Kyrgyz Opposition Party Pickets President`s UN Speech
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 2: Members of the Kyrgyz opposition Ar-Namys Party picketed outside the UN building in New York on 1 October while Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev was delivering a speech to the General Assembly, gazeta.kg reported on 2 October. As well as demanding the release from prison of party leader Feliks Kulov -- who is serving a 10-year sentence for alleged crimes committed while he held various government posts, including vice president, head of the National Security Committee, and mayor of Bishkek -- the picketeers handed out leaflets critical of the current government of Kyrgyzstan. Party members reportedly intend to stage similar demonstrations in every country Akaev plans to visit.
Azerbaijan`s President Stepping Down
The Washington Post
Moscow, October 2: Azerbaijan`s ailing President Heidar Aliyev tonight ended a three-decade political career that took him from the Soviet Politburo to leader of an independent country, bowing out of this month`s presidential election in favour of his son and handpicked prime minister, Ilham Aliyev. In a statement read in his name on Azeri television tonight, Aliyev cited poor health as the reason for stepping down and urged voters to back his son, calling him `my political successor` and praising him as a `highly intellectual, pragmatic, energetic and enterprising person.` The move came just before Sunday`s deadline to withdraw from the Oct. 15 balloting and ended months of speculation about the president`s plans. The elder Aliyev apparently intends to remain as president until the inauguration of his successor. Aliyev, 80, disappeared from public view in early July. While his aides initially claimed he was suffering only from broken ribs, the mystery surrounding his health continued through a long stay at a Turkish military clinic and in a Cleveland hospital where he is being treated for unspecified heart and kidney problems. In August, Aliyev named his son prime minister, setting in motion the long-planned first hand over of power from father to son in part of the former Soviet Union. But until tonight, Azeri authorities continued to hold out the possibility that Heidar Aliyev, a former general in the Soviet KGB named to lead the republic in 1969, would return and run in the elections. As recently as Wednesday, Ilham Aliyev said his father would return home `within the next few days,` and he has been stumping as a candidate urging voters to support Heidar Aliyev`s policies. At age 41, Ilham Aliyev, a former state oil executive, now heads into the presidential race as a strong favourite in a country that international observers say never had a free and fair election under the authoritarian-minded rule of his father. The democratic opposition has failed to coalesce around a single rival to Aliyev, and several possibly strong candidates have been excluded from the ballot. `They`re getting ready to rig the elections,` Isa Gambar, head of the Equality Party, said by telephone from the capital, Baku. `They block our campaign rallies and control all the television stations. We get 10 minutes a week on the air; the remaining 23 hours and 50 minutes a day are filled with propaganda and calumny against us.` Gambar and other opposition leaders have called the recent machinations an unpopular attempt to impose a `hereditary monarchy` on Azerbaijan and claim that the younger Aliyev, who has never held high elective office, `does not possess even a small fraction of the support of his father.` Many experts have warned that the end of the Heidar Aliyev era could signal the start of a new round of instability in Azerbaijan, a strategically located, oil-rich nation of nearly 8 million on the Caspian Sea.
Uzbek Opposition Intends To Hold Congress
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, October 1: The unregistered Uzbek opposition party Erk intends to hold a congress in Tashkent on 22 October despite the government`s failure to grant it permission to do so (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 1 October 2003), centrasia.ru reported on 2 October, quoting Deutsche Welle. According to party General Secretary Atanazar Orifov, Erk may legally hold a congress because the party has never been banned. In the absence of regular congresses, serious dissension has developed among party leaders in various parts of Uzbekistan, with some arguing that Orifov`s term in office has expired and that Erk is being run like the Communist Party.
Kazakh Parliamentarians Say Tape Of Imprisoned Opposition Leader Is Authentic
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 1: Parliamentarians on a commission to authenticate a disputed videotape of jailed opposition leader Ghalymzhan Zhaqiyanov told journalists in Astana on 1 October that the film is genuine (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 25 September 2003), Interfax-Kazakhstan reported the same day. Contradicting earlier reports of the film`s content, parliamentarian Zheken Kaliuli said Zhaqiyanov did not vow to give up politics if he received a presidential pardon, but rather said that he would engage in moderate political activity. Kaliuli also said independent experts have authenticated the film. Some members of Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan, the opposition coalition that Zhaqiyanov co-founded, have insisted that the film was edited to falsify Zhaqiyanov`s statements.
Uzbekistan Reforms Making Some Progress, Says OSCE
Voice of America
Vienna, October 2: The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says Uzbekistan is making progress on some economic and political reforms, but human rights abuses are on the rise. On the economic front, the OSCE says Uzbekistan has made some progress in encouraging the growth of the private sector and simplifying the tax system. But torture by police and other gross human rights violations are increasing, and the OSCE says that is a serious problem. The OSCE, which is made up of 55 countries from central Asia, Europe, and Canada and the United States, discussed Uzbekistan in a closed-door session of its council. OSCE`s report noted some improvements in Uzbekistan`s policies, including cooperation with neighbouring Afghanistan in securing border areas, and ratification of an international pact on human trafficking. But the 15 countries of the European Union expressed serious concern about human rights violations in Uzbekistan, and called for the government to end torture and executions.
Georgian President Concerned About Pre-election Situation
Interfax
Tbilisi, September 30: Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said the process of politicising criminals and criminalizing politics` has resumed during the election campaign in Georgia. Shevardnadze told national radio that he knows that certain political forces have begun to set up armed units, as they did 15 years ago. `This is a very dangerous development. But today, Georgia has absolutely different capabilities and will not allow any destabilisation,` he added. The president pledged to convene a meeting with the heads of security agencies, district administrations, politicians and members of public organizations to outline a series of steps to ensure order during the country`s parliamentary elections on November 2.
