrorist activities. According to centrasia.ru, units from all the Shanghai Organisation`s member states except Uzbekistan (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, and China) took part in the first stage, which involved forcing down an aircraft seized by terrorists and freeing hostages.
Kyrgyz Authorities Concerned About Growing Extremism
Interfax
Bishkek, August 13: Extremist organizations have stepped up their activities in Kyrgyzstan, Sadyrbek Kachkynbayev, a leading expert in religion from the Dzhalal-Abad regional authorities told journalists on Wednesday. He said 17 instances of the distribution of extremist religious literature were revealed in Kyrgyzstan in the first half of 2003. Criminal cases were started on six occasions and 1,500 people have been put under observation by law-enforcement agencies. In addition, 12 books and magazines as well as 300 extremist religious leaflets were also seized.
Uzbekistan Defies West By Upholding Death Sentence
MSNBC
Tashkent, August 13: Uzbekistan, a key U.S. ally in the `war on terror,` has upheld a death sentence against a young Muslim, defying Western calls for a halt to executions, a human rights monitor said on Wednesday. Matilda Bogner, Uzbekistan-based researcher for Human Rights Watch, said 29-year-old Iskandar Khudoyberganov was sentenced to death at the end of 2002 after confessing to being a member of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). `I`ve been told by several different sources his appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected earlier this week and the original decision upheld. This means he is subject to execution,` she told Reuters by telephone from Tashkent, capital of the ex-Soviet Central Asian state. Similar information was posted on the Web site of Uzbekistan`s Birlik opposition party. Officials could not be reached for comment.
Kyrgyz Official Denies SCO Anti Terrorism Centre To Be Set Up In Uzbekistan
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, August 12: Deputy Foreign Minister Asanbek Osmonaliev said on 12 August that recent reports in the Uzbek media asserting that the SCO`s antiterrorism centre will be set up in Tashkent instead of Bishkek are incorrect, RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service reported. The decision to establish the centre in Bishkek was confirmed at the SCO summit in Moscow in late May, according to Kyrgyz officials who attended the summit. Only Uzbek President Islam Karimov mentioned a proposal to set up the centre in Tashkent.
First Kashagan Oil Not Seen Until 2007
The Moscow Times
Almaty, August 15: The first commercial oil from Kashagan, the world`s biggest oil field development, will come to market in 2007 -- two years later than planned -- due to a dispute between foreign investors and the Kazakh government, but sources close to the project said Thursday that the situation has been smoothed over and they expect an announcement to that effect next week. The tension between Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev`s government and the Agip consortium of foreign oil companies exploiting the offshore field in the Caspian Sea revolved around delays incurred by the consortium in drilling its first well. If the stand-off is resolved, then contracts can be signed with suppliers for the first phase of the project and $8 billion in spending, planned for the next six years, can begin. To date, about $3 billion has been spent drilling a half-dozen wells, and the total investment over the next 15 years is expected to exceed $20 billion, analysts and oilmen say. The consortium of oil companies developing Kashagan includes Agip, the operator; ExxonMobil, Total and Shell, each with just over 20 percent; and ConocoPhilips and Inpex of Japan splitting the rest.
CNPC Acquires Stake In North Buzachi Field
Central Asia Daily
Astana, August 15: CNPC has acquired a 35 per cent stake in the North Buzachi Field in Kazakhstan from Nimr Petroleum of Saudi Arabia. The North Buzachi Field is estimated hold more than a billion barrels of crude. CNPC is currently in negotiations with ChevronTexaco to purchase its stake. ChevronTexaco is the operator of the field.
Turkmen Leader Promises Per Capita Incomes To Exceed $10,000 In 2020
Interfax
Ashgabat, August 15: Per capita incomes in Turkmenistan will increase by $5,000 every five years, Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov told the People`s Council on Friday. The People`s Council is in session in Turkmenbashi on the Caspian Sea. It involves 2,507 participants: Cabinet members, court representatives, delegates from every district, party leaders, public associations under the Revival movement and trade unions. Niyazov said that today, annual per capita incomes stand at $6,000, while in 2010 they should increase to $10,000-11,000, then to $15,000 in 2015 to and $19,000 in 2020.
Azerbaijan May Receive 4th Tranche Of IMF Loan By Year-end
Interfax
Baku, August 13: Azerbaijan may receive the fourth tranche of an International Monetary Fund Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program loan of $16 million by year-end, Finance Minister Avaz Alekperov told the press. The Azerbaijani government and the IMF agree that another PRGF tranche should be allocated this year, he said.
