Azerbaijan Convicts 7 Opposition Members Of Rioting
Interfax
Baku, October 22: Seven opposition activists have been convicted of organizing mass riots in Azerbaijan`s capital, Baku, last year to protest against an allegedly rigged presidential election that brought defeat to an opposition leader.
All Five Uzbek Parties To Participate In Elections
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 21: All five political parities registered in Uzbekistan received green light to participate in December parliamentary elections. Central Election Committee (CEC) allowed Uzbekistan Liberal-Democratic Party, Fidokorlar Uzbekistan National Democratic Party, Uzbekistan People`s Democratic Party, Adolat Social-Democratic Party and Milliy Tiklanish Democratic Party to participate in the elections to the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis. The CEC also announced that it would create more than 40 voting stations in foreign countries.
Kyrgyz Opposition Groups Unite
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 21: The political bloc For Fair Elections and the People`s Movement of Kyrgyzstan have decided to join forces, RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service reported on 21 October. According to member of parliament Azimbek Beknazarov, a member of the People`s Movement, the unified opposition bloc will include Legislative Assembly (lower chamber of parliament) deputies Alevtina Pronenko, Alisher Abdimomunov, and former Education Minister Ishengul Boljurova. The People`s Movement of Kyrgyzstan, which brings together nine political parties, is led by former Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiev; the bloc For Fair Elections is led by former Security Council Secretary Misir Ashyrkulov.
CEC Allows Two More Parties Participate In Parliament Elections
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 21: Two more political parties of Uzbekistan received permission to participate in upcoming parliamentarian elections from Central Election Commission (CEC). Entrepreneurs and Businessmen Movement - Uzbekistan Liberal-Democratic Party and Fidokorlar Uzbekistan National Democratic Party received corresponding documents from CEC As earlier reported, Uzbekistan People`s Democratic Party was also allowed to participate in parliamentarian elections, scheduled for 26 December.
Kazakh President Shrugs Off Election Criticism
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 21: In remarks at a meeting with intellectuals and artists on 21 October, President Nursultan Nazarbaev shrugged off recent criticisms of the 19 September parliamentary elections, Interfax-Kazakh reported. He said: `There will be such criticism. We should take an understanding view of this.` Noting that international observers, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), gave what Nazarbaev described as a positive assessment of the elections, he concluded, `Everyone has a right to hold his own views.`
Imprisoned Kyrgyz Opposition Leader Files Appeal
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 20: Feliks Kulov, the imprisoned leader of Kyrgyz opposition party Ar-Namys, has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, a party spokesperson told RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service on 20 October. The appeal concerns an August court ruling that Kulov will only be eligible for parole in late 2005 (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 24 August 2004). Kulov`s lawyer disputes the method used to calculate Kulov`s time served and believes that his client should have been paroled in July or August 2004; his opinion is supported by Kyrgyzstan`s ombudsman and the findings of a parliamentary committee.
Kazakh Opposition Council Supports Outgoing Speaker
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 20: In a statement published by `Navigator` on 20 October, the Coordinating Council of Kazakhstan`s Democratic Forces officially expressed its support for Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, who announced on 18 October that he will step down as the speaker of the Mazhilis (lower chamber of parliament) and leave the pro-presidential Otan party to protest election fraud (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 19 October 2004). The council stated, `The statement by Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, speaker of the lower chamber of Kazakhstan`s parliament and the top of the Otan party slate, on the illegitimacy of the recently elected parliament rendered a decisive verdict on those elections.... We feel that the civilized way out of the current situation lies through the annulment of the official results and the holding of new, fair, and just elections.`
Human Rights Watch Asks OSCE Not To Send Election Observers To Uzbekistan
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, October 20: Human Rights Watch (HRW) has asked the OSCE to refrain from sending observers to monitor the 26 December Uzbek parliamentary elections because they fail to meet minimum democratic standards, the organization said in an 18 October letter published on 20 October on the HRW website. The letter states: `Without dramatic change in the coming months, Uzbekistan`s parliamentary elections, scheduled for December, will not take place in a context of pluralism. For this reason, we ask the OSCE not to send an election observer mission to Uzbekistan.` The letter notes that the government `has not registered a single opposition party` and that `sending any kind of observer mission to Uzbekistan under current conditions would send the mistaken message that its electoral system and the government`s respect for civic freedoms meet OSCE standards.`
Tajikistan: Top Islamic Body Bans Women From Attending Mosque Services
Radio Free Europe
Turkobad, October 20: Tajikistan is often considered the most liberal of the Central Asian states when it comes to matters of Islamic tradition. But that might be changing. A recent decision by the country`s top Islamic body forbids women from going to mosques -- a practice the group says promotes `seduction and mixing` between the sexes. The ruling has upset many Muslims who say the decision violates both Islamic tradition and the Tajik Constitution.
Kazakh Speaker`s Statement Provokes Reactions
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 19: Zharmakhan Tuyakbai`s announcement on 18 October that violations during the 19 September parliamentary elections impelled him to give up his post as speaker of the Mazhilis (lower chamber of parliament) and leave the pro-presidential Otan party drew reactions the next day. Asylbek Kozhakhmetov, head of the opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan, told Russia`s `Kommersant-Daily` on 19 October that Tuyakbai`s statement `confirms the illegitimacy of the elections.` The Kazakh opposition newspaper `Navigator` published an anonymous analysis suggesting that Tuyakbai`s criticism is part of a complex plan by a powerful clan within Kazakhstan to create a new opposition force. Zamanbek Nurkadilov, who stepped down as head of the Emergency Situations Agency under similar circumstances in March, told `Navigator` that Tuyakbai`s move was `logical` and a sign of a deepening political crisis.
Left-wingers Walk Out Of Parliament In Kyrgyzstan
Interfax
Bishkek, October 19: Left-wing deputies withdrew from the Legislative Assembly, the lower house of the Kyrgyz parliament, on Tuesday in protest against bills to privatize the country`s energy sector facilities. Issuing a license to operate the Severelektro electricity distribution company and privatizing the Kyrgyzgaz gas firm were put on the agenda of the Legislative Assembly`s October session, but left-wing deputies said `these issues were included in the agenda illegally.` Deputy Alevtina Pronenko said they `do not intend to support the government`s address on the need to sort out the situation with privatization laws.` `A group of 17 deputies, including representatives of centrist factions, is opposed to privatizing energy sector facilities as this may have a considerable negative effect on the social situation in the republic,` she said. Ravshan Zheyenbekov, chairman of the Kyrgyz state property management committee, told Interfax that `these deputies have disregarded the fact that an energy sector privatization campaign will help boost industry, reduce losses, make its operations more transparent and controllable, and abolish barter deals,` he said.
Kazakh Speaker Gives Up Post, Leaves Pro Presidential Party
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 18: Zharmakhan Tuyakbai told a news conference in Almaty on 18 October that he will give up his seat in the Mazhilis (lower chamber of parliament) and leave the pro-presidential Otan party, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. The announcement came after Tuyakbai told the newspaper `Vremya` on 14 October that the 19 September parliamentary elections were deeply flawed (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 15 October 2004). At the news conference, Tuyakbai reiterated his charge that the new parliament was elected with violations and stressed that he will not be a part of it. In a statement circulated the same day, Tuyakbai said, `I am convinced that violations in the course of 19 September elections are now becoming the main obstacle on the path to political modernization.` Tuyakbai said in the statement that his decision to leave Otan would make sense to others who had tried to make it a `modern, independent parliamentary party, democratic in its methods and honest to its voters and political opponents.` He said that `crude interference by the executive branch` had doomed that effort.
CEC Gives Green Light To People`s Democratic Party
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 17: Central Election Committee (CEC) of Uzbekistan issued a resolution to allow People`s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan to participate in the December elections. According to CEC, it is continuing checking signatures of others parties, which were presented to the commission along with other documents necessary to participate in the elections. The commission also approved the structure of territorial election commissions for elections to Legislative Chamber of the parliament. The list of commissions` members will be published in the press.
Governor Of Ferghana Region Replaced
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 17: Alisher Atabaev was freed from the post of governor of Ferghana region at the extraordinary session of the regional People`s Deputies Council on 15 October. On recommendation of the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, he was replaced with Shermat Nurmatov, who had worked as Agriculture and Water Management Minister. The head of the state signed corresponding decrees on the same day. Speaking at the session, President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov said that along with notable achievements in social and economic spheres, Ferghana region was lagging behind in a number of sectors.