Azeris Stay Undecided About The Virtues Of Leader`s Son And `heir`
Financial Times
Baku, September 29: A recent item on Azeri television news told viewers most of what they needed to know about their oil-rich but troubled country`s forthcoming presidential election. Ilham Aliyev, candidate of the ruling party, was receiving an official guest, one of dozens to drop in since his ailing father made him prime minister and interim ruler in August. The visiting dignitary spoke with zeal and awe on the programme about Azeri projects he had been taken to see, making them sound like the stuff of miracles. `You`re doing so much, I can`t understand how anyone could be campaigning in opposition to you,` he declared. Millions of viewers watched Mr Aliyev blush, look up and crack a wide smile. Up to that point, the man tipped to be Azerbaijan`s next president had spent the broadcast looking down at the table. The pictures did not answer what many Azeris have asked: how Mr Aliyev, despite being groomed for the succession, will deal with the job if he is so shy and apparently ineffectual. Ilham`s 80-year-old father, Heidar Aliyev, has dominated Azeri politics for more than 30 years: as KGB leader, then communist leader and since 1993 as president of Azerbaijan. Following a heart attack in April, he has been lying in a succession of hospital rooms, currently in Cleveland, Ohio. From the TV news, political advertisements and hundreds of thousands of Aliyev-and-son posters plastered on nearly every outdoor vertical surface, Azeris are getting the message that they should vote for the younger Aliyev - the elder Aliyev has willed that it be so. No matter how they vote in the October 15 poll, most Azeris are sure Ilham Aliyev will be declared the winner, just as his father was in the last two elections. Even at staged events the TV cameras cannot hide that the younger Aliyev looks uncomfortable in his public role. Azeris, accustomed to domineering Heidar, are wondering whether Ilham will be able to lead. Opposition candidates such as Etibar Mammadov, who took second place in the 1998 election, say an Ilham presidency would collapse in chaos as his father`s lieutenants struggled for power. For its part, the presidential administration insists the elder Aliyev will recover and return to stand for re-election. If that fails to happen, the president`s `heir` will stand on his father`s policies, says Ali Hasanov, a department head.
Kazakh Court Upholds Six Month Ban On Opposition Coalition
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 29: The Atyrau Oblast Court on 26 September upheld an earlier ruling by the Atyrau City Court prohibiting the activity of the opposition coalition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) throughout the country for six months, centrasia.ru reported on 29 September, quoting a statement of oblast court Chairman Bektas Beknazarov at a press conference in Atyrau. The city court decree was issued on 29 August in connection with a finding that a DVK member had committed administrative offences. It was based on a 4 July ruling by the specialized inter-raion economic court in Astana that ordered the DVK to cease its activities for four months. Despite the prohibition, a DVK official had taken part in a seminar in Atyrau prior to the 20 September local elections.
Turkmenistan Appoints New Defense Minister
Interfax
Ashgabat, September 29: Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov has appointed Agageldy Mamedgeldyev as the new defense minister, a source on the presidential administration told Interfax on Monday. Mamedgeldyev used to head the State Border Service. Rejepbai Arazov, the former defense minister and deputy prime minister, was appointed chairman of the Turkmen trade union federation.
Kyrgyz Entrepreneurs Association Nominates President For Another Term
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 27: The Association of Entrepreneurs of Kirghizia nominated President Askar Akaev for another term at the organization`s second congress on 27 September, Interfax reported. The congress brought together 700 entrepreneurs from throughout Kyrgyzstan. Association General Director Sergei Voronin told the congress that reforms currently under way need to be completed, and Akaev is the best person to accomplish this. The constitution allows for one person to serve only two, five-year presidential terms.
Georgia, France Sign Military Cooperation Agreement
Radio Free Europe
Tbilisi, October 2: Georgian and French defense ministry officials signed an agreement in Tbilisi on 2 October on cooperation in 2004, Caucasus Press reported. The agreement envisages cooperation in the field of military medicine; the training in France of a Georgian mountain division and 10 Georgian officers; and compilation of a Georgian-French dictionary of military terminology.
Kyrgyz National Guard Officer Arrested In Connection With Bombings
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 2: Three Kyrgyz National Guard officers have been detained in connection with bombings in Osh in 1998 and Bishkek in 2002, National Guard commander Lieutenant General Abdygul Chotbaev announced in Bishkek on 2 October, akipress.org reported. Kyrgyz law enforcement officials have attributed both attacks to the extremist Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). Chotbaev said the brother of one of the arrested officers is a member of the IMU and had obtained explosives with his brother`s help. The brother, in turn, involved two other officers in obtaining the explosives.
Uzbekistan Steps Up Border Patrols To Prevent Cotton Smuggling
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, October 1: Uzbekistan has stepped up patrols on its borders with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in order to prevent the illegal export of cotton from the harvest that is currently under way, centran.ru reported on 1 October. Additional mounted patrols have been added, and inhabitants of villages near the border have been mobilized to help watch the borders. Most of the smuggling attempts have reportedly occurred on the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border.
Tajik Border Official Says Russian Guards Don`t Comply With Agreement
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, October 1: First Deputy Chairman of the Tajik State Border Defense Committee Nuralisho Nazarov told Interfax on 1 October that Russian border guards in Tajikistan are not complying with bilateral agreements but that the Tajik side has no immediate plans to seek the Russians` removal. Nazarov caused a stir in September by saying that Tajikistan`s border guards are ready to take over defense of the country`s borders (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 22 September 2003). According to Interfax, Nazarov complained that Tajik border guards have never been allowed to attend meetings between Russian and Afghan representatives, and that the Russian media have exaggerated his comment about the removal of the Russian border guards from Tajikistan.
Kazakhstani New Military Card
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, September 30: The first military cards with Kazakhstan State symbols will be given to conscripts, university students doing military training and reserve officers. This document complies with state standards and is issued in Kazakh and Russian, Defense Ministry press service informs. The new cards will be handed to fixed - period conscripts and university graduates in the title of lieutenants in October. Old - pattern cards` replacement is scheduled for January 2004.
Turkmen President Reshuffles Military Commanders
Interfax
Asghabat, September 30: Turkmenistan`s official media on Tuesday published presidential decrees on new appointments in the country`s military establishment. Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister and State Security Council Secretary Redzhepbai Arazov was dismissed at his own request and appointed as head the National Trade Union Centre. In recent years, he served as oil and gas minister, regional governor and parliamentary chairman. President Saparmurat Niyazov said that `even though Arazov has performed well in every position, he found it hard to work in the Defense Ministry, because he does not know certain things and this is not his field.` `A civilian cannot be a defense minister. This is a position for a man in uniform,` Niyazov believes. Former Border Guards Service commander Maj. Gen. Agageldy Mamedgeldyiev, educated as a military doctor, has been appointed defense minister and State Security Council chairman. Col. Annageldy Gummanov, formerly first deputy Border Guards Service commander and chief of the service`s headquarters, has been named commander of the Border Guards Service. Batyr Erniyazov, former justice of the Ashgabat City Court, has been named first deputy justice minister. The new appointees must perform satisfactorily during a six-month trial period. If they fail, they will be sacked and no other jobs will be offered to them.