Kazakhstan Boosts Oil Production 10 per cent, Gas Production 15 per cent
Interfax
Almaty, August 12: Kazakhstan produced 25.731 million tonnes of oil in the first seven months of 2003, 10 per cent more than in the same period of last year. Natural gas production rose 15 per cent to 3.985 billion cu m, the national statistics agency told Interfax. Gas condensate production was up 20 per cent to 3.453 million tonnes. Kazakhstan produced 42.37 million tonnes of oil in 2002, 16.6 per cent more than in 2001. Natural gas production was up 13.2 per cent to 13.2 per cent to 13.137 billion cu m.
Kazakhstan Posts 28.6 Bln Tenge Budget Surplus In H1
Interfax
Almaty, August 12: Kazakhstan posted a budget surplus of 28.6 billion tenge, or 7.5 per cent of revenue, in the first half of 2003,, the national statistics agency told Interfax. Revenue totalled 382.7 billion tenge, up 47.6 per cent year-on-year, and spending was 354.1 billion tenge, up 41.4 per cent. Kazakhstan allocated 35.6 per cent of its spending to the social sector and 20.8 per cent to general government services.
Natural Gas Deliveries To Uzbekistan From Russia To Increase By 250 Million Cubic Meters By Winter
Uzbek Daily
Moscow, August 11: Russian specialists will help overhaul and adjust the operating practices of six major gas compressing systems in Uzbekistan. Their input will increase natural gas deliveries in winter by 250m cu.m., First Deputy Chairman of the National Holding Company Uzbekneftegaz Asror Obidov told Itar-Tass. The specialists are expected to arrive in the immediate future, he said, noting, `Russia`s [major gas producer] Gazprom and Uzbekneftegaz act on principles of strategic partnership.
Slow Pace Of Computerisation Criticised In Uzbekistan
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, August 11: Criticism of the slow pace of computerization and Internet use in Uzbek government agencies was heard at a session of the Uzbek government`s Coordination Council on Computerization and Information-Communication Technologies, centrasia.ru reported on 11 August, quoting UzA. The date of the council session was not given.
Kazakhstan Ups GDP 10.2 per cent In H1
Interfax
Almaty, August 11: Kazakhstan increased its GDP 10.2 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2003, according to preliminary figures, to 2.15 trillion tenge, the state statistics agency said in a press release. GDP growth was due to a 9.6 per cent increase in industrial production, a 5.2 per cent rise in agricultural output and a 14.4 per cent climb in construction.
Azerbaijan Ups GDP Growth Forecast For 2003
Interfax
Baku, August 11: Azerbaijan`s economy ministry has upped its GDP growth forecast for 2003 from 9.7 per cent to 13 per cent. Nominal GDP is now planned at 33.7 trillion manat, against the earlier forecast of 32.6 trillion manat, the ministry told Interfax. The increase is based on first half results. GDP rose 10.1 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2003 to 15.4 trillion manat.
Turkmenistan Sees Production Increase During 1st Half Of 03
Central Asia Daily
Ashgabat, August 10: Turkmenistan increased gas production 10.4 per cent year-on-year to amount to 30.8 bcm in the first half of 2003, with oil production up 9.3 per cent to 4.7 million tons, a source in the republic`s Ministry for Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources told Interfax. Exports of natural gas were up 9 per cent to 22.2 bcm. Production of liquefied gas increased 12 per cent to 109,900 tons. Throughput at Turkmenbashi and Seidinsky oil refineries, which are structural subdivisions of Turkmenneftegaz, amounted to 3.2 million tons of oil, up 20 per cent year-on-year. Production of polypropylene increased 48 per cent, while diesel production was up 37 per cent and gasoline - 21 per cent.
Uzbek, Russian Heads Talk On Realisation Of Accords
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 15: President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation on 15 August 2003. According to the press office of Russian leader, presidents discussed issues on realisation of agreements reached during the visit of Vladimir Putin to Samarkand (central Uzbekistan), in particular, cooperation in energy sector.
