Nazarbayev Voices Intention To Run For Presidency In 2006
RIA Novosti
Astana, May 14: Nursultan Nazarbaev, incumbent President of Kazakhstan, is going to run for election at the next campaign. `I will run for presidency if all goes well, thanks to God`, he said a live telecast answering questions from viewers. `The constitution and law allow me to run for presidency at the next election`, he said. `Of course, it`s up to people to decide. If they do, I will work as president and continue to strengthen the state and improve the wellbeing of the Kzakhstanis`, he said. Nazarbaev (born in 1940) has been the president of Kazakhstan since December 1991.
Uzbek President Appoints New Education Minister
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 13: The President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov appointed new Higher and Secondary Special Education Minister of Uzbekistan. Rustam Kasymov replaced Saidahror Gulyamov at this post. The Uzbek leader signed corresponding decree on 12 May 2004. Kasymov earlier worked as the First Deputy Minister of Higher and Secondary Special Education Minister of Uzbekistan.
Armenia Opposition Turns Down Dialogue With Ruling Majority
Itar-Tass
Yerevan, May 13: The Armenian opposition has refused to hold the dialogue with the ruling parliamentary majority. The propresidential coalition in turn did not want to use the word crisis to describe the situation in the country after the last year`s presidential elections. The coalition also has proposed to the opposition joining the lawmaking process, in particular taking part in debate of changes to the election code and the constitution. `The coalition is thus is trying to create an imitation of the return of the opposition to the parliament,` a member of the oppositionist parliamentary faction Justice, Shavarsh Kocharyan, said.
National Forum `Millenium Development Goals` Wrapped Up In Bishkek
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, May 13: The third National Forum entitled `Millenium Development Goals: Poverty Reduction and Social Mobilization` completed its work in the Government House with participation of Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev. Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev, UNDP Administrator Mark Brown, Secretary of State Osmonakun Ibraimov, deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh, heads of ayil okmots, heads of ministries and departments of the republic are attended the forum. Here, President A. Akaev presented certificates on receiving grants to heads of local self-government bodies in the frame of Village Investment Project. The presented grant has amounted to 35 million soms. The main goal of the event: to determine reforms implementing in Kyrgyzstan, does it correspond to main goals of millenium development. The participants will analyze and determine further directions of poverty reduction in Kyrgyzstan in the frame of social mobilization. On the result of the forum, it is expected to adopt a Resolution on National Forum `Millenium Development Goals: Poverty Reduction and Social Mobilization`.
Unregistered Kazakh Parties Liquidated
Radio Free Europe
Astana, May 12: Four political parties that lacked official registration have been `compulsorily liquidated,` `Ekspress-K` reported on 12 May. The four parties are Qazaq Ely, the Republican People`s Party of Kazakhstan, the Azamat Party, and the People`s Congress Party of Kazakhstan. According to a ruling by a court in Almaty, the parties` documents and stamps have been declared invalid. Additionally, the Justice Ministry removed the four parties from its list of organizations allowed to engage in economic activities.
Armenian Opposition Resumes Calls For President`s Resignation
Radio Free Europe
Yerevan, May 11: Leading members of the opposition Artarutiun alliance said on 11 May in Yerevan that they will convene a further demonstration on 14 May to press for the resignation of President Robert Kocharian, RFE/RL`s Armenian Service reported. Kocharian left on 10 May for a three-day visit to Lebanon, after which he will visit Moscow on 13 May, Interfax reported on 11 May. Opposition legislators said the Armenian authorities have declined to take any of the measures recommended in a Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) resolution passed in late April, including releasing all persons detained for their participation in opposition rallies last month.
Armenia Authorities, Opposition Agree On Start Of Dialogue
Itar-Tass
Yerevan, May 11: Armenia`s authorities and the opposition have succeeded in agreeing on the start of a political dialogue and the formulation of an agenda for talks, Parliament Speaker Artur Bagdasaryan announced here on Monday night at the close of a regular meeting between officials of the ruling pro-president coalition and the opposition. Bagdasaryan said, `Political consultations that have been held in the parliament of Armenia from February to May have yielded the first positive results,` said the Speaker`s statement circulated by the parliamentary press service. Members of the factions represented in the National Assembly `agreed on the start of a political dialogue. An appropriate agenda is to be formulated on May 13,` the Parliament Speaker pointed out.
Osh Governor Issues Language Resolution
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, May 10: Naken Kasiev, governor of Kyrgyzstan`s Osh Oblast, has signed a resolution to encourage the use of the Kyrgyz language in the oblast, akipress.org reported on 10 May. The resolution obliges the heads of regional administrations, rural administrations, businesses, and educational institutions to ensure that written business is conducted in Kyrgyz, beginning immediately. It also requires language-development commissions to identify those areas where Kyrgyz cannot be used and draw up a plan for switching to Kyrgyz by 2015. Finally, the resolution requires that advertisements and signs be written in Kyrgyz.
Counsultation Council Of National Council On Conscientious Management Held In Bishkek
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, May 10: The first session of Consultation council of national council on conscientious management was held headed by the Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev including representatives of donor organizations, government, businessmen and public organizations. Askar Akaev has noted that format of the Council enables to count the opinion of all layers of the society and international organizations. According to the Kyrgyz President, the creation of the council is not just a official step but consequent realization of the course on conscientious management, which Kyrgyzstan considers one of the resolving factors of the sustainable development and taking democratic roots, and priority of human rights. ` These values are important not like public ideals, but first of all goals of our development and real mechanisms of the current work`, has noted Akaev.
President Karimov Visits Memory Square On 9 May
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 9: President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov visited the Memory Square in Tashkent on 9 May, the Day of Memory and Honour. President Karimov laid flowers to the Mourning Mother monument. Speaking to journalists after the ceremony, Islam Karimov said pride and patriotism should be the anti-dote against terrorism. The nation bows today in front of those who participated in the World War Two and in eliminating fascism from the Earth, Karimov said. Almost 1.45 million of 6 million Uzbeks, or half of all men of the nation, participated in the war. 400,000 of them did not return home, and 40,000 came back with disabilities. People need memory to avoid wars and esteem their today and people. `There is no honour without memory,` the President said. War participants gave their lives for today`s peace, and `we need to esteem those who are alive`, he added. Islam Karimov said the Memory Square was a bridge for the youth to life and self-understanding as a nation.
Georgia To Send More Peacekeepers To Iraq
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, May 13: Two companies of the Georgian army are training before joining the peacekeeping operation in Iraq, a General Staff official told Itar-Tass on Thursday. The servicemen had taken training in the US` programme Equip and Train in the period from May 2002 to April 2004. The two companies are drilling the patrolling of residential areas and the guarding of strategic facilities. British and Georgian instructors are training personnel of the two companies and American instructors are practicing with officers, the General Staff`s member said. The 400-strong companies are to be sent to Iraq in the second half of June. They will join Georgian peacekeepers staying in Tikrit, Beiji and Baghdad since April 7. After the two units add to the Georgian peacekeeping contingent, its strength will be 558. Seventy Georgian peacekeepers stayed in Iraq from August 2003 to February 2004. Three were injured during transportation of shells in the last year`s August. They returned into service after medical treatment.
Kazakh MPs Seek Troop Pullout From Iraq
Hi Pakistan
Astana, May 13: Kazakh parliament members demanded Wednesday that the government withdraw Kazakhstan`s small contingent of troops from Iraq, but postponed voting on the issue until later this month. `Iraqi people view us as occupiers,` independent deputy Valentin Makalkin said during a debate on Kazakhstan`s deployment in Iraq. `No Kazakh has been killed there so far. Shall we wait until someone dies?` `Spain was forced to leave Iraq after a bitter lesson,` said deputy Serik Abrakhmanov of the Communist Party. However, Deputy Defence Minister Abai Tasbulatov said the Kazakh contingent of 27 military engineers in Iraq would continue to carry out their `exclusively` humanitarian mission there. Their term in Iraq expires May 30. Parliament must approve any decision by the government on whether Kazakh troops will participate in Iraqi stabilization efforts after that.
Azerbaijan Determined To Get Back Occupied Territory - President
Interfax
Nakhichevan, May 13: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan will not put up with the occupation of its lands and will ensure they are liberated. `The Azerbaijani army is strong and is capable of solving any problem,` Aliyev told servicemen while opening a new garrison in Nakhichevan on Wednesday. `Our people can restore the country`s territorial integrity at any moment. International law gives us this right,` he said. Aliyev said the army must be strengthened, given that part of the country`s territory is under Armenian occupation. Azerbaijan`s economic development will make money available for enhancing the army`s combat readiness, Aliyev said. He said that as before Azerbaijan believes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be settled peacefully.
Georgia To Open More Posts On Border With Russia
Interfax
Tbilisi, May 13: The Georgian Interior Ministry`s state border guard department has launch preparations for the introduction of reinforced controls on the Chechen, Ingush and Dagestani sections of the border with Russia, Colonel Kornely Salia, the department`s chief-of-staff, said on Thursday. Additional posts will be opened on those sections already before the end of May, when snow starts to melt in the mountains, Salia told Interfax-Military News Agency. `The necessary number of such posts and the strength of the personnel to be relocated to those sections are being determined,` he said. `After additional posts are opened, channels of communication with Russian border guards will be established immediately in order to exchange the latest data,` the official stressed.