Russian Air Force Base In Kyrgyzstan Marks First Anniversary
Itar-Tass
Bishkek, October 22: The Russian air force base at Kant (Kyrgyzstan) will celebrate its first anniversary on Saturday. It was officially opened on October 23, 2003, in the presence of presidents Askar Akayev and Vladimir Putin. Today, it is manned by about 500 Russian officers and men. The base has several Su fighters and attack planes, military transport aircraft, and also some Czech-made L-39 fighters, designed for training purposes, which were provided by the Kyrgyz side. There are also some helicopters adapted for search and rescue jobs. The Kant base is the first Russian military installation abroad, which was set up after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is an aerial component of the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. Its personnel displayed top standard professionalism and excellent training during the `Border-2004` exercise, which was held on the territory of Kyrgyzstan early last August. Commander of the Urals Joint Air Force and Anti-Aircraft Defence Contingent Colonel-General Yevgeni Yuriev told the Russian army newspaper `Krasnaya Zvezda` that the base would be shortly reinforced with Su-27 fighters. I
Monument Of Soldierly Valour Opened In Bishkek
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, October 22: President Askar Akayev took part in opening of monument of soldierly valour in Pobeda park in Bishkek. Mayor of the Bishkek city Medetbek Kerimkulov, commander of the National Guards Abdygul Chotbaev, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, Batken warriors, the public of the capital city took part in this ceremony. Opening the solemn ceremony M. Kerimkulov told that this archtectural construction was erected at the initiative of A. Akayev and expressed hope that the monument will be the center of military patriotic bringing up of the young generation. The monument`s height is 48 meters and it symbolizes free Ala-Too mountains and aspiration of the Kyrgyz people to peace.
Tajik Border Guards To Take Over 3 Sections Of Tajik-Afghan Border Before Year`s End
Interfax
Moscow, October 22: Russia will hand over three sections of the Tajik-Afghan border to Tajik border guards before the end of 2004, Lieutenant General Alexander Manilov, deputy head of the border guard service of the Russian Federal Security Service, told reporters on Friday. `The handover will start with the Pamir area this year. The Khorog, Ishkashim, and Kalai-Khum sections will be handed over,` Manilov said. Gradually in 2005, the Russian border guards will hand over to the Tajik Border Guard Service the protection of the sections bordering on Afghanistan, where servicemen from the Moscow and the Pyandzh border guard units of the border guard service of the Russian Federal Security Service in Tajikistan are serving, he said. `We plan to complete the handover of the border on Afghanistan to Tajik border guards in 2006,` Manilov said.
Tbilisi Insists On Demilitarization Of Georgian-Ossetian Conflict Zone
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 21: Tbilisi has demanded the withdrawal of all illegal armed units from the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone, including units under the control of the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia. `We demand complete demilitarization of the conflict zone, which stipulates the pullout of all illegal units, among them so-called units of the South Ossetian Defense Ministry,` Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said on Thursday. He said that must be done to spare local residents `permanent expectation of dangerous processes.` Zhvania said he told the Joint Control Commission co-chairmen about Georgian stabilization demands for the Tskhinvali district late on Wednesday evening.
NATO Expects Turkmenistan To Back Its Plans In Afghanistan
Kabar Agency
Ashgabat, October 21: NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Thursday that NATO expected Turkmenistan would support its plan of expansion to the west of Afghanistan. In his talks with Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov, the NATO official expressed the alliance`s bid to seriously cooperate with Turkmenistan, especially after the presidential election in the neighbouring Afghanistan. He said NATO was expected to expand to the west of Afghanistan - to Gerat. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer stressed that many countries of Central Asia had supported this plan, and NATO expected to get support from Turkmenistan. The Turkmen president, for his part, said his country did not see NATO as `the organization, which seeks to occupy`. `We understand that our region is a difficult one, with such countries as Afghanistan and Iran.` `Internal conflicts may erupt in it, and NATO`s role is to prevent them,` the president emphasized.
Georgian Interior Minister To Undergo Military Training
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 21: Georgian Interior Minister Irakly Okruashvili will undergo military training as an ordinary reservist in a brief training course. `A total of 350 reserve servicemen have been called for military training, which started near the community of Osiauri, 120 kilometers from Tbilisi, on Thursday. Among them will be the interior minister, who will do his service as an ordinary reservist,` a source with the Georgian Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency. `Okruashvili has never served in the army, and therefore he believes it would be useful for him to receive military practice,` he said. Okruashvili described the training session for reservists as `an extremely important thing for the country`s defense capability.` The source said `this time around reserve servicemen residing in the Gori district bordering South Ossetia have been called for military practice.`
NATO Is Not Russia`s Rival In Tajikistan : Alliance`s Secretary General
RIA Novosti
Dushanbe, October 20: NATO is not Russia`s rival in Tajikistan and the government of the Republic of Tajikistan has the full-fledged sovereign right to invite any state to deploy a military base on its territory, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told reporters following a meeting with Tajikistan`s President Emomali Rakhmonov in Dushanbe on Wednesday. According to Mr. Scheffer, `the Russian military presence in Tajikistan will not impair the cooperation of Tajikistan and NATO`. `We respect the decision of Tajikistan on deploying a Russian military base, but I do not think that NATO will closely work with Russian military in the Republic of Tajikistan`, said the secretary general of the North Atlantic Alliance. At the ceremony of opening the Russian base in Tajikistan on October 17 Vladimir Putin said: `The Russian military base in Tajikistan together with the air base in Kanta (Kirghizia) will become a reliable link of the unified collective security system in the region, whose main mission will be to promote conditions for neutralizing terrorist and extremist attacks and to assist in combating drug trafficking and organized crime`. The president pointed out that the agreement on the status and terms of the Russian military base deployment on the territory of Tajikistan had been legally finalized.
NATO Secretary General Meets With Uzbek President
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, October 20: NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met with Uzbek President Islam Karimov in Tashkent on 20 October to discuss bilateral relations and the situation in Afghanistan, UzA reported. President Karimov said, `Uzbekistan values its ties with NATO and supports the consistent development of mutual cooperation.` De Hoop Scheffer praised Uzbekistan for its rapid implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan, Interfax-AVN reported. Addressing the danger of terrorism, de Hoop Scheffer stressed the need to `focus efforts on defending and supporting institutions of democracy, basic freedoms, and legality in our countries` because `terrorism finds a breeding ground where there is a lack of these principles,` ITAR-TASS reported. He also met with Uzbekistan`s foreign and defense ministers.
NATO Secretary General Signs Agreement In Tajikistan
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, October 20: NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer visited Tajikistan on 20 October, where he signed a bilateral transit agreement on support for NATO`s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, Avesta reported. De Hoop Scheffer noted that Tajikistan is the first country in Central Asia to conclude such an agreement, RFE/RL`s Tajik Service reported. De Hoop Scheffer met with Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov, who said, `Comprehensive cooperation with NATO through the Partnership for Peace program is an important aspect of our foreign policy,` Avesta reported. De Hoop Scheffer also addressed on 20 October the subject of Russia`s recently opened military base in Tajikistan (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 18 October 2004).
Russia To Deploy Up To 20 Aircraft In Tajikistan
Interfax
Moscow, October 20: The Russian air force unit to be stationed in Tajikistan will include up to 20 warplanes and helicopters, the Russian Defense Ministry told Interfax on Wednesday. `Russian attack planes and fighters, and also fire-support helicopter gunships Mi-24 and Mi-8 should be deployed at the Aini airfield 20 kilometers from Dushanbe in 2005,` the Interfax source said. The deployment of the Russian air unit at the Aini airfield is stipulated by agreements on setting up a Russian military base in Tajikistan that were recently signed between Moscow and Dushanbe.
Search Underway For Killers Of Peacekeepers In Georgia
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 20: The Joint Control Commission working to settle Georgia`s conflict with its breakaway region of South Ossetia on Wednesday approved measures to locate and punish those guilty of killing peacekeepers in the conflict zone. `We have made a decision on the provision by the Georgian, Russian and South Ossetian sides that are participating in the peacekeeping operation of investigation records on all instances of servicemen being wounded or killed and on the subsequent arrest and strict punishment of those guilty,` Georgia`s Separatist Conflicts Minister Giorgi Khaindrava told reporters on Wednesday. Khaindrava is the Georgian co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission, which met in Tbilisi on Wednesday. Russian and South Ossetia are also part of the commission.
Third U.S. Army Soldiers Guide Kazakhstan NCOs In U.S.-style Leadership Course
Third U.S. Army Public Affairs
Astana, October 19: Sgt. 1st Class Phil Marquez, an instructor with the 1st Battalion, 180th Field Artillery, Arizona National Guard, explains how to properly move as a squad in a combat environment to a group of Kazakh soldiers during team and squad movement training drills at the Kazakhstan Army Military Institute.Third U.S. Army Public Affairs Squads of alert Kazakh soldiers move into position, preparing to engage in a possible enemy encounter. As the two-team squad`s leadership discusses strategy, an enemy soldier is spotted firing toward the squad. Within seconds the squad leader barks out instructions to his subordinates and soldiers position themselves under cover. Once in place, the first team quickly reacts to the attack, firing their AK-74 rifles to provide protection as the second team of soldiers closes in on the target and captures the enemy forces. This simulated battle was just one of many scenarios noncommissioned officers (NCOs) from Kazakhstan`s National Army experienced during its primary leadership development course (PLDC) at the Kazakhstan Army Military Institute, Ministry of Defense (MOD), Kazakhstan. The three-week information exchange program, facilitated by Third U.S. Army`s Civil-Military International Relations (G5) section, provides 50 young Kazakh NCOs an opportunity to get first-hand experience and learn about the U.S. Army NCO system. In addition to the Fort McPherson-based Third Army Soldiers, a team of U.S. Soldiers from the 1/180th Field Artillery of the Arizona National Guard is also participating in the training to share experiences and professional information with their Kazakh counterparts.