Oman, Tajikistan Keen On Multi-modal Route To Europe
The Financial Express
New Delhi, August 15: Oman and Tajikistan have expressed interest in signing the North-South corridor agreement connecting India to Europe via Iran and Russia. Iran, India and Russia are signatories to the agreement along with Kazakhstan and Belarus. India had already supported the candidature of Oman and Tajikistan, said an external affairs ministry official. The working group of Iran-Russia joint commission met last week in Tehran to examine mutual cooperation on the North-South corridor. The two countries exchanged views on various issues such as construction of container terminals in Iranian and Russian ports and investment in the Caspian Sea shipping industry.
Uzbek Envoys Attend KOIMA Seminar In Korea
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 15: The traditional annual seminar for heads of leading importer companies of Korea has been organised by Korean Importers Association (KOIMA) in Jeju city. Representatives of Uzbek Embassy in Korea have attended the seminar. The purpose of the seminar is to establish closer contacts between importer companies of Korea and representatives of foreign firms with commercial departments of embassies accredited in Seoul. 200 companies have been represented from Korean side.
German Chancellor Thanks Uzbek Leader For Support
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 14: On 14 August Uzbek central press published letter of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to Uzbek President Islam Karimov. Following is the text of Schroeder`s letter: To His Excellency Mr Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov, the president of Uzbekistan Esteemed Mr President, I recall with pleasure our meeting in Tashkent last year, as well as the hospitality offered by you. Germany and Uzbekistan have made a significant contribution to the process of restoring peace and stability in Afghanistan. However we should not slacken our efforts. The process of sustainable peace in Afghanistan has yet to become irreversible. Germany and the Netherlands have held the command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan for half a year. This became possible only due to the active support on Uzbekistan`s part, in particular thanks to the air base in Termez which was provided to us. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you in this respect. Our cooperation is serving to restore peace and stability in Afghanistan, as well as in the whole region. It also bears witness to the good relations between our countries and to German-Uzbek friendship which has already justified itself. Yours faithfully, Gerhard Schroeder, Federal Chancellor of Germany
Tajikistan Asks Russia To Extradite Coup Participant
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, August 14: The Tajik Prosecutor-General`s Office has asked Russian authorities to extradite Habib Nasrulloev, former head of Tajikistan`s Union of Consumer Societies, who fled abroad after taking part in Colonel Mahmud Khudoiberdiev`s failed antigovernment uprising in 1998, ITAR-TASS reported on 14 August. Nasrulloev, who was arrested in Moscow Oblast, faces prosecution for murder, illegal possession of firearms, and setting up an armed criminal band, according to Deputy Prosecutor-General Azizmat Imomov. Tajikistan also has requested the extradition of former Interior Minister Yakub Salimov, who was arrested in Moscow at the end of June at the request of Tajik authorities.
Uzbek, Tatar Officials Discuss Cooperation In Road Building
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 13: Delegation led by Prime Minister of Tatarstan Rustam Minnihanov considered issues of expanding cooperation in small and medium business with Uzbek business circles on 13 August. During the talks with the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan and chairman of Uzavtoyol (Uzbek Auto Roads) concern, Rustam Yunosov, the sides discussed issues connected with construction of roads and delivery of necessary technologies, as well as construction of roads and bridges in Afghanistan.
Presentation Of Uzbekistan Held In The United States
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 13: Presentation of Uzbekistan was held in the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the USA. Member of the Association of professional employees of the US Congress - senior officials of offices of leading US senators and congressmen, key committees of the Congress, as well as representatives of the departments of trade, defence, labour and other central state institutions, attended the event.
Iran`s Ambassador To Baku Lauds Steady Improvement In Tehran-Baku Ties
IRNA
Baku, August 12: Iranian Ambassador to Baku Ahad Qazaei described bilateral political and economic ties between Tehran and Baku as `growing.` Qazaei told reporters here Monday evening that the volume of trade exchanges between the two neighbouring countries has been steadily increasing and has doubled since a year and a half. He said the appointment of a new prime minister for Azerbaijan has been a positive move toward maintaining the country`s stability and serves to bolster mutual trust between the two countries.
Tatar Delegation Holds Negotiations With Uzbek Officials
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 12: On Tuesday, 12 August, the Prime Minister of Tatarstan Rustam Minnihanov visited the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan to discuss issues of bilateral trade and economic relations between the two countries. He arrived in Tashkent as head of governmental delegation of the Republic of Tatarstan (Russia). According to Abdumanon Makhmudov, head of foreign economic relations department of the Cabinet of Ministers, the visit will last two days.