Uzbekistan, Russia Discuss Military Ties
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, May 12: Russian acting Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov met with Uzbek President Islam Karimov on 12 May to discuss military ties between the two countries, Uzbek TV reported the same day. Ivanov praised Uzbekistan for its efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region; Karimov drew a parallel between recent terror attacks in Uzbekistan and the 9 May assassination of Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov. Ivanov noted that increased cooperation is needed to combat the `terrorist plague,` Russia`s ORT reported. Sergei Smirnov, deputy head of Russia`s Federal Security Service (FSB), said the FSB is investigating the possibility that members of Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, extremist movements that are banned in Uzbekistan, might be hiding in Russia, ITAR-TASS reported. Ivanov also announced that Russia and Uzbekistan will hold joint military exercises in 2005, Interfax-AVN reported.
Russia To Cut Forces In Central Asia
Financial Times
Moscow, May 12: Russia is set to cut its military presence in central Asia under pressure from Tajikistan and against a backdrop of a growing US presence, Vyacheslav Trubnikov, deputy foreign minister, said yesterday. In an interview with the Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper, Mr Trubnikov said the Tajiks wanted Russian border guards to leave, and warned of greater inflows of narcotics. He called the GUUAM organisation of former Soviet states `an artificial` entity backed by the US `to prevent Russia from exhibiting neo-imperial aspirations, as they put it`.
Bio-Chem Program A Link To Former Soviet Scientists
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, May 12: Following is a Department of State fact sheet, released May 12, on the U.S. Bio-Chem Redirect Program. The program is a targeted nonproliferation initiative designed to engage former Soviet biological and chemical weapons scientists in open and sustainable civilian research projects with U.S. collaborators: U.S. Department of State Bureau of Nonproliferation Washington, DC May 12, 2004 Fact Sheet The U.S. Bio-Chem Redirect Program The Bio-Chem Redirect Program (BCR) is a targeted nonproliferation initiative funded by the Department of State`s Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Initiatives (NADR) account. BCR engages former Soviet biological and chemical weapons scientists in transparent and sustainable civilian research projects with U.S. collaborators. While the BCR program is most active in Russia, it also funds projects in Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. New projects are being considered for funding in the region. The program has received from Congress a total of $85 million from its inception through Fiscal Year 2004. BCR is overseen and coordinated by the State Department Nonproliferation Bureau`s Office of Proliferation Threat Reduction (NP/PTR), which provides funds to three U.S. agencies to implement the program: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These agencies work through the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) in Moscow and the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU), located in Kiev, to implement the program. In addition to its primary nonproliferation objective, the program meets important U.S. research objectives in the following areas: global public health, livestock and plant health, environmental monitoring and remediation, and measures to combat biological and chemical terrorism.
Kazakhstan Wants Its Peacekeepers To Stay In Iraq
Interfax
Astana, May 12: Kazakhstan is interested in having its peacekeepers continue their mission in Iraq as it plans to take part in projects to restore Iraq, Deputy Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi told the Kazakh parliament Wednesday. The peacekeepers` presence in Iraq increases Kazakh companies` opportunities to join economic projects to rebuild Iraq, he said. Kazakhstan is on the U.S.-announced list of countries that will participate in the restoration work in Iraq, he said. `Our companies` participation is being negotiated with the Iraqi authorities and the U.S.,` Tleuberdi said. A 27-member Kazakh engineering unit has been in Iraq since August, 2003. The first unit has now been replaced by a new contingent.
Russia, Uzbekistan To Conduct Joint Exercises In 2005
Interfax
Tashkent, May 11: Russia and Uzbekistan will conduct joint military exercises in 2005, said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov. `We ordered the organization of Russian-Uzbek joint exercises in 2005 to be addressed,` Ivanov told the press in Tashkent on Wednesday, following negotiations with his Uzbek counterpart Kadyr Gulomov. Ivanov said their talks dealt with military cooperation and arms sales, as well as the situation in Central Asia. `The events surrounding the recent terrorist attacks in Russia and Uzbekistan are interrelated. We need to closely interact to oppose the extremist plague,` Ivanov said. The minister said he invited his Uzbek partners to attend the Rubezh (Borderline)-2004 antiterrorist exercises at the end of the summer as observers. `The Uzbek side displayed great interest in developing military- technical cooperation, in particular supplies of hardware from both Russian Defense Ministry stocks and from industry,` he said.
Russian Troops In Kyrgyzstan Granted Immunity
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, May 11: Kyrgyzstan`s parliament on 11 May ratified an agreement that grants immunity to Russian servicemen deployed to the Russian air-force base in Kant, Kyrgyzstan, ITAR-TASS reported the same day. Should Russian soldiers commit offenses, they will be tried under Russian, not Kyrgyz, law. U.S. troops stationed at Ganci Air Base, also in Kyrgyzstan, enjoy the same status. Kyrgyz Defense Minister Colonel General Esen Topoev told the news agency that the vote settles all remaining legal issues relating to the presence of Russian servicemen in Kyrgyzstan. Ismail Isakov, who heads the parliamentary committee on state security, told Interfax, `The air base in Kant performs an important mission of guaranteeing the security of airspace on the southern borders of the CIS.`
Georgia Drafts Agreement On Military Technical Cooperation With Russia
Interfax
Tbilisi, May 11: Georgia has submitted a draft agreement on military technical cooperation to Russia, a source in the Georgian Foreign Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday. `The interdepartmental team, comprising officials from the Georgian Foreign and Defense Ministries, has worked out a draft agreement on military technical cooperation with Russia. The draft has already been handed over to the Russian side,` the source said. According to him, Georgia is expecting Russia`s proposals to this end. `The decision, adopted by Russian parliament in the early 1990s, which is still in force and which says that Russia will not have any military technical relations with Georgia until the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia has been settled, is a certain obstacle in this sphere of cooperation,` the source said. According to him, Russia and Georgia should jointly arrive at a compromise, enabling both states to promote military technical cooperation.
Sergei Ivanov To Visit Uzbekistan To Discuss Military Ties
RIA Novosti
Tashkent, May 10: Russian acting Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov is expected to pay an official visit to Uzbekistan on May 11-12, the defence ministry`s press service told RIA Novosti. When in Tashkent, Uzbekistan`s capital, the Russian defence minister will meet his Uzbek counterpart Kadyr Gulomov. `They are expected to discuss a series of issues related to prospects for the development of bilateral relations in the military and military-technological sphere, exchange opinions on a number of military-political issues of current importance, including regional security issues,` reported the ministry. Efforts against international terrorism will also be prominent on Mr Ivanov`s visit agenda. According to Uzbekistan`s defence ministry, the Russian defence minister will also meet Uzbek Foreign Minister Sadyk Safayev. Besides, Mr Ivanov will be received by the host country`s President Islam Karimov.