Turkey Allocates $2Mln For Georgian Armed Forces
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 19: Turkey says it will allocate $2 million for the logistical development in the Georgian armed forces. A corresponding protocol will be signed in Tbilisi on Tuesday, Georgian Defense Ministry press secretary Nino Sturua told Interfax. `Under the document, non-repayable material aid will be granted to the Defense Academy, the 11th Brigade, the Kojori Special Task Brigade, Marneuli airfield, the Maritime Defense Force, and the General Staff`s Logistics Battalion,` she said.
NATO Secretary General Visits Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 19: Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev in Almaty on 19 October, Kazinform reported. The two discussed cooperation between Kazakhstan and the alliance, and de Hoop Scheffer presented Robert Simmons, who will be NATO`s permanent representative in Kazakhstan, Khabar TV reported. De Hoop Scheffer told a briefing that NATO expects to receive an Individual Partnership Program from Kazakhstan, `Kazakhstan Today` reported. Such a plan would mark the next stage in NATO`s Partnership for Peace Planning and Review Process, UPI reported. De Hoop Scheffer also said that `[President] Nazarbaev is in complete agreement on the expansion of NATO`s role in Afghanistan to stabilize the situation there and on assistance to Iraq.` At a separate meeting with Kazakh Defense Minister Colonel General Mukhtar Altynbaev, de Hoop Scheffer praised Kazakhstan`s peacekeeping operations in Iraq, although that mission is not being carried out under NATO auspices, Khabar TV reported.
NATO Secretary-General To Visit Uzbekistan On 19-20 October
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 18: Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will pay an official visit to Uzbekistan on 19-20 October. The visit is aimed at discussion of current state and perspectives of cooperation between Uzbekistan and NATO within Individual Partnership Action Plan, military reforms in Uzbekistan, foundation of the Centre for training and fight modern threats and challenges to security within the Partnership for Peace programme, as well as regional security. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is expected to meet Uzbek President Islam Karimov, Defence Minister Kadyr Gulyamov and Foreign Minister Sadyk Safaev on 20 October.
NATO Sec-gen Arrives In Kyrgyzstan For Talks On Interaction
Itar-Tass
Bishkek, October 18: NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer arrived in Kyrgyzstan on Monday for talks with the leadership of the country on the state of and prospects for interaction within NATO`s Partnership for Peace Programme. From the airport Scheffer left for Bishkek to meet ambassadors of NATO member-countries. But the most important meetings are scheduled for Tuesday. Scheffer will hold talks with Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev, Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev, the ministers of defence, environment and emergency situations, as well as the chairman of the Border Guard Service, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry told Itar-Tass. Apart from cooperation within NATO`s Partnership for Peace Programme, the talks will focus `on international and regional issues, as well as ways to counteract the joint challenges and threats, including international terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking.` Kyrgyzstan and NATO signed an agreement on cooperation in Brussels on June 1, 1994. Scheffer began his four-day Central Asian tour on Monday.
Georgia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan To Take Effect This Week
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 18: The Individual Partnership Action Plan between NATO and Georgia, which has been approved by NATO members, will enter into force at the end of this week, Georgian military representative at the NATO headquarters Irakly Batkuashvili told Interfax on Monday. `Georgia is the first partner of the alliance which has had the plan approved within the framework of integration with NATO. NATO representatives think that the Individual Partnership Action Plan can be a model for other partners who wish to have closer rapprochement with the alliance,` he said. Georgia announced its desire to join NATO at the alliance`s summit in Prague in 2002.
Putin, Rakhmonov Attend Flag-hoisting Ceremony At Russian Base
Itar-Tass
Dushanbe, October 17: Russian and Tajik presidents Vladimir Putin and Emomali Rakhmonov were present on Sunday at a ceremony of hoisting the Russian State Flag at the Russian military base in Tajikistan. `The military base in Tajikistan, along with the air base in Kyrgyzstan, will be a reliable element in the united system of collective security in the region,` Putin emphasized. The Russian president stressed that the main aim of the collective security system is `to create conditions for neutralizing terrorist and extremist attacks over the entire space of the CIS and in Russia`.
President Putin: Russian Military Base In Tajikistan Will Help Fight Terrorism And Drug Trafficking
Kabar Agency
Dushanbem, October 17: `The Russian military base in Tajikistan and the airbase in Kant, Kyrgyzstan, will become a strong link of a collective security system in the region, basically intended to create conditions for the neutralization of terrorist and extremist raids and to help fight drug trafficking and organized crime,` Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the opening ceremony of the Russian military base in Tajikistan. He described the opening of a Russian military base in Tajikistan as `a most important decision, urgent for the two friendly and allied states.` `It matches the basic interests of our people, helps strengthen peace and stability in the Central Asia, and the security of the entire Commonwealth of Independent States,` the Russian President said. Legally, the treaty on the status and terms of deployment of the Russian military base in Tajikistan has been finalized, Mr. Putin said. `The Russian military presence here has been internationally institutionalized,` he went on. According to the Russian President, the military base includes well-trained units. `The 201st Division is very well known across Russia,` he said, recalling that the 201st Russian Motorized Rifle Division deployed in Tajikistan since the Cold War greatly stabilized the nation as a civil war broke out in Tajikistan in the mid-1990s. The president described the division as a `truly combat unit.` `It has repeatedly been at the forward edge, acting as a major military and political instrument in providing stability and security in the region, stopping drug trafficking and organized crime,` he said. Mr. Putin added he was sure the division would perform as well in the future. `Russia trusts in you as we are raising the Russian colors today; Russia counts on your adherence to warriors` duty, on your decency, courage, and professionalism on the battlefield,` Mr. Putin told the military. The Russian presidentwas brought to the base by the same car as Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmonov. On his part, the President of Tajikistan said the Russian military presence was a major factor of peace and stability in Tajikistan. Mr. Rakhmonov described the opening of the Russian base as `a milestone in the history of relations between Russia and Tajikistan.` `This is not just about changing names, this is a qualitatively new [level of] cooperation,` he argued. After the presidents` speeches, the Russian colors were raised, to the Russian national anthem, at the headquarters of the 201st Division that will make the core of the military base. The U.S. said it saw the opening of a Russian permanent military base in Tajikistan as a positive event. U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan Richard Hogland told reporters on Sunday that Russia`s opening a military base in Tajikistan was good and normal. He said that could help in the global war on terror.
No Maskhadov HQ In Baku - Azerbaijani Deputy
Interfax
Baku, October 22: Arif Ragimzade, Azerbaijani parliament first deputy speaker, has denied reports that Chechen separatists` headquarters may be located in Baku. Ragimzade, who is also a co-chairman of the Azerbaijani-Russian inter-parliamentary commission, offered his comment in response to an announcement made by Valery Kadokhov, first deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council`s committee for federal and regional policy, that a report issued during the investigation into the early September hostage crisis in the North Ossetian town of Beslan suggests that Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov`s headquarters may be located in Baku.
CICA Countries Will Jointly Combat All Forms Of Terrorism
Interfax
Almaty, October 22: The foreign ministers of member states of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) at a meeting in Almaty adopted a catalogue of confidence building measures which also contains provisions on dealing with new challenges and threats and CICA rules of procedure. `Member states, in keeping with their national legislation, shall take joint steps to stop terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and prevent the operations of separatist and extremist groups with the purpose of guaranteeing the security and stability of every member nation,` the catalogue says.
Uzbek Court Jails 23 Over Attacks
BBC
Tashkent, October 21: A court in Uzbekistan has sentenced 23 people to from three to 18 years in jail for their role in a series of suicide bombings and shootings. At least 47 people, mostly police and militants, died in the attacks in Bukhara and the capital, Tashkent, earlier this year. More than 50 people have already been jailed in connection with the attacks. A human rights group protested the verdict, saying it had `serious concerns` over the trial`s conduct. A court spokesman said the accused had been sentenced for `attempts to overthrow the country`s constitutional order, taking part in extremist religious organisations and fomenting religious and ethnic hatred`, the Reuters news agency reported. All of the defendants in the closed trial had pleaded not guilty. Terror links The government has blamed the series of attacks in March and April on members of a radical Islamic group, which the authorities said had links to al-Qaeda. In a letter to President Islam Karimov, the International League for Human Rights said their investigations had shown that trials related to the attacks were `accompanied by harassment and torture of defendants while in custody`.