Asefi Says Militarization Of Caspian Sea Never Ensures Security
IRNA
Tehran, September 27: Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi stressed here Sunday that militarization of the Caspian Sea will never ensure security of littoral states. Asefi made the remarks in his weekly press conference with domestic and foreign reporters. Answering to a question on whether the recent approach of two Azeri naval ships to a Russian port would result in militarizing the sea, he said that the Caspian Sea has no sufficient potential for being militarized.
Turkmen President Tells Security Services To Root Out Terrorism
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, October 3: Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov told the National Security Ministry in a message commemorating the 12th anniversary of Turkmenistan`s security services that one of the ministry`s main tasks is to `wage an irreconcilable struggle against manifestations of terrorism and eliminate its hotbeds wherever they appear.` He also asserted that some law enforcement officials have become involved with criminals --possibly an allusion to crimes allegedly committed by high-ranking officers of the then-National Security Service prior to a massive purge of that institution in early 2002.
Over 600 Hizb-ut-Tahrir Activists Sentence In Tajikistan Since 1998
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, October 2: Dushanbe city Prosecutor Habib Vohidov told a law enforcement council meeting in Dushanbe on 2 October that between 1998 and September 2003 more than 600 activists of the banned Muslim extremist party Hizb ut-Tahrir have been sentenced in Tajikistan to prison terms of 10-18 years, Asia Plus-Blitz and RIA-Novosti reported the same day. Thirty-four activists have been arrested in Dushanbe alone since 2001, from whom three tons of subversive literature were confiscated, Vohidov added.
Hizb-ut-Tahrir Activist Sentenced In Bishkek
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 1: The Sverdlov Raion Court in Bishkek convicted 24-year-old businessman Akzhol Karagulov on 1 October of distributing leaflets of the banned Muslim extremist Hizb ut-Tahrir movement, akipress.org reported the same day. Karagulov was arrested in March while distributing leaflets in one of Bishkek`s major markets. The National Security Service (NSB) asserted that Karagulov also founded a Hizb ut-Tahrir cell in Bishkek. Karagulov pleaded guilty to charges of inciting religious hatred and seeking the overthrow of the constitutional system, the usual charges against Hizb ut-Tahrir activists. In view of his youth and the fact that this was his first offence, Karagulov was sentenced to nine months in a low-security colony and fined the equivalent of $100. According to the NSB, 18 Hizb ut-Tahrir activists were arrested in the three northern oblasts of Kyrgyzstan in the first six months of 2003, causing law enforcement agencies to worry that the movement is expanding its influence into the northern parts of the country (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 25 August 2003). The NSB estimates there are about 2,000 movement members throughout Kyrgyzstan.
Uzbekistan Makes Progress On Economic, Political Reforms
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 3: The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe says Uzbekistan is making progress on some economic and political reforms. On the economic front, the OSCE says Uzbekistan has made some progress in encouraging the growth of the private sector and simplifying the tax system. The OSCE, which is made up of 55 countries from central Asia, Europe, and Canada and the United States, discussed Uzbekistan in a closed-door session of its council.
ADB To Lend About $66m To Azerbaijan
Central Asia Daily
Manila, October 3: Azerbaijan can start tapping the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for loans this year, with about $66-million allotted for the new member over the next three years, the Philippines-based lender says. The former Soviet republic joined the bank in 1999 and has so far received 10 technical assistance grants and two poverty reduction grants from the ADB. ADB directors agreed Friday to extend loans to Azerbaijan averaging 22 million dollars per year over the next three years to 2006, it said in a statement. The assistance will focus on internally displaced persons, agriculture and rural development, the water sector and road development. Up to 70 million dollars in soft loans and 40 million dollars in ordinary loans were earmarked for the country between 2004 and 2006 but the final amount will depend on ADB`s resource availability and country performance, it added.
Azerbaijan Forecasts 40 per cent Rise In Investment
Interfax
Baku, October 3: Investment in Azerbaijan will reach $3.68 billion in 2004, up 39.5 per cent from the forecast amount for 2003 of $2.64 billion, the government predicts, a source in the Cabinet told Interfax. The government expects both domestic and foreign investment to grow. Foreign investment should reach $3 billion, against 2.05 billion in 2003, while domestic investment is predicted to reach $678.7 million, against $584.9 million. Investment over the past decade has reached $15 billion, including $11 billion in foreign investment.
Kyrgyz Govt Introduces Socially-oriented Budget With Deficit Of 3.8 per cent
Interfax
Bishkek, October 3: Kyrgyzstan`s government has asked the parliament to approve a socially-oriented central 2004 budget with a deficit of 3.8 per cent or 561.1 million som. Planned budget revenues are 14.107 billion som and planned expenditures 14.668 billion som, Bolot Abildayev, the finance minister, said in the parliament Friday. Kyrgyzstan will use foreign grants to plug the deficit, the minister said. The spending priority will be the social sphere, which will receive 6.46 billion som or 44 per cent of total expenditure. The budget earmarks higher spending for social insurance and welfare, health care, defense, law and order, but slightly less for education and the civil service, which is being revamped.
Turkmenistan Expects $63 Bln In Oil Industry Investment
Kabar Agency
Ashgabat, October 2: Turkmenistan expects $63 billion in investment in the oil industry to 2020, said Turkmen Oil and Gas Industry Minister Tachberdy Tagiyev at the opening of an international conference Turkmenistan`s Oil and Gas in Ashgabat. Of that amount, $25.6 billion will be direct invested under production sharing agreements, Tagiyev said. Production sharing agreements are being negotiated with numerous companies, he said. Turkmenistan is offering 32 licenses for developing promising areas on the Caspian seabed, he said. Five PSAs are already in force, two for onshore projects and three for areas in the Caspian Sea. Since these projects were launched in 1996, over $800 million has been invested in the Turkmen oil industry; $180 million is expected to be invested in 2003. Foreign oil production in Turkmenistan could reach 40 per cent - 50 per cent by 2020 compared with 8 per cent at present, Turkmenneft Chairman Saparmurad Valiyev said at an international oil and gas conference in Ashgabat.