Indian Journalist In Uzbekistan Accuses Pakistan In Training Terrorists
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 13: Indian journalist in Uzbekistan Aloke Shekhar accused Pakistan in supporting terrorism organisation like Al-Qaida and Taliban and not doing enough flushing them out from the country. He linked recent terrorism attacks in Uzbekistan with cadets of terrorism camps in Pakistan. The following is article of Mr Shekhar, published at Russian Pravda.ru and presented by author to UzReport.com. Who is going to cut the roots of fundamentalist forces? `Pakistan is still supporting Al-Qaida and Taliban terrorist elements and not doing enough for flushing them out...` The recent terrorist attacks in Central Asian State of Uzbekistan and the latest confession made by the arrested young Uzbek terrorist have once again reconfirmed that despite several assurances and promises, Pakistan and the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) are still continuing to support the cross border terrorism. The statements of American Ambassador to Afghanistan and senior officials of US in their remarks have also said that unfortunately `Pakistan is still supporting Al-Qaida and Taliban terrorist elements and not doing enough for flushing them out, especially those who are presently based on Pak side of Afghanistan -Pakistan border. Not only this, it is already confirmed that the dangerous Uzbek terrorist who subverted Uzbek youth, under the banner of Muslim religion were also trained on the territory of Pakistan and despite several official requests of Uzbekistan, till date Pak is not ready to hand over the resident IMU cadres to Uzbekistan. The president of Uzbekistan Mr Islam Karimov has in the past several times accused Pakistan and this time during the 14th session of the Uzbek Parliament, addressing diplomats, MP`s and Journalists, he openly confirmed that routes of these terrorist acts lay beyond the border of Uzbekistan. The perpetrators of these acts underwent training in extremist camps in South Waziristan in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where they were subverted by false ideas and promises. On the other hand, like always, president Musharraf repeatedly assured the world community about his determination to fight against fundamentalism forces including the Al-Qaida & Taliban. It should be mentioned here that Mr Musharraf himself assured and certified to the world community that foreign terrorists were no longer been trained in the training camps in Pakistan.However, this runs contrary to the statements made by the arrested Uzbek terrorist suspects, who were involved in the recent attacks in Uzbekistan. Though the world community is quite well aware of the realities of General Musharraf`s promises and speeches. All this throws an important question. That General Musharraf may have personally unaware of such camps which are located on Pakistan territory, may be possible but certainly it is impossible that such developments took place without the knowledge of the omnipresent PAK, ISI, on its own territory. It is necessary to state here that the PAK, ISI, as has been admitted even by President Musharraf, has been actively involved in providing material and other logistic support and facilitating the training of terrorist cadres of several banned international extremist organisation such as Islam Movement of Uzbekistan, Al-Qaida, Talibans, etc. It must be remembered that the Inter Services Intelligence was created for the purpose of espionage against the enemy or enemies of Pakistan to safeguard the interests of the nation. But contrary to and in total violation of its basic duty, the personnel of this organisation have been meddling in the politics and civilian affairs of the country has reached to such a level that now ISI can make or break any government and in involved in the fractioning of the political parties. Thus no one from the political establishment of Pakistan wants to take on the ISI. To prove the real faces and to shed a little light on Pak`s, ISI (which is disturbing directly or indirectly the international community), not only the international journalists but the Pakistani writers also have written volumes in this regard. For example, internet editions like THE NEWS, HERALD TRIBUNE,THE NATION, DAWN, SOUTH ASIA TRIBUNE, PAKISTAN-FACTS.COM, DAILY TIMES & SOUTH ASIA MONITOR etc. have published real facts of the actual role and functioning of the ISI and its unethical practices. Under the heading Don`t be fooled by Musharraf an ex-editor of Pakistan`s most influential English daily The News, Mr Shaheen Sehbai has written in his article(19.3.2002): - Over 20 years ago, another military dictator, Zia-ul-Haque, created the first reign of the ISI when he empowered the agency to run a different war in Afghanistan-the one against the Soviets. Billions of American taxpayer dollars and weapons of every imaginable type flowed through the ISI into mujahedeen hands-while the US government looked the other way as Zia built Pakistan`s nuclear capacity, trained Islamic militants and inculcated radical Islam into the barracks and the schools. Rogue terrorist armies were born and no one paid attention.` Naeem Mansoor Khan of Karachi has written; `Pakistan intelligence agency (ISI) not only involved in politics but also involved in all criminals activities like `Heroin` arms smuggling, blue literatures, terrorism. Now a day took all over religious matters in hands, they made many jihad organisations and use that so called jihad groups against state and throughout the world.` A retired Pakistani Colonel and a freelance columnist Mr Masud Akhtar Shaikh has written in `The News` on 15th of June 2003 that: `The imposition of military rule and the forced suspension of the democratic process has always been a child`s play in this country ever since the first Commander-in-Chief Ayub Khan tried his hands at this game with remarkable success.` Ahmed Rashid of Lahore in his article for `Far Eastern Economic Review` has written: `The equation has not changed, despite Musharraf`s need to maintain a strong alliance with the United States. The religious parties platform of anti-Americanism did not deter Musharraf: In fact, it appears that the army and the ISI sponsored the religious leaders, or mullahs -`Waqar Alam, of Karachi: -The face of ISI sponsored JEHADI organisations is now clear to the whole world. In view of the foregoing it is time that the leaders of international anti-terrorist coalition and their erudite planners and advisers focused on the activities of the ISI rather than go after individual cadres of several terrorist organisations in the world which are somehow linked to the ISI. Finally, we should remember one wise proverb that: `It is better to finish the problem at its roots rather than trim the branches.` It`s almost certain that if the ISI is reined in, operational functioning of a large number of terrorist organisations in the world would be hampered. Certainly, the problem in Afghanistan would also show a marked improvement. Here also a question arises: Who will proceed to cut the unwanted roots of fundamentalist forces?
Uzbekistan Sympathizes With Russia Over Chechnya Bombing
Interfax
Tashkent, May 12: Uzbek President Islam Karimov on Wednesday expressed `solidarity and sympathy` with Russia over the terrorist bombing in Chechnya on Sunday that killed pro-Russian Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov and at least five others. `I would like to express our feelings of solidarity and sympathy with Russia, the Russian people, and President Vladimir Putin personally in connection with the tragic events on May 9 in Chechnya. We perceive them a little more acutely than others. We understand the pain that the Russian people are going through,` Karimov said at a meeting with visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov.
Tbilisi Rules Out Further Terrorist Threat In Pankisi Gorge
Interfax
Tbilisi, May 12: The Pankisi Gorge will no longer serve as a place for terrorist activities, said a high-ranking Georgian official. `No problems posing a threat to anybody will emerge in the Pankisi Gorge in the future,` Georgian National Security Council Secretary Ivane Merabishvili told journalists on Wednesday. The Georgian authorities provided Russia with guarantees earlier today that the Pankisi Gorge will no longer be a major hideout for Chechen rebels and Arab mercenaries. `The Georgian authorities have all the necessary resources today to deal with any problems, should they emerge,` he said.
One Person Killed In Almaty Explosion
Interfax
Almaty, May 12: One man has been killed in an explosion that occurred in downtown Almaty on Wednesday, a police source told Interfax. `A tentative report suggests that it was a homemade explosive device. The bomb was most likely in the victim`s bag,` the source said. The incident occurred at around 4:00 p.m. local time. The area has been cordoned off by police and forensic experts are now at work.
2 Tajiks Extradited
The Moscow Times
Moscow, May 11: The Federal Security Service has extradited two Tajik citizens suspected of involvement in terrorism, Interfax reported. The men were identified as brothers, Validzhon and Fakhmiddin Sadirov, born in 1974 and 1969. The FSB said the brothers were detained in the eastern Siberian city of Irkutsk and the Ural Mountains city of Perm under a request from the Prosecutor General`s Office and the Tajik Security Ministry. The men had undergone religious training in Iran and military training at terrorist camps in Afghanistan, the FSB said.
Kyrgyz Police Nab Suspect In Anti Corruption Killing
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, May 8: Kyrgyz police arrested two men on 8 May on suspicion of killing top anticorruption official Chynybek Aliev, KyrgyzInfo reported on 11 May. Aliev was gunned down in Bishkek on 5 May in what police believe was a contract killing (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 6 May 2004). `Vechernii bishkek` reported that the two men were arrested in the course of a special operation, and that investigators have already learned the identities of those behind Aliev`s death. Police sources would not comment but did not deny reports of the arrest. Akipress.org reported on 11 May that Aliev might have been closing in on an underworld figure identified as `Ryspek` who had eluded capture for many years.
Population Of Turkmenistan Grows By 90,000 In 4 Months
Interfax
Ashgabat, May 14: As of May 1 Turkmenistan had a population of 6.386 million, an increase of almost 90,000 from the beginning of the year, a report from the national institute of statistics says. Almost half of Turkmenistan`s population (46.8 per cent) live in urban areas and 53.2 per cent live in rural areas. The Mary region had the highest percentage of people living in rural areas (72.3 per cent) and the Balkan region the highest in urban areas (78.8 per cent). The capital, Ashgabat, had a population of 841,800.
Tajik Foreign Debt Runs At Around One Bln USD
Kabar Agency
Dushanbe, May 14: Tajikistan`s foreign debt has been nearing the sum of one billion U.S. dollars, which is about 60 percent of the GDP of this Central Asian country, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission in Dushanbe Peter Wingley said on Friday. The IMF official also said, thanks to steady economic growth the volume of the foreign debt in relation to the GDP had dwindled at the end of 2002 and stood at 82 percent. According to the IMF mission head, the IMF recommends to the Tajikistani government to continue negotiations on foreign debt restructuring with Russia and Uzbekistan, the main foreign creditors of the republic. Tajikistan`s debt to Russia has exceeded 300 million dollars.
Unified Energy System A Serious Issue - Aliyev
Interfax
Baku, May 14: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev considers a project to set up a single energy system in Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran to be a serious issue. `This is a very serious issue. We cannot approach this project from an economic point of view only. It is necessary to analyze other factors also, and only then can we reach a decision,` Aliyev told journalists. The president said that this project was discussed by experts, but no decision has yet been reached and no negotiations are being carried out in this area.
Kyrgyzstan Plans To Halve Poverty By 2005
Interfax
Bishkek, May 13: The poverty level in Kyrgyzstan should be halved to a level of 32.8 per cent by 2005, compared to 1999, President Askar Akayev said while speaking at the 3rd national Social Mobilization in Reducing Poverty forum in Bishkek on Thursday. `Thanks to the national Comprehensive Fundamentals of Development and National Poverty Reduction Strategy programs pursued in Kyrgyzstan, the country has managed to take a steady course of development, reduce the level of extreme poverty to 9 per cent, and determine objectives for its further development,` Akayev said. The national poverty reduction programs are compatible to the Millenium Development Goals proclaimed by the UN, he said. `Over the past several years, Kyrgyzstan has been able to provide the people with access to education and healthcare, ensure a number of social guarantees for the financially handicapped, and provide women with access to various resources, including administrative ones,` the president said.