Uzbek Citizen Deported From Irkutsk For Preaching Radical Teaching
Kabar Agency
Irkutsk, October 20: The Irkutsk security department and the Foreign Relations Department of the city police have detained Uzbek citizen Anvar Zaripov, 27, for violating the rules of residing in Russia. Zaripov was not officially registered and had a fake migration card, the local security department`s press service said. While in Irkutsk, Zaripov preached the radical Islamic teaching Nursi and planned to unite local Muslims into a group of Nursi followers
US State Department Names 39 Terrorist Groups
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 19: Secretary of State Colin Powell has designated 39 groups, including Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, as Foreign Terrorist Organisations, according to a Department of State fact sheet released 19 October. `FTO designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism, and are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to get out of the terrorism business,` the statement said. The fact sheet includes a listing of the 39 terrorist groups, the legal criteria for designation, the process for selection of the terrorist groups and the legal ramifications of these designations. Full list of organisations listed as terrorist groups: 1. Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO) 2. Abu Sayyaf Group 3. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade 4. Ansar al-Islam 5. Armed Islamic Group (GIA) 6. Asbat al-Ansar 7. Aum Shinrikyo 8. Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) 9. Communist Party of the Philippines/New People`s Army (CPP/NPA) 10. Continuity Irish Republican Army 11. Gama`a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) 12. HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement) 13. Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) 14. Hizballah (Party of God) 15. Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) 16. Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) (Army of Mohammed) 17. Jama`at al-Tawhid wa`al-Jihad 18. Jemaah Islamiya organization (JI) 19. al-Jihad (Egyptian Islamic Jihad) 20. Kahane Chai (Kach) 21. Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK) a.k.a. Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) 22. Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LT) (Army of the Righteous) 23. Lashkar i Jhangvi 24. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) 25. Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) 26. National Liberation Army (ELN) 27. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) 28. Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) 29. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) 30. PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC) 31. al-Qa`ida 32. Real IRA 33. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) 34. Revolutionary Nuclei (formerly ELA) 35. Revolutionary Organisation 17 November 36. Revolutionary People`s Liberation Army/Front (DHKP/C) 37. Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC) 38. Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL) 39. United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)
Chechen Organizer Of Terrorist Acts Detained In Kyrgyzstan
Itar-Tass
Bishkek, October 19: An officer of Chechnya`s Interior Ministry suspected of aiding terrorist acts has been detained in Kyrgyzstan, Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev said on Tuesday. He attends a conference of Russian and Kyrgyz interior ministries in Bishkek. Nurgaliyev told reporters that the `operation has been conducted jointly by law enforcement agencies of the two countries`. A certain Akhtakhanov, who was a worker of the Chechen Interior Ministry in 2001, joined an illegal armed unit. He supplied bandits with information about movements of Chechen high-ranking officials.
CAC Member States To Develop List Of Terrorism Groups
Uzbek Report
Dushanbe, October 18: Participating countries of Central Asian Cooperation Organisation decided to prepare a list of terrorism and religious extremism organisations, as well as their leaders and members, operating on the territory of CAC. Presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan entrusted heads of security services and law enforcement bodies of their countries to prepare a list of terrorism and religious extremism organisations, activity of which was forbidden on CAC territory, including the list of their leaders and members in three-month term. Presidents also ordered to create mechanism of joint monitoring of terrorism organisations activity.
Kyrgyz Interior Minister Identifies Suspects In 2003 Bus Attacks
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 18: Kyrgyzstan`s Interior Ministry has identified two Chinese citizens of Uighur descent as the prime suspects in a 2003 attack on a bus that killed 21 people, Kabar reported on 18 October. Interior Ministry spokesman Joldoshbek Busurmankulov said that Kyrgyz law-enforcement authorities have incontrovertible proof that the two suspects, who have not yet been apprehended, committed the crime. Eighteen of the victims in the 27 March 2003 attack, which took place on the Torugart-Bishkek highway, were Chinese citizens (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 31 March 2003).
Kazakhstan To Meet With Kashagan Partners
Kazakhstan News
Astana, October 21: In a parliamentary press service release, Shkolnik said that Kazakhstan may not bid for all of BG`s stake, slightly softening the government`s earlier position, which sought to take up BG`s complete stake. Kashagan, one of the world`s biggest oil discoveries in 30 years, is estimated to hold between 9 billion and 13 billion barrels of oil - two-to-three times the U.K. North Sea`s biggest ever finds. `Probably, the topic of the talks is to buy not all of (BG`s) stake, but we are certain to buy a part of it,` said Shkolnik, who was speaking in the upper house of Parliament, according to the release. In London, a BG spokeswoman said the company isn`t in a position to confirm or deny any such meeting date. On Wednesday, Kazakhstan`s lower house of parliament unanimously approved several amendments in the Central Asian country`s oil and gas legislation, providing the government with the right to preempt the sale of equity in existing contracts.
Kazakhstan Ready To Buy Part Of BG Stake In Kashagan Project
Interfax
Astana, October 21: Kazakhstan may agree to purchase part of BG`s 16.67% stake in the Agip KCO consortium, developer of the Kashagan deposit and some other deposits in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea, Kazakh Energy Minister Vladimir Shkolnik told the upper house of the Kazakh parliament on Thursday. `Maybe it will not be the entire stake, but we are hoping to buy [the BG stake in the project],` Shkolnik said. Kazakhstan is currently considering various way of financing the possible purchase from BG. `The question is how to buy. There are different financial mechanisms, there are many of them. And we are also considering the entire range of options and I think we will choose the optimal one,` Shkolnik said.
$42 Mln Gas Plant To Be Built In Turkmenistan
Interfax
Ashgabat, October 21: A gas processing plant will be built at the Yashyldepe field in Turkmenistan at a cost of $42 million, a source in the presidential administration told Interfax. The source said Canada`s Thermo Design Engineering LTD will be the subcontractor for construction. The construction contract was made during a government meeting on Wednesday, the source said. The contract made with the state-run Turkmenneft envisages turnkey construction and design for the plant which will process 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas with sulfur cleaning installations a year, extract 200,000 tonnes of gas condensate and 50,000 tonnes of liquefied gas a year. Work will begin this month and finish in May 2006. The project will be financed by the state fund for the development of the oil and gas industry and mineral resources using money received from the state-run Turkmenneftegaz from the sale of crude and oil products worth $42 million.
Uzbekistan Plans To Attract $2.1 Bln In Russian Investment
Interfax
Tashkent, October 20: Uzbekistan plans to implement jointly with Russian companies 37 investment projects for a total of $2.099 billion, economic advisor at the Russian embassy in Uzbekistan Yury Lebedev told Interfax. The two countries have agreed on a list of projects for joint implementation, Lebedev said. The majority of investments - more than $2 billion - is expected to go to the oil and gas complex. Lebedev said Gazprom plans to invest $1 billion to develop gas condensate fields in Ustyurt region and $15 million to extend the life of the Shakhpakhty field under production sharing agreement terms.
ADB Programme For Uzbekistan To Focus More On Reducing Poverty
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 19: ADB plans to increase its focus on poverty reduction in Uzbekistan in 2005-2006, according to the Country Strategy and Programme (CSP) Update endorsed by ADB`s Board of Directors. The update proposes no change from the annual prospective lending level of US$100 million-US$150 million, including regional projects, outlined in the last CSP Update. Actual lending levels will be determined by country performance, absorptive capacity, and resource availability. Lending levels to Uzbekistan averaged US$99 million per year between 1996 and 2003. Uzbekistan is expected to gain access in 2005 to ADB`s concessional Asian Development Fund, which supports the sustainable social and economic development of the Asian and Pacific region`s poorer countries. This will orient ADB`s program in the country more strongly toward poverty reduction initiatives. Three loans totalling US$95 million are planned for 2005 for land improvement in farming areas, rehabilitation of regional railways, and improvement of rural water supply and sanitation services in the rural areas of Kashkadarya and Navoi. In 2006, four loans totalling US$105 million are programmed to develop market infrastructure for private farms, enhance basic education through science and information and communications technology, promote energy efficiency and renewable energy, and boost the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.
SOCAR, Caspian Energy To Sign Kyurovdag PSA
Rigzone
Baku, October 19: The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) and Britain`s Caspian Energy Group intend to sign a revised contract to develop the onshore Kyurovdag oil field. SOCAR told Interfax that the Shirvanoil join venture that it and the British company set up had been developing the field since 1997. But the joint venture as a vehicle to develop the field no longer meets the parties` interests, and the partners have decided to sign a production- sharing agreement (PSA), SOCAR said. `Nearly all work on the contract has been completed, and it remains to finalize a few details. The same parties will sign the PSA,` SOCAR said.
Rosneftegazstroi To Prospect For Oil, Gas In Armenia
Interfax
Moscow, October 19: Russia`s Rosneftegazstroi is registering a license with the Armenian Energy Ministry to prospect for oil and gas in the Shirak province, 120 km from Yerevan, Ruben Melikonian, the company`s vice president, told Interfax. Melikoian said Armenia had commercial oil an gas reserves. `We will use modern technology to find these deposits,` he said. Geologists have drilled more than 200 prospecting wells, mostly in Central Armenia, since 1947 and found little to show for their efforts. Even so, the Soviet government estimated in 1979 that Armenia hosted a potential 100 million tonnes of oil and 100 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas. Rosneftegazstroi will go on to prospect for oil and gas in other regions of Armenia, Melikonian said.