EU, US Warn Of Problems For Foreign Investors In Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 2: Hugues Mingarelli, head of the European Commission`s Directorate for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Mongolia, and Central Asia, told a press conference in Astana on 2 October that European companies working in Kazakhstan are complaining that they are encountering difficulties in importing personnel, superfluous checks by tax agencies, and complicated customs procedures, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported the same day. These problems, Mingarelli said, are creating barriers to further expansion of European investment in Kazakhstan, although he said he considers the adoption of a new law on foreign investment as a step in the right direction.
PetroKazakhstan Disputes $6.3M Kazakh Demand
Kazakhstan News
Calgary, October 2: Shares in PetroKazakhstan Inc. rebounded today as the international oil producer said accusations of price gouging in Kazakhstan and demands for repayment are `not legally justified.` PetroKazakhstan, formerly known as Hurricane Hydrocarbons, saw its stock rise $1.85 to $26.70 in trading on the Toronto stock market, regaining much of the ground it lost the day before. Its shares had plummeted 28 per cent Wednesday before rallying at the end of day to close down 12 per cent at $24.85. The turmoil began after a news story from Moscow quoted a Kazakh official saying the government `plans to confiscate monopoly profits.` After meeting with Kazakh regulatory officials, PetroKazakhstan said Thursday the company is being asked to repay about $6.3 million US in revenue allegedly obtained above authorized prices. And while that amount is small, compared with the Canadian company`s profits of nearly $163 million US last year, the firm has denied the accusations. `PetroKazakhstan has conducted an initial review of the notification and concluded that it contains a number of factual errors which, if corrected, would reduce the claim to less than $400,000 US,` the company said. `Furthermore, PetroKazakhstan consider that the position taken by the agency is not legally justified.` The company also said similar demands have been made with other oil companies.
ADB Forecasts Slower Economic Growth In Central Asia In 2004
Interfax
Almaty, October 1: The Asian Development Bank forecasts a lower rate of economic growth in Central Asia countries next year. Because of the predicted drop in the oil price to under $25 per barrel, GDP growth in the Central Asian countries will be moderate in 2004 at 5.9 per cent, ADB said in its Asian Development Outlook 2003 Update. The bank forecasts GDP growth of 8 per cent in Azerbaijan, 7 per cent in Kazakhstan, 5 per cent in Kyrgyzstan, 4 per cent in Tajikistan, 7.5 per cent in Turkmenistan, and 3 per cent in Uzbekistan. The forecast for 2003 puts total GDP growth at 7.5 per cent, including 9.5 per cent in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, 5.2 per cent in Kyrgyzstan, 6 per cent in Tajikistan, 10 per cent in Turkmenistan, and 3.2 per cent in Uzbekistan. Economic risks in 2004 include political instability in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, national security concerns and closed borders from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as the worsening political situation and security issues in Afghanistan, which may have a negative impact on Central Asian countries. The financial sector in Central Asia, especially second tier banks will remain weak and underdeveloped, the outlook says.
Iran, Uzbekistan To Cooperate In LNG Production
IRNA
Tehran, October 1: Deputy Oil Minister for international affairs Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian met with the head of the Uzbek state-owned gas company Majidev in Tashkent on Wednesday. At the meeting, the two sides discussed joint cooperation in the production of liquid natural gas (LNG). The Iranian official added that the National Petrochemical Company (NPC) is interested in production of LNG. To this end, a detailed agenda and comprehensive technical and scientific data have been handed to both sides. The final decision is due by the end of 2003. Majidev suggested that Uzbek companies, which have extensive experience in the area of services, seismological studies and drilling, provide information to the National Iranian Oil Company. It was also agreed to invite qualified companies to take part in an international tender to determine the best project sub-contractors. Uzbekistan`s government here on Friday approved the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed with Iran during the Uzbek President Islam A. Karimov`s state visit to Tehran.
Uzbekneftegaz Seeks $1.5 Bln For Gas Pipeline Development
Kabar Agency
Tashkent, October 1: Uzbekistan`s national oil and gas company Uzbekneftegaz plans to attract $1.5 billion in investment to develop export gas pipelines and reconstruct domestic pipelines by 2010, Ulugbek Nazarov, head of Uzbekneftegaz division UzLITIneftegaz, said. The company hopes to attract foreign investment, including direct investment, to reconstruct compressor stations that are part of the Central Asia-Center transport system, build a booster compressor station at the Gazli underground gas storage facility, expand the Gazli-Nukus pipeline system, and build new gas pipelines to ensure the supply of natural gas to Uzbek consumers and exports, Nazarov said. Uzbekneftegaz has drawn up several projects to intensify production of natural gas and oil in 2003-2007, he said. Oil production projects will need capital investment of $132.4 million to increase production to 621,000 tonnes a year. Investment projects for production of natural gas and gas condensate will cost $1.4 billion.
Kazakh National Oil Company Plans To Produce 9.7 Million Tonnes Of Oil In 2006
Interfax
Astana, September 30: Kazakhstan`s national oil company KazMunaiGaz says that it plans to bring oil output to 9.7 million tonnes in 2006. The company`s president, Uzakbai Karabalin, said so at a meeting that the country`s Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov held with its top managers on Monday. The company also wants to refine about 3.1 million tonnes of oil and deliver 42.1 million tonnes of oil and 137.9 billion cubic meters of gas in 2006. KazMunaiGaz`s subsidiaries, which produced 7.43 million tonnes of oil in 2002, plan to produce nearly 7.7 million tonnes in 2003. Kazakhstan plans to produce 52-53 million tonnes of oil and condensate this year, compared to 67 million tonnes in 2002. KazMunaiGaz also plans to nearly double its 2002 capitalization to 1.42 billion tenge, chiefly through its investment program. Investments from all sources in 2003 are expected to total 153.1 billion tenge, and in 2004-06, 313 billion tenge.