UN Notes Progress In Kazakh Poverty Reduction
Radio Free Europe
Astana, May 12: Representatives of the UN Development Program presented a report on 12 May detailing advances in the fight against poverty in Kazakhstan, Khabar TV reported the same day. The report is called `Poverty in Kazakhstan: Causes and Ways to Overcome It.` It notes that the country`s growing economy, which created 300,000 new jobs in 2003, is helping to reduce poverty. Even so, 28 percent of the population still lives below the poverty line, and 45 percent are at risk of slipping into poverty, with monthly earnings of just over $70. Vyacheslav Bobkov, who headed the group that authored the study, noted that the country`s booming energy sector could potentially have a greater effect on living standards than is currently the case, KazInform reported. According to the study`s authors, economic diversification is necessary to increase employment further.
Uzbeks To Sell Oil, Gas Monopoly Stake
The Moscow Times
Tashkent, May 11: Uzbekistan, berated by hesitant investors for half-hearted reforms, will boost privatization of its energy sector and sell a stake in Uzbekneftegaz oil and gas holding by the end of 2004, the government said on Tuesday. The cash-strapped government sorely needs massive foreign investment in the energy sector to stop the depletion of existing oil and gas deposits and to develop new ones. But in February last year the government said that the much-touted sell-off of state-owned Uzbekneftegaz -- the Central Asian nation`s only firm that explores, produces, processes and sells hydrocarbons -- was being delayed for years. Officials said at the time that the privatization was being put on hold because the company first had to be restructured to become more attractive for would-be foreign bidders. `Ernst & Young is currently implementing the financial auditing of Uzbekneftegaz, and an international [legal] firm is being hired to analyze [Uzbekistan`s] legal framework in the oil and gas sector and propose amendments to the legislation.` `By the end of 2004, the evaluation [of Uzbekneftegaz assets] is being made, and a tender to sell off a company stake to foreign investors will be held,` the government`s state property committee said in a statement.
Employment Rises In Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, May 11: According to Kazakhstan`s Statistics Agency, first-quarter employment figures for 2004 rose 6.2 percent year on year, with a total of 7.7 million people now employed, `Komsomolskaya pravda Kazakhstana` reported on 11 May. (Kazakhstan`s population totals 14.9 million.) The unemployment rate stands at 8.9 percent, or 685,000 people, which is 13,000 fewer than in 2003.
Investment Needed For Caspian Oil Recovery
Tehran Times
Tehran, May 11: Iranian and foreign financiers are being invited to get involved in oil exploration activities in the southern section of the Caspian Sea, a senior official said Tuesday. In interview with PIN, Managing-Director of Caspian Oil and Gas Company Mohammad Hossein Dana said that `the state-of-the-art` technology was required for oil recovery from deep zones in the Caspian Sea. `To this end, huge investment is required.` He said that an Iranian-Swedish consortium was building a semi-submersible platform for drilling operations in the Caspian Sea. `Eighty percent of operations are over and the project is to be finished this year as scheduled,` Dana said.
Kazakh-Azerbaijani Pipeline Talks To Restart In May
Interfax
Baku, May 11: Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are to restart talks at the end of May on an intergovernmental agreement to transport Kazakh oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Natik Aliyev, president of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR), told journalists. `I recently received a letter from [KazMunaiGaz Managing Director Kairgeldy] Kabyldin. He asked for a meeting at the end of May. I think that we will agree to this,` Aliyev said. He said that a group of experts is constantly working on a draft intergovernmental agreement and almost all points have been agreed to date. `On those points that the lawyers were unable to agree, we will reach a decision ourselves,` he said. Aliyev said that whether the agreement will be ratified by the Kazakh parliament is still disputed. `In principle, we have different legislation and procedures for the passage of this type of document. This is not done in Kazakhstan. They say that if we insist on parliament ratifying the agreement a precedent will be set and other companies will demand the ratification of agreements in parliament. On the other hand, this is normal procedure for us, it makes investors confident and guarantees legislative support for all points of the agreement. However, we can again discuss how much the non-ratification in parliament may influence the rights of investors or freight owners. This issue is still sensitive, we will leave it until the end,` Aliyev said.
Norway`s Statoil Eyes Kazakh Oil Development
Radio Free Europe
Astana, May 10: Norwegian oil major Statoil is considering participation in projects on Kazakhstan`s section of the Caspian shelf, Khabar TV reported on 10 May. The report noted that talks are being held on how Statoil could become involved in oil production in Kazakhstan. Ottar Inge Rekdal, Statoil`s acting executive vice president, stressed that Statoil is already cooperating with Kazakh national oil and gas company KazMunayGaz, adding, `We are looking into opportunities for us in this sphere.... We have already determined those areas that represent the greatest interest.`
Kazakh-German JV Starts Building Hops Processing Facility
Interfax
Taraz, May 10: The Kazakh-German joint venture FESA Textil has started building a hops processing facility in south Kazakhstan. `The foundation for a unique hops processing facility has been laid. The plant is under construction in Shu on an assigned 15 hectares of land,` the regional administration announced. The feasibility study of the joint venture estimates the project at $90 million. Serik Kulmanov, general director of the joint venture, told Interfax that the project would be carried out in two stages. At the first stage, estimated at $54 million, a section will be commissioned for making insulation materials, particle boards and medicines. Out of the total sum the company will invest $20 million and borrow the rest. For the second stage the company hopes to draw loans of up to $20 million from the Kazakh State Development Bank, $15 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and $5 million from Kazkommerzbank to launch the production of textile and technical fiber. The facility would process a total of 45,000 tonnes of hops a year.
French Ambassador To Uzbekistan Costilhes Ends His Mission
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 14: Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Sadyk Safaev received Ambassador of Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France Jacques-Andre Costilhes in connection with the end of the latter`s diplomatic mission. Minister Safaev expressed gratitude on behalf of President Islam Karimov for the ambassador`s contribution to strengthening of bilateral relations between the two states. It was noted that the Uzbek-French cooperation in many spheres stirred up during the mission of Costilhes. According to Jahon, the sides discussed further development of cooperation between the two nations.
Pakistan - Tajikistan: Trade Deal A Positive Move - Economist
IRIN News
Islamabad, May 14: Improved trade ties between Pakistan and the Central Asian state of Tajikistan would allow the South Asian nation to establish itself as a gateway for Central Asian trade and commerce, and be a source for increased revenue, according to an analyst. `Developing trade relations with Tajikistan is a step in the right direction,` Dr Akmal Hussain, a leading Pakistani economist, told IRIN from the eastern city of Lahore, a day after the two countries signed eight agreements to boost political and economic cooperation. `We can really be a gateway for Central Asia for trade and commerce and that would be a tremendous source of revenue from the Central Asian states, from the Pakistani point-of-view, and equally, it would provide opportunities for Central Asian states, such as Tajikistan, to boost cheaper exports.` The formation of two working groups on countering regional terrorism and regional stability was also announced after the accords were signed in the presence of Pakistani prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and Tajik president Imomali Rakhmonov, who winds up his three-day official visit on Friday. The accords focus on visa facilitation, the need to avoid double taxation, education, the judiciary, tourism, cooperation between official news agencies and combating drug trafficking. Earlier, on Wednesday, Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf and Rakhmonov announced, after official talks on Wednesday in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, that the two countries would step up efforts to enhance bilateral economic relations, with Musharraf saying that Pakistan was willing to help landlocked Tajikistan access the world through its land routes and sea ports. According to Hussain, a strong proponent of Pakistan pursuing a more Central Asian friendly trade policy since the early 1990s, Tajikistan had been unable to benefit from its trade relationship with Russia. `Over the last decade or so, they have been trying to shift the centre of gravity of their economy from de-linking, partially, their rather adverse trade relationship with Russia - Central Asian states are extremely rich in industrial raw materials - and they are looking for a market to the south, in South and South-East Asia,` he explained. Tajikistan, the smallest and most impoverished of the Central Asian republics that were part of the former Soviet Union, is struggling to recover from a devastating civil war that lasted for five years in the 1990s and nearly destroyed the country`s infrastructure, especially in the agriculture sector. Poverty levels were estimated in 2003 to be at 83 percent.
Farewell Meeting Of Georgian Envoy With Uzbek Foreign Minister
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 14: Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Sadyk Safaev received Ambassador of Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia Givi Andushelishvili in connection with the end of the latter`s diplomatic mission. Minister Safaev expressed gratitude on behalf of President Islam Karimov for the ambassador`s contribution to strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries and expansion of economic and cultural ties between Uzbekistan and Georgia. According to Jahon, the sides discussed further development of cooperation between the two nations. Givi Abdushelishvili was the first ambassador of Georgia to Uzbekistan. He headed the diplomatic mission of Georgia in Tashkent for the last seven years.