Kazakhstan, Halliburton To Set Up Oil, Gas Data Bank
Interfax
Astana, October 19: The Kazakh Oil and Gas Institute and the U.S. company Halliburton signed an agreement in Astana on Tuesday to set up an equal joint company Petrodata Kazakhstan to act as the technical operator for a data bank that is being set up on oil and gas projects. `The main task of the national data bank will be to manage data on oil and gas projects being implemented in Kazakhstan,` Bolat Uzhkenov, chairman of the Kazakh geology and natural resource protection committee at the Kazakh Energy Ministry, said at a press conference. He said that in October 2003 the committee and a number of oil companies working in Kazakhstan signed an agreement to set up a national data bank. These include Petrom, Yukos, Kazger Munai, KPO BV, Agip KCO, CNPC-Aktobemunaigaz, PetroKazakhstan, FIOC, ChevronTexaco, Turgai Petroleum and KazMunaiGaz. Uzhkenov said that the participating oil companies would finance the national data bank.
Kazakhstan Refinances Eurobonds
Kazakhstan News
Astana, October 18: The Kazakh Finance Ministry paid $300 million on schedule on Monday to redeem its third issue of five-year Eurobonds, in addition to $20.44 million to pay the tenth and final coupon on the bonds, a source in the ministry`s state debt department told Interfax. In September-November 1999 Kazakhstan placed an issue of five-year Eurobonds amounting to $300 million with yields of 13.625% per year. Yields were paid semi-annually - on April 18 and October 18.
KazMunaiGaz Eyes 3 Options For Shipping Gas To China
Interfax
Astana, October 17: Kazakhstan`s national oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz is considering options for shipping gas to China. `We are looking at the possibilities for exporting gas to China. We are studying three variants for transporting gas to China,` KazMunaiGaz`s president Uzakbai Karabalin announced on national TV. One possibility would be moving Turkmen and Uzbek gas `via the line that now exists in southern Kazakhstan to Almaty,` he said. `Extending this line [from Almaty] to the border with China does not involve great technical difficulty. And this would be one variant where it would be possible to transport gas [to China] fairly rapidly,` he said. KazMunaiGaz is also looking at shipping Kazakh gas from the country`s western oil and gas region to Chimkent and then using the above- mentioned route, Karabalin said. `There is yet another variant that specialists are now considering. That is the building of a gas pipeline from Russia, from Omsk to the south [of Kazakhstan] via Astana with an outlet to the Chinese border. With this, we presuppose the possibility of exchange operations,` Karabalin said.
Russia To Invest In Tajikistan Electricity Industry
Interfax
Dushanbe, October 17: Russian power company United Energy System (UES) is to help finish the construction project on the Rogun hydro power plant in Tajikistan, said Anatoly Chubais, head of UES. Chubais also said UES would be `the general customer for the construction of the Sangtudin hydro power plant and take care of the entire construction project, repairs, and turnkey completion.` He said the task would be completed on schedule. Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Russia would invest $250 million in the construction of the Sangtudin plant.
Baku Publishes Black List Of Nagorno-Karabakh Businesses
Interfax
Baku, October 16: The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has published a list of foreign companies that are engaged in what Baku views as illegal economic activities in Nagorno-Karabakh. `Certainly, this list is far from being full. An investigation and information collection is continuing,` Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Metin Mirza told Interfax on Saturday. The list mainly contains companies developing international telephone communications in Nagorno-Karabakh, including Daewoo Unitel (South Korea), Kyivstar (Ukraine), Gruppo Telecom Mobile (Italy), and Vodafone (Italy-Britain), Mirza said. The French company Pernod Ricard, which exports grapes from Nagorno-Karabakh, is also on the list, he said. Interfax has so far been unable to obtain comments from these companies.
Japanese Cultural Mission Starts Visit To Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 22: Mission on Central Asian culture led by head of Information and Cultural Exchanges Department of Japanese Foreign Ministry Seyicho Kondo started official visit to Uzbekistan on 22 October. The visit is aimed at further deepening cultural exchanges between Japan and Uzbekistan and discussing opportunities in this field. The delegation will hold talks with Uzbek officials and visit Caravanserai of Cultural and Uzbek-Japanese Centre. On 23 October, the mission will visit Samarkand to meet head of the city`s Cultural Department and rector of Samarkand State Foreign Languages Institute. On 25 October, the delegation will deliver lectures at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy entitled `From intercivilised dialogue to creation of general valuables: separation of terrorism from national-liberation movements.
Lavrov Proposes CICA Participants Work Out Information Sharing Rules
RIA Novosti
Almaty, October 22: Russia`s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has suggested that participants of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, or CICA, should start working out parameters and conditions for an exchange of information about components of armed forces. Such a measure is envisaged in the Catalogue of Confidence-Building Measures, which is planned to be adopted at the meeting. `Adoption of the Catalogue may make a considerable contribution to the cause of multilateral cooperation in political, anti-terrorist, humanitarian and other areas,` Lavrov noted as he addressed the conference. `It is obvious that the next step should be to create a mechanism for implementing confidence-building measures recorded in the Catalogue. In particular, already now one could begin working out parameters and conditions for an exchange of information about components of armed forces,` the Russian foreign minister noted. Participants of the Conference are 16 states: Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, China, Kirghizia, Mongolia, Palestine, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Ukraine are taking part in the meeting as observers. This is the second meeting of CICA foreign ministers.
Uzbek Border Guards Detain About 600 Tajiks Passengers
Avesta
Dushanbe, October 22: About 600 Tajik nationals were detained by Uzbek border guards at the Karakalpakiya [Qoraqalpogiston] station on Uzbek territory a few days ago, an informed source has told Avesta. It says that the passengers who were taken off the train sent this information in a letter passed on by stewards of the train and addressed to Tajik Minister of Foreign Affairs Talbak Nazarov. The letter says that Tajik nationals, including children and old people, were detained illegally and had to stay in the open for over a week.
Aiyar To Play Caspian Game
Kazakhstan News
New Delhi, October 22: After serving as the roadhead for the British Raj`s thrusts into the Caspian, India is now going to play its own version of the Great Game for the region`s treasure of Black Gold. Oil minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will replay his role as a past master in diplomacy with a series of meetings with top oil officials and bureaucrats from the Caspian under the cover of an oil meet in Moscow. On the surface, Aiyar will arrive in the Russian Capital on Saturday to put forth India`s viewpoints at an oil meet. The real task, however, is to put India firmly in the global pipeline for the vast hydrocarbon reserves. Aiyar`s conclaves couldn`t have come at a better time. The Caspian - or its hydrocarbons - has so far been out of India`s reach, even during the Soviet days, when India bought oil from the USSR. Under the rupee-rouble trade, India actually bought the oil from Iraq and was then compensated by the USSR. The breakup of the USSR and recent developments in the region`s oil transportation sector have the potential to bring the Caspian closer to New Delhi. The most potent development is Egypt inviting India to join it for a proposed pipeline, being billed as the Suez of oil. Together with the Blue Stream oil transportation project, the Egyptian pipeline can actually bring the Caspian oil and gas to India`s doorsteps. Aiyar wants to make sure India is prepared. `Of course, all this is out of the box thinking and will take some time to take shape. But one has to make the effort,` Aiyar says. He should know as Aiyar has fitted his domestic concerns well into his strategy for his global game. In Moscow, he will see through a deal for underground coal gassification technology with the Stochinsky Institute.
CICA Ministers Convinced UN Should Play Key Role In Iraq
Interfax
Almaty, October 22: Member nations of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) hope that the international conference on Iraq will pave the way to political processes in that country. `We support the beginning of the political process in Iraq as defined by UN Security Council Resolution 1546 and emphasize that the United Nations should play a central role in it. We welcome the coming international conference on Iraq due in Egypt on November 23-25,` says a declaration of the CICA ministerial conference held in Almaty on Friday. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov represented Russia at the conference. `We welcome the statement of the Iraqi interim government on the establishment of neighborly relations with neighboring states relying on mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs and also the observation of existing treaties and agreements, especially those dealing with internationally recognized borders. We urge Iraq and neighboring nations to actively interact to strengthen peace and stability in the region, in particular through stamping out any terrorist presence on their territories,` the declaration says.
Armenian President Arrives In Georgia
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 22: Armenian President Robert Kocharian arrived in Georgia for an official three-day visit on Friday. Upon his arrival, Kocharian met with his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Saakashvili near the Sadakhlo checkpoint on the two countries` border. The presidential motorcade is currently traveling to Tbilisi, which will play host to closed-door talks between Kocharian and Saakashvili. During his visit, the Armenian president will also meet with Georgian Parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze, Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and Catholicos of All Georgia Ilya II. Kocharian is also expected to meet with representatives of the Armenian community in Tbilisi.
Kazakhstan Suggests Expanding UN Security Council
Interfax
Almaty, October 22: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev thinks it is necessary to expand the UN Security Council and strengthen the role of the UN General Assembly in tackling the most pressing current issues. `We believe that the Security Council should be expanded to include major countries of Asia, Africa and South America. The role and functions of the UN General Assembly in resolving the most pressing current matters should be strengthened,` he said at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Almaty on Friday.
Uzbek Delegation To Attend E-government Trainings In Estonia
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 21: Delegation of Uzbekistan will leave for Tallinn (Estonia) on 25 October to participate in training on electronic government basis. The seminar will be held at Estonian E-Governance Academy. According to UNDP`s Digital Development Initiative Programme, the delegation comprises of representatives of state bodies of Syrdarya region, involved in pilot project `E-government in Syrdarya region`. The training will consider issues of ICT policy and development basis in Estonoia, legal structure of ICT regulation, introduction to structure on coordination of ICT in state sector and others.