Azerbaijan Plans 315 Bln Manat Deficit In 2004
Interfax
Baku, September 30: Azerbaijan`s draft budget for 2004 envisages a deficit of 315 billion manat, or 0.8 per cent of GDP, a source in government told Interfax. Revenue is put at 6.957 trillion manat, 14.2 per cent up on this year`s forecast figure, and spending is 7.272 trillion manat, up 13.2 per cent. GDP is forecast at 37.3 trillion manat. The 2003 budget included a deficit of 331 million manat or 1 per cent of GDP. Revenue is planned at 6.092 trillion manat and spending at 6.423 trillion manat.
Uzbekistan Develops Several Gas, Oil Extraction Projects
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 29: Uzbekneftegaz (Uzbek Oil and Gas Industry) national holding company is planning to attract investments worth US$1.5 billion to development of export system of gas pipeline and reconstruction of internal pipelines in Uzbekistan.
Exports, Oil, Gas Boost Central Asian Economic Prospects
Kazakhstan News
Astana, September 29: The Central Asian republics (CARs) are poised to maintain high gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 7.5 per cent for 2003, boosted by high international prices for major commodity exports, and rising foreign investment in the oil- and gas-exporting economies. This is forecast by the Asian Development Outlook 2003 Update (ADO Update) released this week by the Asian Development Bank. The report is an update of the Asian Development Outlook 2003 (ADO 2003) that was issued in April. ADO is ADB`s annual flagship economic publication analyzing and forecasting economic trends in the Asia-Pacific region. However, the sub regional figure for Central Asia masks large variations between countries and persistent poverty levels, environmental challenges, and structural weaknesses that need addressing to make growth sustainable and less vulnerable to external circumstances. The main hydrocarbon exporters of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan benefited from higher international prices and increased investment activity, achieving double-digit GDP growth rates in the first half of 2003. Tajikistan also recorded high GDP growth of 8.6 per cent during the same period. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan reported exceptionally strong export growth of 31 per cent, 40 per cent, and 25 per cent, respectively, in the first six months of this year. At the same time, they saw their imports increase correspondingly, with plant and equipment for the oil and gas sectors accounting for the dominant share. Uzbekistan officially reported export growth of 41 per cent in the first half, based on an increase both in volumes and prices of its gold and cotton exports. Kyrgyz Republic reported only 2.3 per cent GDP growth in the first half, as it suffered a decline in agricultural output due to adverse weather conditions. Uzbekistan, while benefiting from higher gold and cotton prices, and reportedly a good wheat harvest, grew by only 3.8 per cent in this period. `Growth prospects for the smaller landlocked countries, such as Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, depend crucially on free and easy transit through neighbouring countries for access to export markets,` says ADO Update. `Thus, removing the host of non-tariff barriers, border controls, and frequent transit stoppages by rent-seeking officials would yield substantial benefits. This issue could be usefully addressed as part of a subregional cooperation agenda.` The forecast in April was that GDP growth in Central Asia would slow to 5.8 per cent this year, due to a moderation in investment and production activities in the oil and gas sector. But this figure has been revised upwards, in the face of several positive developments, including: A strong showing from the Russian Federation, Central Asia`s largest trading partner Oil prices reaching a high of nearly US$34 per barrel in the first quarter of 2003 and remaining at relatively high levels in the second and third quarters Natural gas prices rising in the last quarter of 2002, primarily as a result of low stock levels in the US A strong recovery in cotton fiber prices in the last 15 months. With oil prices forecast to decline next year to below $25 per barrel, overall GDP growth of the CARs is expected to moderate to 5.9 per cent in 2004. Risks to the 2004 economic performance include increased political instability in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, continuing security concerns and border closures in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and worsening of the political and security situation in Afghanistan, which could have a negative spillover into the CARs.
BP Starts Drilling Second Well At Shah Deniz
Interfax
Baku, September 29: BP, which operates the Shah Deniz gas condensate field project, starting drilling a second well at the field on September 25, BP-Azerbaijan said in a press release. The well is on the northeastern wing of the field at a water depth of 101 m. Projected depth is 6,610 m and 135 days are required for drilling, the release said. BP contractor, Caspian Drilling Company, is carrying out the work with the Istiglal drilling rig. Three wells are to be drilled at Shah Deniz. The first well has a depth of 6,566 m.
IDB Organises Conference On Uzbekistanīs Investment Opportunities
Kabar Agency
Tashkent, September 29: A conference on investment opportunities of Uzbekistan was opened at the International Business Centre in Tashkent on 29 September. The event was organised by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Uzbek government. Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and the Chairman of Agency for Foreign Economic Relations Elyor Ganiev welcomed the participants and opened the conference. The state advisor of Uzbek President Saidahmad Rakhimov delivered to participants the welcoming message from the Uzbek President Islam Karimov. In the message, Islam Karimov noted the importance of this event and participation of international businesses and financial institutions. The message said that the government has created necessary legal framework and conditions to foreign investments in the country. Uzbek leader determined tourism, transportation and humanitarian aid as priority sectors of cooperation in the near term.
Gazprom, KazMunaiGaz Heads Meet
Interfax
Moscow, September 29: Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller met with KazMunaiGaz First Vice-President Timur Kulibayev in Moscow on Friday to discuss ways of enhancing the capacity of Kazakhstan`s gas transportation network. According to a Gazprom press release, the meeting addressed ways of repairing and upgrading the existing gas transportation network and building a new gas pipeline as part of the Central Asia-Center project. KazRosGaz, a joint venture of Gazprom and KazMunaiGaz, will be responsible for modernizing the Central Asia-Center gas transportation network in Kazakhstan. The men also discussed the volume of gas transit via Kazakhstan and prospects to purchase gas from the Karachaganak deposit for the Orenburg gas reprocessing plant. The possibility of KazRosGaz`s participation in upgrading the Orenburg plant to increase its capacity to 10-15 billion cubic meters of gas a year is currently on the agenda.
Kazakhstan To Increase Oil Production
Kabar Agency
Astana, September 29: Kazakhstan intends to increase its share in world oil output from 1.2 percent to 4 or even 5 percent over the next 10 to 15 years, Uzakbay Karabalin, President of the national oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz, reported. According to him, this may be done by implementing a state program on developing oil and gas deposits of the Kazakhstani part of the Caspian Sea shelf that was launched this year. To these ends, Kazakhstan needs $6bn in investments in 2003 through 2005, $10.3bn in 2006 through 2010 and $15.6bn in 2011 through 2015. Geologic exploration may come up to 5 percent of the total volume of investments envisaged by the program.