NATO`s Virtual Silk Route Project Council Meets In Turkmenistan
RIA Novosti
Ashgabat, May 14: On Friday, a session of the Council and the consultative group of Nato`s Virtual Silk Route project is being held in Ashkhabad, capital of Turkmenistan. Participating in the meeting, organised by the Supreme Science-Technical Council under the Turkmen president, are Nato representatives, leading scientists from Europe, Asia and America, and also officials from the Turkmen Foreign Ministry and the Ministry for Culture and Information. Eight countries from Central Asia and the Caucasus are participating in the project marking another stage of expanding high-speed access to the Internet, which was launched a year ago. Only in 2004, three universities of Ashkhabad were connected to the Internet. They are the Turkmen Makhtumkuli State University, the Turkmen Polytechnic Institute and the Turkmen State Institute of Transport and Communications. The Council and the consultative group of experts of Nato`s project, the Virtual Silk Route, will continue the work till May 20.
Iran, Azerbaijan Keen To Expand Border Trade Exchange
IRNA
Baku, May 14: In a meeting held in Baku (state) University here on Friday, a visiting Iranian delegation and Azeri officials xamined ways of expanding border trade exchanges between Iran and the neighboring Azerbaijan. In the meeting, Astara Governor Mohammad Akhavan, heading the Iranian delegation, referred to expansion of border trade as a significant measure contributing to broadening mutual economic and cultural relations. Turning to Iran`s attempts to expand such exchanges, he added that the neighboring countries moves to this end could be effective in developing regional cooperation, tackling unemployment, improving the welfare of residents of border areas and campaign against smuggling of goods. Akhavan referred to Iran`s five markets currently active at the common border of the two states located at Bilehsavar, Parsabad, Astara, Garmi and Poldasht and put their annual trade share subject of customs facilities at six million dollars. He reiterated the need for establishment of similar border markets by Azerbaijan Republic.
Armenia`s FM Terms Iran As A Major Regional Partner
IRNA
Moscow, May 14: Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan in a meeting with Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh in Yerevan Friday referred to Iran as a major partner of his country in the region. In the meeting, Oskanyan said that the agreement signed between the two countries on sale of gas to Armenia is in line with Iran`s political will to expand the mutual friendly ties. He further underlined Iran`s decisive role and stance in the region. Turning to the significance of Iran`s balanced regional policy, he said that bilateral cooperation under the framework of North-South Route and construction of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline are of great importance. For his part, Zanganeh expressed pleasure over the finalization of the contract on transfer of gas from Iran to Armenia on the basis of exchange with power as a major development. The minister noted that the materialization of the project marks sustained and long-term collaboration between Iran and Armenia.
Kyrgyzstan And Russia Signed Document On Cooperation
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, May 14: The cooperation programme of foreign diplomatic departments of Kyrgyzstan and Russia for 2004 is signed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic. Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Askar Aitmatov and Russian Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Yevgeniy Shmagin signed the document. According to A. Aitmatov, the document is signed with a purpose to implement protocol on cooperation between ministries of foreign affairs of Kyrgyzstan and Russia, signed December 5, 2002 in the course of official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kyrgyzstan. The specific reference point of foreign political cooperation development of the two states for 2004 is laid in the mentioned document. Within the framework of cooperation programme for this year, it is expected to hold corresponding consultations between foreign political departments of Kyrgyzstan and Russia on pressing problems of Kyrgyz-Russian relations and international subjects, cooperation of the parties in the frame of international and regional organizations, said A. Aitmatov. It is expected also to exchange information on the level of corresponding sub-units of the foreign ministries of two states.
Iran, Uzbekistan Study Mutual Relations
IRNA
Tashkent, May 14: Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev here Thursday termed as important his country`s relations with Iran. In a meeting with Iran`s Ambassador to Uzbekistan Mohammad Fath-Ali, the Uzbek official underlined the importance attached by his country to economic issues and expressed hope that Tehran-Tashkent economic relations would further promote. Mirziyayev stressed that the cabinet of ministers of Uzbekistan is ready to provide further facilities to develop mutual economic relations with Iran. The Iranian ambassador, for his part, underlined the positive developments between the two countries in recent months. Referring to the several shuttle visits by officials of Iran and Uzbekistan, Fath-Ali stressed that mutual relations in economic field, transportation in particular and export of Iranian technical services should further increase.
Ivanov Calls For Closer Uzbek Ties
The Moscow Times
Tashkent, May 13: Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov urged closer ties with Uzbekistan in the fight against terror after talks Wednesday with Uzbek President Islam Karimov, the latest sign of the countries` rekindled friendship after years of stagnant relations. `It is necessary to cooperate to effectively fight new challenges and threats such as the terrorist disease and extremist disease that exist both in Central Asia and Russia,` Ivanov said in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, in comments shown on Uzbek state-run television. A wave of explosions, assaults on police and Central Asia`s first suicide bombings struck Uzbekistan in March and April, killing at least 47 people -- most alleged militants who the government said were Islamic extremists trained by Arab al-Qaida instructors. Ivanov tied that violence to this weekend`s killing of Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov in a bomb blast during celebrations of the anniversary of the end of World War II -- and said the countries had to fight terrorism together.
Kyrgyz Minister Comments On Kazakh Ties
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, May 13: Foreign Minister Askar Aitmatov acknowledged in a 13 May interview with akipress.org that there are some problem areas in Kazakh-Kyrgyz relations, but he stressed that the tendency is toward increasing cooperation. Aitmatov admitted that delays have affected the implementation of some of the bilateral agreements that were signed during Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev`s December visit to Kazakhstan. Aitmatov attributed the delays to a need to follow formal ratification procedures within Kyrgyzstan. He noted, however, that Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are considering the creation of a water and energy consortium within the framework of the Central Asian Cooperation Organization. `Close cooperation is a feature of Kyrgyz-Kazakh relations,` Aitmatov said. `We value our achievements in this sphere and are planning to develop further cooperation with fraternal Kazakhstan in all areas.`
China To Strengthen Oil Cooperation With Kazakhstan
Xinhuanet
Beijing, May 13: China is willing to further cooperation with Kazakhstan in oil and gas exploitation and transportation, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao here Thursday. Liu made the remark when asked whether Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev will discuss the Sino-Kazakh pipeline programwith Chinese leaders in his upcoming visit to the country. The cooperation in this field started in September 1997, aimingto build a pipeline from western Kazakhstan to western China. The pipeline, with an estimated cost of between 2.5 and three billion US dollars, will transport no less than 20 million tons of oil annually, experts said. According to Liu, the joint exploration program in Aktyubinskaya, an oil field in northwestern Kazakhstan, is going smoothly. Besides, the two sides are preparing for the second phase of the pipeline program, a 1,000-km-long pipeline from Kazakhstan`s eastern Atasu to China`s western Alataw Pass.
Tajik President And President Musharraf Hold Talks
Pakistan News Service
Islamabad, May 13: President Emomali Rahmonov of Tajikistan and President General Pervez Musharraf held talks on Wednesday, affirming the mutual desire to further enhance friendly relations between the two countries. The two leaders met at the Aiwan-e-Sadr soon after the formal welcome ceremony held for the visiting Tajik President. Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali also attended the ceremony. During the talks, the two leaders exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest and agreed that there is a tremendous scope for increase in bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Nouraiz Shakoor were also present during the talks. Tajik foreign and Finance Ministers were also present during the meeting.
Aliyev Keen On Further Cooperation With Iran
Tehran Times
Baku, May 12: Azeri President Ilham Aliyev here Wednesday stressed consolidation and continuation of cooperation with Iran as among major goals of Baku`s foreign policy. Aliyev, in a meeting with Iranian President`s Special Envoy on Caspian Sea Affairs Mahdi Safari, called for drafting agreements for bilateral cooperation in various fields. He highlighted the importance of finalizing mutual talks on transfer of Iran`s gas to Nakhichevan. Aliyev said he will pay a visit to Iran in the near future and expressed his country`s readiness to welcome President Khatami for a visit to Baku. Safari praised expansion of bilateral ties with Azerbaijan particularly in the fields of energy and agriculture and said the 17-million dollars agreement signed between Baku and Tehran on energy is an important step in economic cooperation. He expressed hope over the outcome of talks on transfer of Iran`s gas to Nakhichevan, saying construction of Astara-Baku road is an important sample of cooperation between the two countries.
Kazakhstan To Chair Collective Security Summit
Radio Free Europe
Astana, May 12: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev met with Nikolai Bordyuzha, secretary-general of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), on 12 May to discuss the organization`s 18-19 June summit in Astana, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 12 May. Bordyuzha announced that Kazakhstan will chair the session, which will focus on `adapting the CSTO`s activities to modern challenges and threats` such as terrorism, narcotics trafficking, political extremism, and separatism.