India, Kazakhstan Explore Possibilities For Cooperation
PTI
Almaty, October 21: India and Kazakhstan today explored the possibilities for developing cooperation in a host of fields, including energy sector, during parleys between External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev here. Singh, who will be attending the ministerial meeting of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia during his two-day visit, also discussed various regional and international issues besides the ways in which the two countries can strengthen their relationship. Forging cooperation in energy sector with Kazakhstan, which is rich in petrochemical products, was one of the major issues discussed during the meeting, official sources said. India realises the tremendous potential for cooperation in oil and natural gas sector considering the immense quantity of reserves existing in this Central Asian country for which Indian companies can conduct exploration. It feels that logistics of transferring oil and natural gas to India could not be a handicap as it could be carried out via a third country. Other areas that figured in the talks included trade in pharmaceuticals and tourism, the sectors where India finds a considerable scope for cooperation.
Russia-India-China: Foreign Ministers Meet In Conference
RIA Novosti
Almaty, October 21: Kazakhstan`s former capital hosted a tripartite foreign-ministerial conference of Russia`s Sergei Lavrov, Li Zhaoxing of China, and India`s Natwar Singh. A tripartite negotiation table is a very fruitful arrangement, Mr. Lavrov said in an opening address. `The format allows us to compare our opinions on regional developments and on the world`s key issues with due consideration for what our three countries are doing to cope with global problems.` The Russian minister called to step up team efforts to come at shared stances on such problems. The present conference is of essential importance, Mr. Li joined in. The format is certainly fruitful, India`s Foreign Minister also pointed out. Moscow is encouraging an improvement of Indian-Pakistani relations, Sergei Lavrov said to the media after the event. Those relations were outside today`s agenda, he added. `Be that as it may, I have every reason to reassure you that we are supporting positive processes underway between those two countries.` An Indian-Pakistani dialogue has been going on for several months now. It will further proceed. Eight or nine conferences at varying levels have been scheduled for the next few months, Mr. Singh said to newsmen, in his turn. Thus, Pakistan`s Prime Minister has been invited to visit India next month, and preparations are on for many more high-level contacts. Prospects may come under consideration for observer countries on the Shanghai Six. Sergei Lavrov does not rule it out. Several countries in the region are displaying interest in the work of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, he remarked to newsmen. `Only few formal applications have come up, but we are sure that opportunities for other countries to join in as observers may be considered at a particular stage.` What matters most now, however, is to make the Shanghai Six`s regional structures show their worth in full. The Organisation is to shift to practical teamwork to tackle regional problems, said Russia`s Foreign Minister. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation brings together China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its officially announced goals concern confidence building, and stepping up mutual friendship and goodneighbourly contacts. The Organisation promotes its member countries` commerce and fruitful economic, research, technological, cultural and other partnership, and team efforts to keep up regional peace, stability and security. India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have said they are eager to join. True, the SCO Charter envisages enlargement prospects. It, however, does not intend to take more countries in quite soon, though it intends eventually to elaborate patterns for adopting observers and associated members. Sergei Lavrov offered his country for venue of a nearest Russo-Sino-Indian foreign-ministerial conference, due next year.
EU Representatives Meet With Tajik President
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, October 21: President Imomali Rakhmonov met on 21 October in Dushanbe with an EU delegation headed by Ambassador Alan Waddams, Avesta reported. The two men hailed an EU-Tajik cooperation agreement signed in Luxembourg on 11 October (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 13 October 2004) and held talks on expanding economic, cultural, and scientific ties. Security issues also received attention. Rakhmonov said that the stabilization of Afghanistan should be a priority for the international community, since mounting drug production there provides funds for terrorist organizations, Tajik television reported. The fourth meeting of a joint committee of the EU and Tajikistan will start on 22 October.
Tajik Party Voices Doubts On Russia Agreements
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, October 21: Hikmatullo Sayfullozoda, spokesman for the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, expressed doubts to Asia Plus-Blitz on 21 October about Tajikistan`s recent agreements with Russia (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 18 October 2004). He said: `I`m unsure about the presence of foreign troops on our land. If this presence is not open and not temporary, it`s not at all in Tajikistan`s interest.` Sayfullozoda added that Russia`s offer to invest $200 million in the construction of the Sangtuda hydropower plant `at the precise moment when it seems that Iran already has a controlling stake in the hydropower plant is probably not devoid of a political motive. I don`t understand why, at a time when relations between the three countries [Russia, Iran, and Tajikistan] are coming together nicely, Russia suddenly raised this issue and is trying to resolve it in its favor.` Nevertheless, Sayfullozoda stressed that Tajikistan `cannot conceive of itself without Russia, because Russia and Tajikistan were always closely connected with each other.`
Khatami Felicitates Niyazov On Turkmenistan`s Independence Day
IRNA
Ashgabat, October 21: President Mohammad Khatami in a message to his Turkmen counterpart Saparmurat Niyazov congratulated him on the 13th anniversary of Turkmenistan`s independence day (Oct 27). The message was published by Ashkhabad`s print media on Thursday. The Iranian president stressed that promotion of bilateral relations between the two capitals would lead to further prosperity for both the Iranian and Turkmen nations. He also wished success and full health for his Turkmen counterpart as well as happiness for the people of Turkmenistan. A former Soviet republic, Turkmenistan gained its independence on October 27, 1991 and since then celebrates the day as its national day of independence each year.
European Resolution Shows Lack Of Knowledge On Georgia
Interfax
Moscow, October 21: Steps by the European Parliament to adopt a resolution on the situation in Georgia shows the parliament`s lack of knowledge on what is actually happening in this country, says a comment circulated by the Russian Foreign Ministry`s information and press department on Thursday. The comment was issued in response to a resolution the European Parliament passed on October 14 to express its concern over escalating tensions in Georgia`s breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. `Unfortunately, a lack of knowledge on the part of the European Parliament regarding the actual state of affairs in these regions is noticeable,` the document says.
Discussions Underway To Set Date For Caspian Summit: Safari
Tehran Times
Tehran, October 20: Mahdi Safari, the Islamic Republic of Iran`s special representative for Caspian Sea affairs and general director of the Foreign Ministry Department for Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, said here on Wednesday that the exact date of the Tehran summit of Caspian Sea littoral states has still not been set. Discussions are currently underway to set the date of the summit, he told the Mehr News Agency. Russian President Vladimir Putin`s visit to Tehran is quite separate and not related to the meeting of Caspian states, he added. He also announced that all five Caspian states, i.e. Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Iran, would be participating in the meeting.
Turkmenistan, China To Increase Cooperation
Xinhua
Ashgabat, October 20: At a meeting with Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov in the Turkmen capital of Ashkhabad, visiting Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing proposed strengthening links through such means as increased high-level visits to promote mutual political trust, improved coordination in international affairs to support mutual interests, and closer cooperation in economy, trade and culture. Meredov agreed with Li`s proposals. He also stated that Turkmenistan supports China`s position on the issues of Taiwan and Tibet and backs its fight against the `Eastern Turkistan` terrorist groups. He said Turkmenistan adheres to the one-China policy and opposes Taiwan`s entry into any international organizations that accept only sovereign countries as members. The two also discussed regional and international situations. In a separate meeting with Turkmen President Saparmurad Atayevich Niyazov, Li noted that the two countries share broad interests in safeguarding each other`s sovereignty and developing their economies. China hopes to work with Turkmenistan to bolster their friendly relations, he said. Niyazov spoke highly of the bilateral ties and China`s economic achievements.
Maqbool, Rumhy Leave For Kazakhstan With HM Message
Central Asia Daily
Astana, October 20: Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Dr Mohammed bin Hamad al Rumhy, Minister of Oil and Gas, left here yesterday on a visit to Kazakhstan. The two ministers are carrying a written message from His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to the Kazakh President dealing with consolidation of ties of friendship between the two friendly countries. The message also deals with issues related to Omani investments in Kazakhstan, particularly in the fields of oil and gas. The ministers are expected to confer with the Kazakh Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources and other officials to explore joint ventures in oil and gas sectors.