Turkmen Embassy In Moscow Denies Opposition Leader`s Charges
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, August 11: The Turkmen Embassy in Moscow has denied as `absurd and absolutely lacking in logic` assertions by exiled Turkmen opposition leader Avdy Kuliev and his wife that Turkmen security services were involved in the beatings he received in the Moscow suburb of Khimki on 6 August.
Turkmenistan Reported To Be Threatened With Restoration Of Jackson-Vanik Amendment
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, August 11: According to Russian media, U.S. President George W. Bush has informed Congress that Turkmenistan is no longer implementing international standards concerning freedom of emigration and should not therefore be exempted from the Jackson-Vanik Amendment of 1974 that denies most-favoured-nation trade status to countries with non market economies that restrict emigration, ITAR-TASS and `Vremya novostei` reported on 10 and 11 August, respectively.
Development University For Central Asia Taking Shape
Uzbek Daily
Khorough, August 11: In a unique international initiative, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is creating the University of Central Asia (UCA) with campuses in the three Central Asian countries of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. This will be the first private, internationally chartered university offering subjects related to sustainable development in these impoverished mountain societies. `Education is a key to successful development in all the world`s low-income countries,` Nasir Virani, the UCA`s business manager, told IRIN in Khorough, the capital of Tajikistan`s eastern Badakhshoni Kuhi Province. `In five to seven years time this whole place will be transformed,` he said, pointing to green fields and houses, which will be turned into one of the campuses of the UCA. The University of Central Asia is the world`s first institution of higher education dedicated to the eradication of poverty in the vast regions of Central Asia and beyond.
Iran Very Serious In Getting Its Share Of Landlocked Caspian Sea
Central Asia Daily
Tehran, August 11: Iran is very serious in getting its share of the landlocked Caspian Sea, the government spokesman Abdullah Ramezanzadeh said. Ramezanzadeh told the Mehr News Agency on the sidelines of a conference on Iran organized by students that the only agreements signed between Iran and the Soviet Union on the Caspian Sea 1921 and 1940 agreements in which there are no talks of seabed resources. He described the Caspian issue as very complicated and said it seems that only an international court can solve the problem. The spokesman said Iran is trying to get its full share but the prevailing condition in the world is not in Iran`s interests.
National Exhibition Of Kazakhstan Opens In Moscow
Pravda
Moscow, August 11: This week Moscow will host the National exhibition of Kazakhstan within the framework of the Year of Kazakhstan in Russia. The exhibition will open on Thursday in the All-Russian Exhibition Centre and will last till August 17th. The opening ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Danial Akhmetov, RIA Novosti learned at the Kazakh Embassy to Russia.
U.S. Interested In Georgian-Russian Cooperation - Shevardnadze
Interfax
Tbilisi, August 11: The U.S. administration has always urged Georgia to work together with Russia while taking Russia`s legitimate interests into account, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said on national radio on Monday. `When our American friends speak about Georgian-Russian relations, they are ready to be actively involved in the settlement of the Abkhaz and Tskhinvali conflicts, since they realize that these problems cannot be resolved without Russia,` the president said.
Almaty Conference To Address Issues Of Landlocked States
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 10: Almaty, Kazakhstan, will host international conference dedicated to issues of landlocked developing countries. The event will take place on 28-29 August 2003. Landlocked developing countries need an extra boost to overcome the challenge of doing business in an era of globalisation without sea access, a senior UN official told IPS ahead of a gathering of those nations. `These are countries paying a heavy price for their geographical isolation,` said UN Under-Secretary-General Anwarul Karim Chowdhury. The conference has enormous political importance because it will place landlocked developing countries high on the global agenda for the first time, he predicted.
German, Uzbek Ministers Discuss Security, Regional Issues
Voice of America
Tashkent, August 10: German Defence Minister Peter Struck has met in Tashkent with Uzbek counterpart Kadyr Gulyamov for talks on security and regional issues. The two men also discussed bilateral military cooperation and technical exchange during their meeting earlier Sunday.
Kyrgyz PM To Pay A Working Visit To Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 10: Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Nikolai Tanaev will pay a working visit to Uzbekistan on 15 August. During his visit to Uzbekistan, Tanaev will meet with the head of the government of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Kabar reported. It is expected that a number of issues including the supply of a coal from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan would be discussed.