Tehran-Bishkek Ties To Benefit Entire Region: Kyrgyz Pre
IRNA
Bishkek, May 12: Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev here Wednesday expressed his satisfaction with the current level of Tehran-Bishkek relations, and said continued bilateral cooperation would redound to the benefit of both countries and the entire region. In a meeting with the visiting Iranian Commerce Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari, he referred to the agreements already signed between the two sides as `crucial.` For his part, Shariatmadari, the Iranian co-chair of the two countries` joint economic commission, said the two-day regional seminar on post-war Afghanistan which opened Tuesday in this Kyrgyz capital would give a boost to regional cooperation. An Iranian delegation, headed by Shariatmadari, arrived here Tuesday evening for an official visit and to attend the Afghan seminar as well as discuss expansion of bilateral ties with Kyrgyz officials. The delegation was welcomed at Bishkek`s international airport by Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communication Kubanychbek Jumaliev. Members of the delegation are scheduled to hold several meetings with Kyrgyz officials, including Prime Minister Nikoli Tanayev and Jumaliev, to discuss the latest regional and international developments.
Uzbek Representatives To Participate In Moscow Festival
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 12: Three Uzbek young people will participate in the first international festival `Moscow meets friends`, which will be held from 14 May to 21 May in Moscow, Russia. The forum is aimed at rehabilitation of cultural ties among post-Soviet nations through young musicians and is organised by charitable fund named after Spivakov. According to Russian Foreign Centre in Uzbekistan, concerts of bands and young musicians, and exhibitions of art works will be held within the framework of the festival.
Regional Economic Conference On Afghanistan Ends
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, May 12: A conference on regional cooperation on Afghanistan ended in Bishkek on 12 May, RFE/RL reported. The conference was attended by representatives of Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of several international organizations. `Central Asian countries have huge resources, hydroelectricity, coal and ferrous metals, as well as transportation and communication networks,` Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev said. `We have great opportunities to participate in joint projects in Afghanistan in many ways.` The meeting focused on rebuilding efforts, regional stability, and finding ways of creating economic ties that could help Afghanistan move away from its dependency on the opium trade.
Tajikistan: European Commission To Scale Back Aid Over Three Years
IRIN News
Dushanbe, May 12: The Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Commission (ECHO) has reaffirmed its plans to scale back its humanitarian activities in Tajikistan over the next three years. Since 1993, the EU has provided the impoverished former Soviet republic with 153 million euros (US $182 million) worth of humanitarian aid. `At this point we are looking at phasing out our humanitarian assistance in 2007, providing the situation remains stable or improves,` Cecile Pichon, ECHO head of office, told IRIN in the Tajik capital Dushanbe on Wednesday. One month earlier, the European Commission announced 8 million euros ($9.7 million) in humanitarian assistance to the Central Asian state - 20 percent less than its annual contribution the previous year. An additional 2.5 million euros ($2.97 million) was pledged for regional disaster preparedness - the vast majority earmarked for Tajikistan. `Last year we had 10 million euros and decided to begin a very slow phase-down in the country,` Pichon stated, noting however that they would continue with the same sectors of food, health, water and sanitation given their interrelation. According to ECHO, nearly half the Tajik population of 6.5 million lack access to safe drinking water. Poor water and sanitation have a direct impact on infant mortality in the country - something that was particularly problematic. And though each sector would receive approximately one third of the 8 million euro contribution, Pichon conceded that the food component would be less. `Last year and the year before, food was the largest sector - between 40 and 45 percent,` she said, explaining that the issue of food was more a problem of access as opposed to availability now. `We have a lot of components working on this, but a lot of the other European Commission`s instruments are addressing poverty which at some stage will help people have better incomes, and subsequently access to food,` she said, adding that direct food assistance to those most in need, however, would continue.
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Receives Iranian Commerce Minister
IRNA
Bishkek, May 12: Iran Commerce Minister and co-chair of the Iran-Kyrgyz Joint Economic Commission Mohammad Shariatmadari met and conferred with Kyrgyz prime minister here on Wednesday evening. In the meeting the two sides discussed the current situations and outlook of cooperation between two countries in the fields of trade and economy. Shariatmadari said he was glad the two countries` political and business relations were improving and described the start of free trade program between Kyrgyzstan and Iran as `important`. The Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikoli Tanayev, too, confirm the stance of the Iranian minister and consider the situation beneficial for both nations. The Iranian delegation arrived here on Tuesday night for participating in a regional conference titled `Revitalizing Post-War Afghanistan` and left Bishkek for Tehran on Wednesday night.
Yerevan, Teheran Sign Treaty On Building Gas Pipeline
Itar-Tass
Yerevan, May 12: A basic treaty on construction of a gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia will be signed in the Armenian capital on Thursday. For this purpose, Iranian Oil and Gas Minister Bijan Zanganeh arrives in Yerevan, Tass learnt on Thursday from press service head of the Armenian Energy ministry Lusine Arutyunyan. The Iranian guest will be received by President Robert Kocharyan and Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan. The project provides for laying down a 100-kilometer gas pipeline along the Iranian territory and 41 kilometers in Armenia. The pipeline will pump daily 1.5 million cubic meters of Turkmen gas. The approximate cost of the project is 96 million U.S. dollars. According to Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsesyan, it is planned to start construction within this year and to complete tentatively in 2006. The gas pipeline from Iran is to be built only to meet domestic needs of Armenia, Kocharyan emphasized.
Ukraine And Uzbekistan Can Increase Goods Turnover - Ukrainian PM
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 11: Ukraine and Uzbekistan have vast potential to increase bilateral commodity turnover, Ukrainian Prime Minister Victor Yanukovich said on Tuesday. According to press-service of Ukrainian government, the official noted that `expansion of our trade and economic relations will promote growth both of Ukrainian and Uzbek economies, in spite of the fact that last year we increased commodity turnover and this year it has exceeded 2.5 times last year`s figures`. `We think that it is necessary not only to retain this dynamics, but also to incerase it. Of course, we have such potential,` he said during a meeting with Uzbek Foreign Minister Sadyk Safaev in Kiev.
Kazakh President Discusses German Trade Ties
Radio Free Europe
Astana, May 11: President Nursultan Nazarbaev met on 11 May with Ludwig-Georg Braun, who heads the Federation of German Chambers of Commerce, to discuss way of strengthening trade ties between Kazakhstan and Germany, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported the same day. Braun praised conditions for foreign investors in Kazakhstan, saying, `The conditions that have been created here are very expedient and attractive.` Nazarbaev and Braun also talked about support for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as support for businesses owned by Kazakhstan`s ethnic Germans. KazInform quoted Braun as saying, `We hope that this visit will actively influence the development of economic relations between our two countries.`
Georgia: EU`s Solana Discusses Adjara With Georgian Foreign Minister
Radio Free Europe
Brussels, May 11: Georgia`s Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili-Kashia today told EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana that the situation in the country`s restive Adjara region has returned to normal. According to an EU official present at the Brussels meeting, Zurabishvili-Kashia was keen to stress what she called the `democratic maturity` of the Adjaran population. The Autonomous Republic of Adjara was returned to Georgian control last week after mass protests forced its authoritarian leader, Aslan Abashidze, to flee to Moscow. The Georgian minister said the quick and peaceful resolution of the crisis had `surprised` the authorities in Tbilisi. Zurabishvili-Kashia noted the role played in the transfer of power by the local population and said it should be acknowledged by the international community. Georgia`s foreign minister praised the `constructive` role played by the Russian government in defusing the standoff.
Kyrgyz President, Afghan Minister Meet
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, May 11: President Askar Akaev met with Afghan Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on 11 May in the course of an international conference in Bishkek on Afghanistan and regional economic cooperation, Kyrgyz Television reported the same day. Akaev stated that Kyrgyzstan wishes to strengthen and broaden cooperation with a friendly Afghanistan; Ghani responded with an invitation for Akaev to meet with Afghan Transitional Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai. Akaev also congratulated Ghani on Afghanistan`s new constitution, adopted in January. Akipress.org quoted the Kyrgyz president as saying, `[The constitution] is a historic achievement for Afghanistan that demonstrates the Afghan people`s resolve to transform their country into a stable, law-based state.`
Kazakh President To Visit China
Xinhua
Beijing, May 11: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev will pay a state visit to China from May 16 to 19 at the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a press conference in Beijing Tuesday. During the visit, both leaders will exchange views on bilateralrelations, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in various spheres, and other global and regional issues of common concern, according to the spokesman.
Tajik President To Visit Pakistan
Interfax
Dushanbe, May 11: Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov left for his first official visit to Pakistan on Wednesday, said the presidential press service. The agenda of Rakhmonov`s trip includes meetings with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and other senior officials. A number of intergovernmental documents aimed at advancing bilateral political, trade and business contacts will be signed, the press service said. Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov is accompanying Rakhmonov on the visit.