Investment Holding To Be Formed For Supporting Tajik Economy
Interfax
Dushanbe, September 29: An investment holding with a $200 million charter fund will be created for investing in the Tajik economy, Tajik Prime Minister Akil Akilov said at a press conference in Dushanbe. `The holding will get investments from foreign businessmen, who have shown interest in the Tajik economy, and Tajik businessmen,` President of the Islamic Development Bank Ahmad Mohamed Ali said at the press conference. He said that the Islamic Development Bank might invest as well. Independent experts will estimate Tajikistan`s economic potential before the holding is formed, he said. The holding will have an operational fund of $50 million, and a charter fund of $200 million, he said.
Turkmenistan To Be Showered With Foreign Investments
Kabar Agency
Baku, September 29: In 2003-2020, Turkmenia`s oil and gas sector will receive up to $63-bln-worth investments, including $25.6 bln in direct foreign investments pursuant to the product-sharing agreement. Turkmenistan`s Minister for the Oil and Gas Industry and Mineral Resources Tachberdy Tagiyev said as much at the 8th international conference Turkmenistan`s Oil and Gas, currently under way in Baku, Azerbaijan`s capital. At present, five product sharing agreements are being implemented, including two of them - on land, and three - in the Turkmen section of the Caspian Sea, Tagiyev explained.
Uzbekistan Abolishes Pre-registration On Import Contracts
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 28: The President of Uzbekistan signed a decree `On measures for further liberalisation of foreign trade activity in the Republic of Uzbekistan` on 26 September. Effective 1 October 2003, the decree abolishes the requirement on pre-registration of import contracts at the Agency for Foreign Economic Activity (AFER). The decree, issued as part of the trade liberalisation drive in line with the obligation set out in the IMF memorandum, decreases administrative control over realisation of export-import operations and improves the efficiency of the current system. AFER now will only register and inspect import contracts which are financed from the government budget, state credit lines attracted by government or its guarantees, and contracts of the economic entities, where state holds more than 50 per cent interest (assuming these entities do not have and operate their independent hard currency funds). Starting from 1 October, Uzbek government will introduce customs monitoring for import contracts which envisages registration, organisation of customs assessment of imported goods, as well as interaction of authorised bodies in information exchange.
Chinaīs Western Region Eyes Central Asian Market
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 28: A renewing Central Asian market could mean enormous business opportunities for an increasing number of companies in western China, according to economists and officials.
Uzbekistan To Increase Gas Exports By 2020
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 27: Uzbekistan is planning to increase exports of gas to 20 billion cubic metres by 2020 from 7.3 billion in 2002, head of Uzbekneftegaz (Uzbek Oil and Gas) national holding company Shavkat Majidov said.
US Law Enforcement Delegation Visits Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 3: The US delegation, including Federal judges Custo Aranese and John Tunheim, as well as representatives of US Justice Department and State Department visited Uzbek Constitutional court. According to Narodnoye Slovo, the visit was organised within the framework of the bilateral exchange in judiciary, management in development of prosecutors system in other countries, support and training of US Justice Department and Bureau on Democracy, Human Rights and Labour of US State Department. The programme envisages organisation of seminars, conferences, educational trips for Uzbek and US judges and prosecutors, as well as staff of justice ministries. The chairman of Constitutional Court Buritash Mustafaev told the guests about structure of the court, its legal bases, participation of the court in realisation of democratic reforms.
UNICEF Assistance
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, October 3: On 3 October Friday Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UN fund (UNICEF) is paying a visit to Kazakhstan. Her talks with our country`s leadership are expected to focus on position of children in our state and options of further assistance to the Government of our Republic. Ahead of the distinguished guest`s arrival, UNICEF department in Central Asia and Kazakhstan circulated updates on joint cooperation activities.
Uzbek Parliamentary Delegation Visits Germany
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 2: An Uzbek parliamentary delegation led by International and Interparliamentary Affairs Committee Chairman Erkin Vohidov has returned from Germany, which hailed Uzbekistanīs anti terrorism efforts and said it was the main partner in Central Asia, the Uzbek newspaper Tashkentskaya Pravda reported on 1 October. `The German side emphasized that the Federal Republic of Germany highly rated the firm position of our country in fighting international terrorism and in restoring peace and stability in Afghanistan. It was stressed that Germany considers Uzbekistan to be its main partner in Central Asia,` the report said, adding that the Uzbek delegation visited German federal states of Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt. `During a meeting between the Uzbek delegation and Wolfgang Bohmer - the president of Bundestag (the parliamentīs lower house) and prime minister of Saxony-Anhalt - the parties discussed further expanding cooperation between various parliamentary groups and committees of Germany and Uzbekistan, as well as developing economic relations between the two countries,` the paper said. `The meeting laid stress on the fact that our governmentīs policy aimed at building a democratic and law-based state and society in Uzbekistan was finding full support on the part of the German leadership, including Bundestag and Bundestrat (upper house),` the report added.
US Deputy Secretary Armitage To Trip To South, Central Asia
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 1: US Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage will visit Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom 1-8 October 2003. He will be meeting with his counterparts to discuss a range of regional security and bilateral issues, including the status of US assistance programmes and cooperation on the Global War on Terror. In Afghanistan, Armitage will reinforce US commitment to a secure Afghanistan and support for full implementation of the Bonn Agreement, including the Constitutional Loya Jirga planned for December and elections next year as well as accelerated efforts by the US and the international community to assist reconstruction efforts. While visiting Astana, Kazakhstan, Armitage will preside at the dedication of the new Embassy Branch Office.
EU Delegation Promises Support For Kyrgyz Reforms
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 1: Hugues Mingarelli, who is leading a European Commission delegation to Central Asia, told Prime Minister Tanaev in Bishkek on 1 October that the European Union will continue to support Kyrgyzstan`s political and economic reform process, akipress.org reported the same day. The EU is assisting Kyrgyzstan under a partnership and cooperation agreement, which Tanaev said is promoting his country`s accession to important international political, economic, financial and trade organizations, as well as providing for exchange visits by European and Kyrgyz ministers and experts. Mingarelli is the head of the European Commission`s directorate for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
Credentials Presented
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, September 30: According to FM press service Rakhat Aliyev Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Austria presented credentials to Boris Traikovski, President of Macedonia . This is the first Kazakhstan Ambassador to the state that declared its independence in 1991. Bilateral diplomatic relations` establishment of 1995 is an important milestone in the history of the two states. First Macedonia top - level visit to Kazakhstan, scheduled for October 2003, will be another landmark . During the talk B. Traikovski and R. Aliyev considered cooperation prospects.