Transit Road To Connect Pakistan To Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan Via China
IRNA
Islamabad, August 9: The implementation on transit and trade agreement among Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan will start from October this year, a senior Pakistani official said on Saturday. The transit and trade agreement was signed among Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan in 1995, but its implementation was delayed due to differences which have been resolved during ECO Conference in Islamabad recently to give a boost to regional trade. Secretary Communication, Iftikhar Rashid told a press conference in Islamabad the contracting countries agreed to adopt multi-modal transport regime and each country will issue six hundred permits to the truckers in three months. Under the agreement no toll and taxes on transport in the territories of the transit countries will be imposed.
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Launch Border Demarcation
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 9: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have started the demarcation of the state border. The process of delineation was completed last year. Experts fully agreed and delineated the border. Documents were signed by the two heads of state Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan. The border will then be demarcated. Both Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan hope that this work will be completed within a year and a half. A total of 1,251 km needs to be demarcated. But prior to launching the demarcation process, a special Kazakh governmental delegation held consultations with their Uzbek counterparts in Tashkent.
Tajik President Asks US To Support Proposed Anti Drug Coalition
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, August 12: During his meeting with U.S. CENTCOM chief General Abizaid on 11 August, Emomali Rakhmonov asked that the United States support his initiative to create an international coalition against drug trafficking, Asia Plus-Blitz and centran.ru reported on 12 August. Rakhmonov was quoted as saying that he has sent his proposal to a number of international organizations and individual countries, including the U.S. government.
Tajikistan Concerned About Increased Drug Trafficking From Afghanistan
Interfax
Dushanbe, August 12: Tajik law enforcement agencies are concerned about growing drug trafficking from Afghanistan. `Since early 2003, Tajikistan has confiscated 5.5 tonnes of drugs, compared to 3.4 tonnes over the same period in 2002,` said Avaz Yuldashev, the head of the Tajik president`s press service on drug control. `Over seven months this year, Tajik law enforcers and Russian bodyguards impounded 3.7 tonnes of heroin, compared to 2.2 tonnes over the same period last year,` he told Interfax on Tuesday.
Swiss Help For Uzbek Drug Addicts
Uzbek Daily
Tashkent, August 10: Switzerland is extending a helping hand to drug addicts in Uzbekistan by sponsoring a project aimed at reducing the risk of HIV and other diseases among users. At the forefront is the Bern-based organisation, Contact Netz. Under the leadership of Jakob Huber, Contact Netz has set up two safe houses in Uzbekistan with the help of two local non-governmental organisations. At the centres in the capital Tashkent and Samarkand drug addicts can pick up clean needles and condoms. The Bern group has also set up a network of local volunteers who visit their charges.
Samarkand Hosts International Conference On Nuclear Physics
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 12: International conference `Modern Problems of Nuclear Physics` opened in Samarkand (central Uzbekistan) on 12 August. Over 250 scientists from the USA, Germany, France, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and the CIS member-states together with IAEA representatives and other international organisations are participating in the event. The organiser of the conference is the Nuclear Physics Institute under the Uzbek Academy of Sciences. It is the largest nuclear physics research centre in Central Asia. It conducts the conference together with a number of international research centres and companies. About 300 scientific reports on modern problems of fundamental and applied nuclear physics and radiology protection will be delivered at the conference.
Georgian President Pardons Over 100 Convicts
Interfax
Tbilisi, August 15: Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze signed a decree to pardon 121 convicts on Friday. Georgian Deputy National Security Council Secretary Rusudan Beridze told Interfax that the convicts who have been pardoned include those who took part in the military efforts to protect the territorial integrity of Georgia in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Rights Activists Condemn Aspects Of OSCE Police Assistance
Uzbek Daily
Ankara, August 11: Rights activists in Kyrgyzstan have strongly criticised a recent agreement between the government and the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on a comprehensive police assistance programme. `Police today in Kyrgyzstan are a tool used for suppressing civil initiatives, and they need to be trained and reformed to be professional,` Tolekan Ismailova, head of the Civil Society Against Corruption (CSAC), a local NGO, told IRIN from the capital, Bishkek. She said that the component of the project on the resolution of conflict situations and prevention of public disorders was the main source of concern. `We are against this component,` Ismailova said, asserting that under it the police would be supplied with special equipment worth some US $1 million, including water cannons, handcuffs and rubber bullets. She said CSAC did not oppose the project as a whole, but pointed out that the state of the country was such that it was inappropriate for the police to be armed before `the political transformation` - meaning future general and presidential elections - had taken place.
Rights Defender Faces Discriminatory Charges
Uzbek Daily
Tashkent, August 11: An Uzbek rights defender on trial for alleged homosexual conduct should be released from custody immediately, Human Rights Watch said today.