Kyrgyzstan Interested In Restoration Of Afghanistan: Presdient Askar Akaev
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, May 11: In Central Asia, the attention is paid to post-conflict development of Afghanistan, render assistance in restoration process, achieve stability and safety both Afghanistan and the whole region. President Askar Akaev of Kyrgyzstan announced in Bishkek at the international conference entitled `Regional Economic Cooperation of Afghanistan: Central Asia, Iran and Pakistan`. For a long time, Afghanistan was a source of treat of terrorism and drug for the Central Asian region. Kyrgyzstan exposed twice to attack of band-formations, based in Afghanistan and trying to penetrate into Ferghana valley through our country, said the head of the state. He emphasized that Kyrgyzstan one of the first announced its readiness to support Afghanistan. `We presented `Manas` International Airport to deploy coalition troops of Ganci Airbase, taking active participation in rendering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Presently, Northern Afghanistan received over 200 thousand tons of international humanitarian assistance`, said A. Akaev. `We will support efforts of Afghan Government aimed to create peaceful democratic state. Kyrgyzstan welcomes efforts of Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan aimed to speed up processes of demilitarization, achieve peace and concord, economic revival of the country`, - noted the Kyrgyz President. At the recent Berlin Conference on Afghanistan, a declaration of world community was adopted on restoration of this country, as well as programme of financial support and activate regional cooperation of Afghanistan with neighbor states on fighting with terrorism was worked out. Today`s fate of people depends on efforts of world community, said A. Akaev. The neighbor states including Kyrgyzstan must play an important role in restoration of Afghanistan. `The states of Central Asia possess big resources: water-energetic, non-ferrous metal, transport and communication network etc. In this connection, we could implement various multiple-discipline projects with Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstan is extremely interested to present its resources and intellectual potential for post-conflict restoration of Afghanistan. We are ready to place orders at our enterprises for need of Afghan people, send experts, train personnel in higher educational institutions of Kyrgyzstan. I hope this conference will render assistance in rebirth of Afghanistan`, - added the head of the state. Three-day regional conference, attending by representatives of governments and leaders of private business of Central Asia, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, organized with the support of United Nations Development Programme and Kyrgyz Government. The Bishkek Joint Declaration on the level of ministries will wrap up the conference today.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Meets President Of Ukraine
Kabar Agency
Tashkent, May 11: Uzbek Foreign Minister Sadyk Safaev met the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma on 11 May within the framework of his two-day visit to Ukraine. Leonid Kuchma underlined that Ukraine considered and considers Uzbekistan as its main strategic partner in Central Asia. Ukrainian president expressed his satisfaction with high level of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Uzbekistan. He added that Ukraine is interested in further effective cooperation with Uzbekistan. According to the press-service of Ukrainian president, the sides discussed issues of regional and international security, necessity to consolidate international efforts in fight against terrorism. Ukrainian President and Uzbek Foreign Minister also considered perspectives of cooperation between Ukraine and Uzbekistan in rehabilitation of Afghanistan`s infrastructure. On the same day, Sadyk Safaev was also received by the speaker of Upper Rada (Ukrainian parliament) Vladimir Litvin. The sides discussed role of parliaments of two countries in strengthening of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Ukraine and its further development.
GUUAM Summit To Take Place In Batumi In June - Saakashvili
Interfax
Tbilisi, May 11: The president of the GUUAM association of countries comprising Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova will meet in Batumi in June, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Georgian television on Tuesday evening. `At least three presidents will come to this summit in Batumi, and negotiations with the Uzbek president are also underway,` Saakashvili said. He said Ukrainian and Azerbaijani Presidents Leonid Kuchma and Ilham Aliyev have confirmed their agreement to attend the summit in Batumi.
Justice Minister Of Uzbekistan Visits Germany
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 10: Delegation of lawyers of Uzbekistan headed by the country`s Justice Minister Abdusamat Palvanzade visited Germany. During the visit, the members of the delegation held talks with State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice Hansjorg Geiger and State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development Erich Stater. According to Jahon news agency, the negotiations focused on issues of civil, procedural, criminal and court-administrative rights. The members of the delegation visited cities of Bremen, Karlsruhe and Leipzig to familiarise with the activity of justice organs of Germany.
Uzbek Foreign Minister In Ukraine
RIA Novosti
Tashkent, May 10: Sadyk Safayev, Uzbekistan`s Minister of Foreign Affairs, is arriving in Kiev today on a two-day official visit. The event aims to step up all-round bilateral strategic cooperation, says Ilkhom Zakirov, his press secretary. The visit schedule envisages negotiations with the host country`s President Leonid Kuchma and parliament Speaker Vladimir Litvin. The agenda includes the present state of bilateral relations, the international anti-terror cause, prospects of Uzbek-Ukrainian contacts within the United Nations, the OSCE, CIS and other international organizations, and teamwork with still other international leagues. The Parties will exchange opinions on Iraqi, Afghan and other crucial international issues. Mr. Safayev will meet with Konstantin Grishchenko, his Ukrainian counterpart, at the negotiation table. The Parties intend to sum up their talks with a joint statement.
Chief Of CIS Collective Security Pact Visits Kazakhstan
Itar-Tass
Moscow, May 10: Secretary General of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) Nikolai Bordyuzha began a working visit to Kazakhstan on Tuesday. Nikolai Bordyuzha will meet Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, heads of Kazakh key ministries and departments and visit the Kazakh parliament. On the agenda of his talks in Kazakhstan is the situation in the region, key problems of regional and international security. Practical activities of the CSTO will be discussed in the framework of the preparation for the June meeting of the Collective Security Council that will be held in Astana (Kazakhstan).
Armenia President To Pay Working Visit To Russia
Itar-Tass
Yerevan, May 10: President Robert Kocharyan of Armenia will pay a working visit to Russia on May 13-15, press secretary of the president Ashot Kocharyan said. `Relations with Russia have the character of strategic partnership and are an important factor of ensuring economic development and security of Armenia,` Ashot Kocharyan said. As the press secretary recalled, Robert Kocharyan`s official visit to Russia in January last year, during which a dialogue between the two countries` presidents was continued, became an important stage in intensifying bilateral relations. According to Ashot Kocharyan, at present priority importance is attached to economic cooperation.
Armenia President Not To Attend NATO Summit In Istanbul
Itar-Tass
Yerevan, May 10: President Robert Kocharyan of Armenia will not take part in the NATO summit in Istanbul late in June, presidential press secretary Ashot Kocharyan said on Monday. He said in an interview with Tass this decision `is explained by the current state of Armenian-Turkish relations.` `No progress in bilateral relations was seen in 2003,` the press secretary said. `Armenia reiterates its readiness to improve relations with Turkey without preliminary conditions,` he said. Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will represent the country at Istanbul`s summit.
Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan Intend To Step Up Trade, Economic Cooperation
Itar-Tass
Bishkek, May 10: Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan intend to step up trade and economic cooperation, Kyrgyz Minister of Trade, Industry and Economic Development Amangeldy Muraliyev said. After the talks with his Afghan colleagues on Monday, Muraliyev said both sides have to sign an agreement on trade and transit freightage, and reach agreement with Uzbekistan on transit freightage rates. Last year trade turnover between Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan amounted to six million U.S. dollars. After all these problems are solved, trade turnover may be increased threefold, the Kyrgyz minister stressed. Kyrgyzstan exports building materials to Afghanistan. Kyrgyz and Afghan officials held talks on trade and economic cooperation as part of an international conference on reconstruction in Afghanistan that has opened in Bishkek. Representatives of the eight Asian states are involved in the conference.
German Federal Minister For Economic Cooperation And Development Visits Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 9: German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul visited Tashkent on 9 May on the invitation of Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the Agency for Foreign Economic Relations Elyor Ganiev. The aim of the visit was to familiarise with aspects of Uzbek-German economic cooperation and interaction in development issues, German embassy in Uzbekistan told UzReport.com. The German minister held negotiations with Deputy Prime Minister Elyor Ganiev, Health Minister Feruz Nazirov, First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov and governor of Tashkent city Rustam Shoabdurahmanov. Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul visited a tuberculosis clinic, located in Tashkent region. This clinic is participating in the programme `Fight against tuberculosis` and supported by the German side. She also announced issue of a grant worth 2.5 million euros to Uzbekistan within the framework of programme `Fight against tuberculosis`.
Iran, Kyrgyzstan Discuss Relations
IRNA
Tehran, May 8: First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Osman Aqoun Ebrahimev here on Saturday discussed the bilateral relations in the political, cultural, economic and trade areas. In the meeting, Aref commented on the historical, cultural and geographical commonalties between the two countries and said these bonds would contribute to the relations between the two countries in all areas. Aref said development of relations with the republics in the Central Asia including Kyrgyzstan is top on the agenda of the Islamic Republic of Iran including Kyrgyzstan. He said the consultations and meetings between the two countries are an indication of the fact that there is a strong confidence between the sides that could be the cornerstone of the improved mutual relations. Aref called for efforts to identify the potentials in both states for mutual cooperation and stressed the need to undertake steps to translate into action the already inked agreements between the sides.
Georgian President To Visit Turkey
Turkish Daily News
Ankara, May 8: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili is to visit Turkey on May 20. Diplomatic sources announced that the Foreign Minister and deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul expressed his pleasure for the non-violent settlement of the internal tension in Georgia by calling Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zvaniya. The Georgian President proclaimed the start of his country`s reunification on Thursday after forcing out the Adzharia region`s rebel leader in his second `rose revolution` in six months.