Kazakh President Planning To Visit Singapore In November
Interfax
Almaty, September 30: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is planning to visit Singapore in November. The foreign ministers of the two countries, Kasymzhomart Tokayev and Shunmugan Jayakumar, discussed preparations for the visit at their meeting in New York, reads a Tuesday press release from the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. `The foreign minister of Singapore praised the decision of the Kazakh leadership to open a diplomatic mission in his country,` the press release says.
Tashkent Meeting Prepares For November Ministerial Conference On Regional Co-operation
Kazakhstan News
Tashkent, September 29: Senior delegations from seven countries and five multilateral institutions met on 27-28 September in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to prepare for a minister-level conference on Central Asia Economic Cooperation in November. Delegations from Azerbaijan, People`s Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives from ADB, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Development Program and World Bank participated in the meeting. Detailed discussions were held on the three priority sectors for regional cooperation identified at the Ministerial Conference on Central Asia Economic Cooperation in March 2002, namely energy, transport and trade facilitation. The Second Ministerial Conference on Central Asia Economic Cooperation is scheduled for 11-12 November in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Pursuing Friendship Traditions
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, September 28: Parliamentary meeting was held with Georgy Pyrvanov, Bulgaria President, paying an official visit to our state. Oralbai Abdykarimov greeted the Head of Bulgaria and confirmed his assurance that the visit would promote cooperation. Georgy Pyrvanov noted traditional warmth, mutual understanding and historically conditioned friendship between the two nations and thanked our leadership and Kazakhstani people for kind and fraternal treatment of Bulgarian diaspora living in Kazakhstan. Bulgarian President had an official meeting with Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, Chairman of Mazhilis, who made a talk on Parliamentary structure and lawmaking, interaction of legislative and executive branches. Georgy Pyrvanov noted that the two countries have complementary economies, share common goals , have similar conditions and historical traditions of partnership . On the same day Parliament Chairmen met with Tosio Tsunodzaki Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan. Oralbai Adbykarimov, Senate Chairman said Kazakhstan-Japan relations are developing dynamically in economic, political and humanitarian fields.
Russian Language In CIS: Life After Death
Pravda
Moscow, September 28: Russia is seeking the official status for the Russian language on the whole of the post-Soviet territory First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Eleonora Mitrofanova delivered a lecture to students of Moscow`s International University. She said: `The Foreign Ministry intends to work actively on strengthening the positions of the Russian language abroad. We want to seek the status of an official language for Russian in majority of CIS countries and on those territories of the former Soviet Union where Russian-speaking population is considerable enough.` Eleonora Mitrofanova emphasizes that majority of the CIS countries now prefer national languages to Russian. She thinks that another serious problem is that schools where lessons are taught in the Russian language are often closed, and the usage of Russian is restricted in the education sphere and in public life. The number of TV and radio programs in Russian is insignificant there; the usage of Russian-language literature is also decreasing. The first deputy foreign minister says that support of the Russian language is one of the main objectives in supporting Russians abroad. Budgetary financing appropriated for these purposes in 2003 makes up 210 million rubles. Part of the sum will be spent to deliver text books to the CIS countries, to improve professional skills of the Russian language teachers and to give children an opportunity to spend vacations in Russian recreation centres. Eleonora Mitrofanova says that Russia will appropriate 252 million rubles for these purposes. For the time being, the Russian language has the status of an official language only in Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. Some progress with respect to the Russian language has been achieved in Moldova and Uzbekistan. But other former Soviet republics don`t do this favour to the Russian-speaking population as they treat the very idea of giving the official status to the Russian language as threat to their independence. They insist that a language spoken by the ethnic majority must be the official language of the republic.
Int`l Seminar On Caspian Sea, Future Cooperation To Convene
IRNA
Baku, September 27: The International Seminar on `Caspian Sea and Future Cooperation` is to be held here from September 29 to October 4, said Rustam Mohammadev, senior expert at the socio-political department of Azeri Presidential Office here on Sunday. Mohammadev told IRNA that more than 100 journalists and political and economic experts from different countries, including the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Caspian Sea littoral states, are to attend the meeting. He said the meeting will study ecological conditions and natural reserves of the land-locked Caspian Sea and find ways to promote cooperation among regional states.
US State Department Changes Annual DV-2005 Lottery Rules
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 27: The annual free lottery DV-2005 presents up to 55,000 immigration visas for those who wish to immigrate to the United States of America. According to US Embassy in Uzbekistan, this year the US State Department has made some changes in the lottery rules. Now those wishing to receive an immigration visa to the USA under DV lottery programme will have to register at a special website. Applications submitted by post will not be accepted. According to the embassy, the new electronic system has been introduced in order to increase the efficiency of the registration procedure. The measure should increase the security level during selection of candidates, who may pose a threat to the USA, Novosti Uzbekistan reported.
Tajikistan Calls For Nuclear Free Status Of Central Asia
Kabar Agency
Dushanbe, October 3: Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmonov backs the idea of creating a nuclear free zone in Central Asia. In his view, it is extremely important to ensure that this region be free of mass destruction weapons. Rakhmonov voiced these views in his address to the participants in the 58th session of the UN General Assembly, his spokesman Zafar Saidov told Itar-Tass on Friday. The Tajik leader shares the mutual concern about the mounting difficulties in ensuring non-proliferation of such types of weapons in the world, including southern Asia. He urged the international community to consistently build up collective efforts and disarmament mechanisms. Commenting on the problem of struggle against international terrorism, the president said his country had acted for a decade as `a buffer zone` on the way of terrorism`s spreading to Central Asian countries and other regions. In his view, it is only through collective efforts that one can win this fight, and that there should be no selectiveness or double standards here.