OSCE Launches Police Assistance Program In Kyrgyzstan
Voice of America
Bishkek, August 9: The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has signed an agreement with Kyrgyzstan launching its first police assistance program in central Asia. The OSCE police project was the idea of the Kyrgyzstan government. The aim is to develop the national police force into a model agency for the rest of central Asia. According to OSCE officials, the program calls for improving the quality of police investigations and introducing community policing together with non-governmental organizations. The senior police adviser for the OSCE, Richard Monk, visited Kyrgyzstan`s capital, Bishkek, for the signing ceremony.
New Version Of Uzbek Government´s Portal Opened
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, August 15: Sarkor Telecom and UzInfoCom launched new version of Uzbek government´s Internet portal Goz.Uz. The governmental Internet portal has detailed information on officials of the country as well as thematic materials on Uzbekistan in Russian, Uzbek and English. Structurally the site consists of following sections: `President`, `Oliy Majlis` (Uzbek Parliament), `Government`, `Courts and Office of Public Prosecutor`, `Bodies of state management`, `Regional authority` and `Other establishments`. Site materials are grouped in sections `Population and Labour resources`, `Geography`, `Economy`, `Development of international communications`, `Investment opportunities`, `Science and education`, and `Participation in international fight against terrorism` and `Sights`.
All Kyrgyz Educational Institutions Must Be Licensed
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, August 11: As of the beginning of August, state as well as private institutions of higher education must be licensed by the Kyrgyz Education and Culture Ministry, akipress.org reported on 8 August, quoting the State Commission on Entrepreneurship. Previously only private institutions were required to obtain licenses. The objective of the new requirement is to raise teaching standards within the framework of ongoing reform of the country`s educational system.
Kyrgyzstan Citizens To Have Electronic Addresses By 2007
Interfax
Bishkek, August 11: Residents of Kyrgyzstan will be able to have their own electronic addresses and to obtain Internet access by 2007, Kyrgyz Deputy Transport Minister Kenesh Karachalov told reporters on Monday. Some 100,000 of Kyrgyzstan`s five million people currently have e- mail addresses.
Special Focus
Kyrgyzstan: OSCE Plans Police TrainingIn most Central Asian countries, relations between citizens and the police are often tense. In Kyrgyzstan, they reached a low point in March last year when police in the town of Aksy opened fire on peaceful demonstrators protesting the arrest of a local politician. Five people were killed and 70 injured.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp080903.shtmlIn Georgia`s And Russia`s Shadows, A Breakaway CelebrationWhile the self-declared autonomous republic of Abkhazia maintains a paltry economy and has never won recognition from Georgia, some people in its capital are ready to celebrate.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav081103.shtmlSeeking Investors, Kazakhstan Downplays Weak Institutions
Kazakhstan has established its image as the economic dynamo of Central Asia. Yet, that image is undermined by the fact that outside of the oil-and-gas sector the country has struggled like its Central Asian neighbours to attract foreign investment.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav081203.shtmlQuestions Raised About Georgia`s Pro Western Political CoursePresident Eduard Shevardnadze`s allegiance to a pro-Western political course has been questioned in Georgia following the collapse of a US-backed plan to promote a fair parliamentary election. Critics say Shevardnadze is more concerned about securing his own political future than in fostering civil society in Georgia. The president has dismissed such criticism as `single-minded demagogy.`
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav081303.shtmlThe Endangered Alliance: Turco - American Relations And The CaucasusBy all accounts the U.S.-Turkish alliance is under severe strain if not in danger of coming apart. At present, it is likely that Turkey`s post-conflict policies regarding Iraq will conflict with American policy there, and that this will also cause grave discord among the two allies in other critical theatres like the Caucasus, with possibly profound repercussions there.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1654Challenges Ahead For Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan`s New Prime Minister
On August 4, ailing Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev`s son Ilham was appointed prime minister, thus paving the way for his ultimate election to the presidency. Although the move was long expected, it was received as a shock by many in the country.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1653Central Asia Border Tensions: The Worsening Kyrgyz - Uzbek RelationsOn July 16 a Kyrgyz civilian was shot dead by Uzbek border guards on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border near the town of Karasuu of Kyrgyzstan`s Osh province. This is not the first event of this kind between signatories of an `Eternal Friendship` agreement of 1996, but the latest in a long line of incidents.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1655
Report Dated 15 August 2003