Russian Defence Minister To Visit Uzbekistan On 11-12 May
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 8: Defence Minister of Russia Sergey Ivanov will pay an official visit to Uzbekistan on 11-12 May. According to the press service of the Russian Defence Ministry, Ivanov will discuss issues of bilateral relations in military and military-technical cooperation with Uzbek officials and exchange opinions on important military-political problems, including regional security. It is expected that Russian Defence Minister will meet his Uzbek counterpart Qadyr Gulyamov.
Taxation Treaty With Tajikistan
Central Asia Daily
Islamabad, May 8: Pakistan and Tajikistan will sign a convention for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income between the two countries. An official source in the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) told Dawn on Saturday that the convention will be signed during the up-coming visit of Tajik president, Emomali Rakhmonov to Islamabad from May 12. Following detailed deliberations by the tax authorities of the two sides, the convention was initialled on April 14, the official said. The agreement essentially emphasized the concept of taxation on income of international business transactions in the home country of the recipient. It clearly defines the tax rules that will apply in case of cross-border business transactions, he added. According to the official the agreement would open new avenues for business and economic cooperation with the central Asian countries. Officials said although Pakistan`s trade with Tajikistan at present is not much, there exists considerable potential for its expansion and reciprocal investment. The agreement will be an important step towards strengthening bilateral economic relations between the two countries, added the official.
German Federal Minister Vichorek-Zoil Starts Visit To Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 8: German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul will visit Tashkent on 9 May on invitation of Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and the chairman of the Agency for Foreign Economic Relations of Uzbekistan Elyor Ganiev. The aim of the visit is to familiarise with the aspects of the Uzbek-German economic cooperation and interaction in development issues, the German embassy in Uzbekistan told UzReport.com. German Minister will hold negotiations with the Deputy Prime Minister Elyor Ganiev, Health Minister Feruz Nazirov, First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov and the governor of Tashkent city Rustam Shoabdurahmanov. Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul will also visit tuberculosis clinic, located in Tashkent region.
Afghanistan Builds Bridge To Central Asia
Big News Network
Kabul, May 8: Afghanistan and Tajikistan are to sign an agreement Sunday to reopen a historic bridge that will enhance Afghanistan`s trade with Central Asia. U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad will also sign the agreement as the United States is providing funds for the project. Construction is expected to start soon. The former Soviet republics of Central Asia were Afghanistan`s major trading partner before 1979, when the Russian invasion, and consequent occupation led to a countrywide resistance and severed ties with the former Soviet Union. Relations between Afghanistan and Central Asia also failed to improve under the Taliban regime, which ruled the country from 1995-2001, because of the Taliban`s support of Islamic militants in Central Asian republics. Since December 2001, when U.S. forces toppled the Taliban and established a moderate government in Kabul, Afghanistan`s relations with Central Asia have improved steadily.
Tbilisi Planning To Apply Ajarian Scenario In Gali District - Sukhumi
Interfax
Sukhumi, May 13: The Georgian authorities are planning a number of moves in the Gali district of Abkhazia similar to those taken earlier in Georgia`s Ajaria region, Givi Argba, head of the state security service of the self-proclaimed republic of Abkhazia, told Interfax Thursday. `We have information that the Georgian authorities have planned actions in the Gali district aimed at separating the region from the rest of the republic,` he said. `The events planned by Tbilisi according to the Ajarian scenario may take place on May 26 - Georgia`s independence day,` Argba said. `The Georgian side is also planning to send a military contingent to the Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia,` he said.
Turkmenistan Liberalizes Religion Legislation
Interfax
Ashgabat, May 13: Criminal responsibility for offenses against legislation on religious associations was rescinded in Turkmenistan on Thursday, when President Saparmurat Niyazov signed a law to this effect. `This was done to enable citizens to use their right to enjoy freedom of religion and to enforce international law,` the report says. Before it was rescinded, an article in the Turkmen Criminal Code provided for punishment ranging from a fine to a prison term of up to three years for offenses against legislation on religion. The article, included in the code in October 2003, raised the indignation of religious and human rights organizations. Niyazov has also rescinded his own decree on reporting the receipt of charity by religious groups and organizations. Turkmenistan`s Freedom of Religion and Religious Organizations Law required `religious organizations, including those that are unregistered, and their members and supporters to register in the Justice Ministry the financial and material aid they receive.`
Helsinki Commission Briefing Reviews Religious Freedom In Turkmenistan
U.S. Newswire
Washington DC, May 10: The United States Helsinki Commission will hold a briefing with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to examine obstacles to religious freedom in Turkmenistan. WHAT: Helsinki Commission forum on Religious Freedom in Turkmenistan WHEN: 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 11 WHERE: 485 Russell Senate Building PANELISTS: -- Najia Badykova, research associate, George Washington University Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies and former head of the Department of Economic Relations with the Turkmen Government -- Lawrence Uzzell, president, International Religious Freedom Watch, an independent research center reporting on threats to freedom of conscience in totalitarian and authoritarian countries -- Felix Corley, editor, Forum 18 News Service, a news service reporting on threats and actions against religious freedom in the former Soviet Bloc The State Department`s Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, released on December 18, 2003, sharpened its criticism of the repressive practices of Saparmurat Niyazov`s regime in Turkmenistan. The report concluded that the `status of government respect for religious freedom deteriorated during the period covered by this report.` The situation for religious freedom in Turkmenistan is bleak.
Azerbaijan Pardons 363 Convicts
Interfax
Baku, May 10: President Ilham Aliyev pardoned 363 convicts on Monday, the president`s office told Interfax. Those to be released include former Interior Forces commander and head of the Baku naval college Dzhanmirza Mirzoyev. In March 2004, 129 convicts were freed under a presidential amnesty.
Weapons Stockpile Worth Several Million Dlrs Found In Adzharia
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, May 8: Georgian law-enforcement agents found a stockpile of weapons worth several million dollars in Adzharia`s Kobuleti district on Saturday, which belonged to armed groups of the former leader of the autonomy Aslan Abashidze. The arsenal contained assault rifles, grenade launchers, hand grenades, explosives, remotely controlled detonators and several air defense systems, according to Georgian Interior Ministry representatives. It also continued banned chemical weapons, including poison gases, they said.
Staff Sought For Controversial New Turkmen TV Channel
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, May 12: Turkmenistan`s much-ballyhooed fourth television channel, which will allegedly broadcast in six languages for an international audience, has begun to recruit staff, Turkmen TV reported on 12 May. According to the announcement, state television and radio officials are looking for `people with higher education and good command of foreign languages.` Cameramen and television producers are also being sought.
Special FocusTajikistan: Small Jewish Community Fighting To Save Its Synagogue
The small Jewish community in the Tajik capital Dushanbe is upset over plans to tear down the city`s only synagogue. The plans are part of an urban-renewal project in the city`s Ismoil Somoni district.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/pp050804.shtmlGeorgia Moves Swiftly To Erase Abashidze Legacy In Ajaria
Georgian officials are moving swiftly to erase Aslan Abashidze`s legacy in Ajaria. Today, the five-cross Georgian national flag flies at the residential compound where Abashidze and other top regional officials lived. Black-clad Ajarian paramilitaries who used to guard government buildings in Batumi have disappeared, and the Ajarian capital is now teaming with Georgian soldiers. Meanwhile, Ajarian checkpoints have been demolished and traffic is once again flowing between the region and Georgia proper.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav051104.shtmlKyrgyzstan: A Losing Battle
One of Kyrgyzstan`s top corruption fighters has been assassinated, reigniting debate about the reach of organized crime in the Central Asian republic. Chynybek Aliev--head of the anti-corruption division within the Interior Ministry--was gunned down at a traffic light in Bishkek after stopping his Mercedes at an intersection.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp051104.shtmlNagorno - Karabakh: A Decade Of Frustration In Search Of A Negotiated Peace
On May 12, 1994, a ceasefire brought a halt to fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, a conflict that embroiled Armenia and Azerbaijan and Karabakh Armenians. In the decade since then, the two countries, along with representatives of the unrecognized Karabakh Republic, have been unable to agree on a political settlement.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav051204.shtmlActivist`s Prize Marks Long Campaign For Facts On Georgian Pipeline
The head of the Georgian International Oil Corp., Giorgi Chanturia, announced that construction on Georgia`s sector of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is proceeding ahead of schedule. Work will soon commence in the environmentally sensitive sector around the Borjomi mineral water springs, Chanturia added.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/qanda/articles/eav051204.shtmlExpert: US Failure To Comprehend Islamic Radical Motivation Undermines Democratisation Hopes For Middle East, Central Asia
A leading expert on political Islam contends the Bush administration is undermining its own democratization efforts in the Middle East and Central Asia through its inability to distinguish between `international jihadism` and `Islamo-nationalist` struggles.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/recaps/articles/eav051304.shtmlUzbekistan`s Army: Going Professional
As the recent visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to Tashkent underscored, Uzbekistan is interested in boosting strategic cooperation with Russia. Even so, Uzbek leaders continue to view the United States as the country`s key strategic partner.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav051404.shtml
Report dated 14 May 2004