Kazakhstan Officially Launches Zarechnoye Uranium Project
Interfax
Shymkent, October 2: Kazakhstan launched the big Zarechnoye uranium mining project that will involve Russia and Kyrgyzstan with a ceremony in Shymkent on October 1. Russia will provide $14.5 million for the construction of the Zarechnoye mine in Southern Kazakhstan, due to begin in 2004. The mine is due to go on stream at the estimated 19,000-tonne Zarechnoye deposit by the end of 2005, when it should attain projected capacity of 500 tonnes of yellowcake, a spokesman for Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan`s national nuclear concern, said earlier this week. The Zarechnoye joint venture was registered in Almaty at the end of 2001. Kazatomprom, which is Kazakhstan`s national nuclear company, originally owned 45 per cent, Russia`s Atomredmetzoloto 45 per cent and Kara Balta 10 per cent of the equity. Atomredmetzoloto has since distributed some of its equity to the TVEL nuclear fuel corporation (20 per cent) and Techsnabexport (15 per cent) ands is now left with 10 per cent. The uranium will be mined by the environmentally-friendly in situ leach (ISL) method at the Zarechnoye field in Kazakhstan, where it will receive primary treatment.
Russia To Invest $14.5 Mln In Kazakh Uranium Mine
Interfax
Almaty, September 30: Russia will provide $14.5 million for the construction of the Zarechnoye uranium mine in Kazakhstan, due to begin in 2004. The mine is due to go on stream by the end of 2005, when it should attain projected capacity of 500 tonnes of yellowcake, a spokesman for Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan`s national nuclear concern, said. Kazatomprom owns 45 per cent of a joint venture with Russia and Kyrgyzstan that will develop the mine, which is in southern Kazakhstan.
Prisoners` Massive Self-mutilation Being Investigated In Kazakhstan
Interfax
Astana, October 2: Kazakhstan`s Justice Ministry is investigating instances of self-mutilation in a prison outside Astana. `Ten prisoners protested against the prison regime in this manner. But it`s against the law. The prison regime is mandatory for all prisoners,` Kazakh Justice Minister Onalsyn Zhumabekov told the press on Wednesday. He said the prisoners were unhappy with previously conducted checks seizing objects which the prisoners are not allowed to keep and which they illegally brought to their prison cells. `The prisoners were informed once again of this requirement, and an additional investigation was initiated to find out whether prison guards could have supplied the prisoners with these objects for a fee.` Zhumabekov said that the wounded prisoners are currently in stable condition.
Uzbek Delegation Visits Human Rights Workshop In Almaty
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 2: An Uzbek delegation including journalists, defence lawyers and officials from the Justice Ministry and NGOs, has taken part in the closing conference of a human rights training workshop. The conference was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It was organised jointly by democratic institutions for human rights, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, and the OSCE centre in Kazakhstan. More than 100 experts from Central Asian states attended. They are delegates from public agencies and government bodies for the protection of human rights. International organizations from Europe have for several years been presenting reports on the monitoring of human rights compliance to the four countriesī state and non-state organisations (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan). They have also been holding training sessions and seminars in Warsaw for human rights representatives from Central Asian and Caucasian states.
Uzbek President Liberalises Prison Conditions
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, September 27: Islam Karimov has signed a decree liberalizing prison conditions for first offenders that was published in the country`s media on 27 September, uzreport.com and RIA-Novosti reported. According to the decree, by 1 February 2004, first offenders who have committed certain less-serious crimes are to be moved from normal colonies to low-security facilities, while first offenders who have been convicted of more serious crimes are to be transferred from strict-regime prison facilities to normal ones. Convicts in low-security facilities will be allowed to live with and support their families and to take part in raising their children.
Special Focus
Opposition Groups Begin Meeting In PragueRepresentatives from Turkmen opposition groups began a three-day conference in Prague September 27. They are meeting to devise a strategy to bring more international pressure on Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov to implement democratic reforms and ease controls on the media.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/pp092803.shtmlKazakhstan, Uzbekistan Clash Over Border PolicyFor much of September, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have engaged in a heated diplomatic exchange over a shooting incident along their shared frontier. The row underscores the fact that border sensitivities in Central Asia continue to foster instability.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092903a.shtmlUnited States Cuts Development Aid To Georgia
The United States has announced it will cut its financial assistance to Georgia, dealing a sharp blow to President Eduard Shevardnadze`s administration just over a month before parliamentary elections. News of the cutback came amid campaign-related violence involving opposition activists and pro-government supporters.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092903.shtmlHeidar Aliyev Formally Withdraws From Azerbaijan`s Presidential Race
With two weeks to go until Azerbaijan`s presidential election, ailing President Heidar Aliyev has bowed to reality, withdrawing his candidacy and endorsing his son, Ilham, who is also a ruling party candidate. In a prepared statement, President Aliyev admitted that his ongoing health problems would prevent him from fulfilling the duties of chief executive.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav100203b.shtmlUS Unilateralism Fuels Great Power Rivalry In Central Asia
The Bush Administration`s strategic approach in Central Asia has come under criticism from regional experts. At a recent conference in Washington, DC, some scholars said the US unilateralist approach was fueling the great power rivalry in Central Asia.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav100103.shtml
Kazakhs: Let`s Talk About Succession
The eldest daughter of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has told the Russian media that her father`s opponents `could relax` for the next decade. However, she has become increasingly high-profile in terms of Kazakh domestic politics, setting off rumours that Nazarbayev is mulling a dynastic transition of power. And against the backdrop of a graft probe in the United States, dynastic succession would provide some extra safety for Nazarbayev and members of his clan.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EJ03Ag01.htmlAzerbaijani Voters Focus On Question Of A Dynastic Transfer Of PowerPresident Heidar Aliyev`s announcement that he is withdrawing from the country`s presidential race is forcing Azerbaijani citizens to confront the question of a dynastic transfer of power. Given that Azerbaijan`s political culture is rooted more on the principle of coercion than of persuasion, some observers question whether the elder Aliyev`s endorsement of his son`s candidacy will be sufficient to ensure the dynastic transfer over the long term.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav100303b.shtmlForeign Minister Confirms Kazakhstan`s Multi Vectored Policy
Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev confirmed during a recent public appearance in New York that Kazakhstan is committed to a multi-vectored policy, under which Astana seeks to engage the United States, Russia and China simultaneously.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav100303a.shtml
Report Dated 3 October 2003