Natwar To Meet Chinese FM: Conference In Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan News
New Delhi, October 20: The foreign ministers of India, Russia and China will meet in Almaty on Thursday on the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), officials said on Wednesday. Pakistan is a member of CICA but diplomats and officials said they were not aware if a bilateral meeting between the Indian and Pakistani representatives was on the cards during the 16-nation meeting. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khusro Bakhtiar is believed to be heading the Pakistan side at the talks. Officials said Indian Foreign Minister Kunwar Natwar Singh would attend a trilateral meeting with his Russian and Chinese counterparts in Kazakhstan as part of the annual consultations among the three countries, this time on the sidelines of the CICA gathering. The Almaty conference that will be attended by foreign ministers of 16 countries, including Mr Sergei Lavrov of Russia and Mr Li Zhaoxing of China. Official sources explained that the talks would not have a structured agenda and would be informal in nature. This will be the third in a series of annual trilateral consultations that the three countries have been holding since 2002, this time with a significant new signal of a shift in Sino-Indian ties. Chinese State Councillor Mr Tang Jiaxuan , visiting India this week, was quoted by New Delhi as discussing ties with New Delhi from a strategic perspective. He met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when both sides agreed to boost their relations through strategic perspective. Mr Tang, who paid a courtesy call on Dr Singh on Wednesday evening, conveyed the greetings of President Hu Jintao and handed over a letter from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to the Indian prime minister. An Indian foreign ministry statement said Mr Tang Jiaxuan briefed Dr Singh on recent developments in India-China relations, which he said had maintained a sound momentum. As a result of the efforts of both sides, the bilateral relationship had entered a new phase of development, the statement said. Mr Tang said that proceeding from a long-term and strategic perspective, China was committed to the development of steady and sustained growth of relations with India. According to the statement, the Chinese leader conveyed Beijing`s support for a bigger role for India in the international community, including in the United Nations Security Council. Dr Singh expressed happiness that the Chinese Premier would be visiting India at an early date and said a warm welcome awaited him, the Indian statement said. Mr Tang had a meeting with Mr Natwar Singh on Wednesday. They agreed that the two countries should take a long-term and strategic perspective of bilateral relations, seize the opportunity provided by the current state of relationship and maintain its momentum. They also agreed to move the relations forward on a constructive agenda and to continuously expand and develop further areas of cooperation, while seeking fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solutions to outstanding issues, including the boundary question, the Indian statement said. It said the two sides agreed to take further steps to make their trade and economic cooperation commensurate with the size of the two countries.
Natwar To Visit Kazakhstan On October 20
Kazakhstan News
New Delhi, October 20: In an effort to strengthen India`s relations with Central Asian countries, External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh will travel to Kazakhstan on Tuesday to participate in an international conference on confidence building in Asia besides holding bilateral talks. During the three-day visit, Singh will call on Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Foreign Minister KK Tokaev to discuss wide-ranging issues of bilateral, regional and international concern. Foreign Ministers of India, Russia and China will also hold a trilateral meeting during the period. Singh will attend the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on Friday. The CICA is expected to adopt a catalogue of CBMs for implementation by the 16 member countries on voluntary basis. The CBMs include common fight against terrorism, which is affecting a number of the member countries like India, Afghanistan, Russia and Tajikistan. The conference is also likely to issue a joint declaration. CICA, formed at the Kazakh initiative in 1992, aims at creating a security framework for Asia along the lines of Organisation for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe. The first-ever summit of CICA took place in Almaty in June last year, which was attended by the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Georgia Pays Off Most Of Energy Debts To Russia - President
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, October 20: Georgia has paid off the greater part of its energy debts to Russia, President Mikhail Saakashvili told a news briefing here Wednesday night. He underlined the `normal relations` with the top management of the Russian monopoly electric power producer, RAO UES. The Georgian government is taking a range of crucial measures to solve the country`s energy problems, he said.
President A. Akaev Met With Russian Interior Minister
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, October 20: Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev received Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliev. According to the presidential press service of Kyrgyzstan, during the talks A. Akaev noted dynamic and close cooperation between various ministries of two friendly states, including law-enforcement bodies. He expressed hope that working meeting of interior ministries of the two states, took place in Bishkek, steps into new level of cooperation between the ministries. In his turn, Minister R. Nurgaliev noted the close cooperation between Interior Ministries of Kyrgyzstan and Russia, and thanked Kyrgyz counterparts for contribution in this work and assured the president in his resoluteness to strengthen these relations. The parties during the meeting discussed issues of cooperation in fighting with international terrorism, crime, drug trafficking. They also touched upon subjects of staying labor migrants from Kyrgyzstan in Russia. Besides, Russian and Kyrgyz interior ministers Rashid Nurgaliev and Bakirdin Subanbekov signed the protocol on interaction between their ministries in the struggle against organised crime.
Paris Club Eyeing $550 Mln Kyrgyz Debt Write-off, Bishkek Says
Interfax
Bishkek, October 20: Former Kyrgyz finance minister and chairman of the parliament`s budgetary committee Marat Sultanov thinks the Paris Club of creditors might write off $550 million of Kyrgyzstan`s roughly $1.75 billion in debts to the Club. `This involves the republic`s bilateral credit obligations in the Paris Club framework. But it most likely will not touch the payment of Kyrgyzstan`s interest obligations on existing loans,` Sultanov told Interfax Wednesday in comments on President Askar Akayev`s recent suggestion of a foreign debt write-off for certain countries.
Armenia Discusses Commitments To Council Of Europe
Interfax
Yerevan, October 20: A Wednesday conference with Armenian President Robert Kocharian discussed the fulfillment of promises Armenia made when it joined the Council of Europe in 2001, the presidential press service told Interfax. `Once again we have to find out at what stage of fulfilling our obligations we are and to adopt a new timetable helping us fully carry out these obligations,` the press service said. Parliamentary deputy speaker and head of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Tigran Torosyan gave a report on the issue. He said parliament is working on a new electoral code taking due account of the opinion of the Venice Commission. A major commitment that has not been fulfilled is a constitutional referendum, which is expected in 2005. The conference also discussed plans for reforming the judicial system and the system of provincial government and approved a schedule for fulfilling them, the press service said.
Turkmen President Meets With Chinese Foreign Minister
Interfax
Ashgabat, October 20: Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov met with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing in Ashgabat on Wednesday to discuss bilateral political, business and trade relations. Following the meeting, the two men attended a ceremony to sign a Turkmen-Chinese contract on the delivery of $128 million worth of diesel locomotives, carriages and other kinds of railroad equipment to Turkmenistan and two contracts to provide Turkmenistan with credits totaling 70 million yuan to develop its textile industry.
Russian Interior Minister Arrives In Kyrgyzstan For Terror Talks
Itar-Tass
Bishkek, October 19: The Russian and Kyrgyz interior ministries should increase the efficiency of practical cooperation in countering international terrorism and transnational organized crime, Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliyev told journalists on his arrival in Bishkek today. He said that a session of the two countries` power-wielding departments would focus on these issues. `Today it is important that we move to a new and practical level of countering organized crime. For this, actions should be coordinated and efforts consolidated,` the minister said. He said that the session would also consider countering drug trafficking and illegal migration.
Kyrgyz President Says Ready To Assist Recovery Of Afghan Economy
Itar-Tass
Bishkek, October 19: Kyrgyzstan intends to take part in the post-war restoration of the Afghan economy, Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev said following talks with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in Bishkek today. `We are doing everything possible to support Afghanistan - we have made available our infrastructure for the [US-led international] antiterrorist coalition forces so as to ensure security and stability in this country,` he said. Kyrgyzstan is `actively working though many channels` trying to get the opportunity to participate in the recovery of the Afghan economy, the president said.
Uzbekistan Offers State Stakes To Russian Investors
Interfax
Tashkent, October 19: Uzbekistan has urged Russian investors to take part in privatizing several industrial enterprises, a source in the Uzbek State Property Committee told Interfax. He said the committee has drawn up a list of 23 enterprises in seven sectors to be privatized, including in the energy sector, metallurgy, the oil and gas sector, and railways, and offered it to Russian investors. In the energy sector, Russian investors have been offered state stakes in the Syrdarya thermal power plant (48%), the Novoangrenskaya thermal power plant (49%), the Ugol coal company (49%) and Kaolin (100%). The list of oil and gas enterprises includes Uznefteprodukt (44%), Uzneftegazmash (39%), Uzgeoburneftegazdobycha (44%) and Avtogaz (70%). Stakes range from 25% to 100%. A committee official said that stakes in some enterprises will be sold at auctions and in others through direct talks with potential investors.
Oman To Participate In Developing Kazakh Caspian Sector
Interfax
Almaty, October 19: Oman is considering taking part in developing hydrocarbon reserves in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea, Omani Commerce, Industry and Minerals Minister Maqbul bin Ali bin Sultan told journalists on Tuesday. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev held talks with the Omani commerce minister, and with Oil and Gas Minister of Muhammad bin Hamad bin Sayf al-Rumhi, who is also CEO and Deputy CEO of Oman Oil Company. The talks dealt with oil and gas cooperation between the two countries. Bin Sultan did not give specific details on the talks. He said that Omani investment in oil and gas projects is Kazakhstan amounts to `hundreds of millions of dollars.` In particular, Oman is one of the founders of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, in which it has invested about $100 million. The Omani share in this project amounts to 7%. The minister added that Oman is also particiapting in the development of the Dungan oil and gas field, in Western Kazakhstan region, in which it has invested over $55 million. In addition, Oman has invested about $20 million in geological exploration work in Atyrau region, but the well drilled there `was not totally successful.`
Putin Invites Aliyev To Discuss Nagorno-Karabakh
Interfax
Moscow, October 19: Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed that he and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev discuss the situation surrounding the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. The two leaders are meeting in the Kremlin where they arrived after attending an assembly of the All-Russia Azerbaijani Congress earlier on Tuesday, an Interfax correspondent reported. Putin invited Aliyev `to talk in a calm atmosphere about an acute problem, one of the most acute ones in the Caucasus. I mean the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh,` Putin said.
Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov Elected The Central Asian Cooperation Organization Chairman
Itar-Tass
Dushanbe, October 18: Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov has been elected new chairman of the Central Asian Cooperation Organization. The next summit of the organization, uniting Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, will be held in Kyrgyzstan in the summer of 2005. A decision on this issue was adopted by the presidents of CAC member-countries on the results of Monday`s meeting.
Kyrgyzstan: News Agency To Tackle Cross-border Information Flow In Fergana Valley
IRIN News
Osh, October 16: A regional bureau, AKIpress-FERGANA, of the Kyrgyz AKIpress news agency has opened in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh aimed at improving the flow of cross-border information in Central Asia`s Fergana Valley, home to some 10 million people. Eugene Gopkalo, the executive director of the agency, told IRIN that the bureau would cover seven provinces of the three countries - Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - that share the valley. `The representative bureau has been created to meet the growing needs of the local and international communities for timely and impartial information on the situation in the most densely populated region of Central Asia,` Gopkalo said at the opening ceremony on Saturday.
CACO Summit Adopts Joint Statement On Fight Against Terrorism, Drugs
Interfax
Dushanbe, October 18: The presidents of four Central Asian states and Russia have signed a joint declaration calling for a combined response to international terrorism, religious extremism, drug trafficking and other regional challenges to security. The declaration was signed on Monday at the summit of the Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO), which was attended by presidents Vladimir Putin, Emomali Rakhmonov, Askar Akayev, Islam Karimov and Nursultan Nazarbayev. The summit resolved to comprise a list of terrorist and religious extremist organizations that are banned in CACO member states, as well as a list of leaders and members of such organizations. Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan offered other CIS member countries to join in. The presidents also approved regulations on a conference of heads of CACO security services, law enforcement and border departments. They gave a basic approval to the concept of a hydropower, food and transport consortium and instructed national governments to draft agreements to the effect.
Russia Signs Tajik Migrant Deal
BBC
Tashkent, October 18: Russia and Tajikistan have signed an accord to make legal hundreds of thousands of Tajik migrants in Russia. The deal was part of a package of measures agreed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Tajik counterpart, Emomali Rahmonov. Under the new accord, all migrants will have legal status and medical insurance - both existing workers and those to come.
Russia Joins Central Asian Cooperation Organisation
Uzbek Report
Dushanbe, October 17: President of Russia signed the order on Russian Federation`s joining of the Central Asian Cooperation Organisation (CAC) on 16 October. CAC was founded two years ago and unites Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Among the aims of the organisation is political and economic cooperation between member states and coordination of border and customs control policy.
President Of Uzbekistan To Participate In CAC Summit
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 17: On 17 October, President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov arrived in Dushanbe (Tajikistan) to participate on the summit of heads of states of the Central Asian Cooperation Organisation (CAC). The head of Uzbekistan was welcomed by Tajik officials at Dushanbe airport. President Karimov met his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhimov to discuss current state and perspectives of Uzbek-Tajik relations and issues of economic and cultural cooperation. The presidents also considered the agenda of the Dushanbe summit. In the evening of the same day, presidents of CAC member countries held an informal meeting. The CAC summit will be held on 18 October. It is expected that CAC leaders will hold face-to-face meetings and also participate in the expanded session. Among the issues to be discussed at the summit are economic and social cooperation, as well as situation in Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan Eager To Invest In TME
Kazakhstan News
Tehran, October 17: Kazakhstan ambassador to Tehran has expressed hope that a number of state and private businessmen from his country would join the Tehran Metals Exchange (TME) soon. He said that there is a great potential of business in Kazakhstan in producing metals including steel and copper. `As Iran is in need of import of such metals, we are ready to export them via the TME.` He was supposed to invite businessmen from his country to Iran to get familiar with the process of trading in the TME. According to the director general of the TME, the organization is going to work in an international level particularly with the participation of regional countries.
Putin, Karimov Discussing Central Asian Cooperation
Itar-Tass
Dushanbe, October 17: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Islam Karimov will discuss interaction in the Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO) on Sunday in view of the CACO Monday summit. `Our meeting on the eve of the CACO summit is absolutely natural, because you co-initiated the Russian participation in this organization, and I remember that,` Putin told Karimov. He said they `need to compare positions on some issues` before the summit. CACO is made up of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Russia`s request for entry into the organization was approved at a CACO special summit in May 2004. The Russian president `is a familiar person` in Central Asia, Karimov said. `Your visits are not something unusual. Every visit of yours means solution of problems,` he said. `The role and significance of Russia in this region will always exist, and Russia`s interests will be preserved,` Karimov said. He also noted the economic presence of Russia in Central Asia.
Central Asian Summit Opens In Dushanbe
Interfax
Dushanbe, October 17: A summit meeting of the Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO) has opened in Dushanbe. President Vladimir Putin is attending the summit for the first time. The meeting began with a photo ceremony. The summit will see the signing of a protocol of Russia`s accession to the February 28, 2002 founding treaty of the organization between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Handover Of Tajik Optic Unit To Clear Most Of Russian Debt
Interfax
Dushanbe, October 17: Tajikistan will repay the bulk of its Russian debt by handing over to the Russian military the Nurek optic electronic unit under a Russian-Tajik agreement. The unit has been valued at $242.43 million. Tajikistan`s total Russian debt was $305.73 million as of July 15, 2004, comprising a principal of $299.67 million and interest of $6.06 million. Earlier on Saturday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Nurek would enable the space arm of Russia`s armed forces `to feel confident for 50 years.`
Putin: Russia To Invest $2 Billion In Tajikistan Within 5 Years
RIA Novosti
Dushanbe, October 17: The Russian government and private companies will invest a total $2 billion in the Tajik economy within the next five years, President Vladimir Putin said to a news conference that summed up today`s Russo-Tajik negotiations. Such investment will be worthwhile as Tajik political developments are hopeful, the country is regaining stability, and mutual confidence is progressing, said the President. `We have settled our debt issues in a form that suits Tajikistan and Russia alike. Liabilities are no longer a problem-they have turn into a basis of our contacts.` Russian-Tajik economic partnership rests on mutually lucrative arrangements leading to economic progress of the entire region. The bilateral trade turnover is adding an annual average 38%, `and we hope it will retain the rate`. Russia has never managed, within recent years, to come with any other country upon such an all-round settlement of bilateral issues, which would offer such long-term prospects, stressed Mr. Putin.
Former British Envoy Is Suspended
BBC
London, October 17: A UK diplomat who was withdrawn as ambassador to Uzbekistan has been suspended on full pay. Craig Murray, 45, was recalled from his post in the capital Tashkent this week. He said the reason for his removal was his criticism of the use of intelligence allegedly obtained under torture by the Uzbekistan Government. The Foreign Office has confirmed that Mr Murray is suspended, despite earlier statements that he was not facing disciplinary action. Mr Murray said he became a `victim of conscience` after a memo in which he claimed MI6 had used the information was leaked to a newspaper last week. `Operational reasons` The Foreign Office had tried to force him to resign a year ago with `untrue` disciplinary charges, he told the BBC.
Armenian Leader, U.S. Diplomat Favor Expanding Economic Links
Interfax
Yerevan, October 17: Armenian President Robert Kocharian and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Laura Kennedy, who is currently on a visit to Yerevan, agreed on the importance of intensifying the economic component of bilateral relations, the Armenian presidential press service told Interfax. Kocharian thanked the American government for assistance it has provided to Armenian reform. `We are sure that only with free trade and free economic relations, and as low level of corruption as possible can we set up conditions in which our citizens can fully put their potential into practice,` Kocharian said.
Azeri Speaker Calls For Iran`s Assistance To Resolve Karabakh Conflict
IRNA
Baku, October 16: Chairman of Azerbaijan`s National Assembly (Milli Majlis) Murtuz Alasgarov here Saturday called for Iran`s assistance to resolve the long-lasting conflict in the region of Karabakh. In a meeting with Iran`s Ambassador to Baku Afshar Soleimani, he attached importance to the visit by Iran`s President Mohammad Khatami to Azerbaijan in August, saying, `The issue of Karabakh is considered as our main problem and we expect the assistance provided by our neighbors could resolve the problem.`
Iran, Azarbaijan To Cooperate In Media, Telecommunication
IRNA
Baku, October 16: Azerbaijan Minister of Telecommunication Ali Abassev in a meeting here Saturday with Iranian Ambassador to Baku Afshar Solaymani called for expansion of cooperation and signing of a memorandum of understanding with Iran on telecommunication and media affairs. At the meeting, Solaymani referred to the suitable atmosphere for bolstering bilateral relations based on historical and cultural commonalties. He also noted that all agreements between the two states should be implemented as per schedule. Solaymani further pointed out the necessity for establishing an international roaming mobile network between Iran and Azerbaijan `which has not come into fruition due to some technical difficulties`. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi in conversation with IRNA last week termed Iran`s ties with Azerbaijan as `very good` and noted that the recent visit by President Mohammad Khatami to Azerbaijan prepared a very conducive political and economic atmosphere for expansion of mutual relations.
Putin, Rakhmonov Sign Package Of Agreements On Results Of Talks
IRNA
Dushanbe, October 16: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmonov signed a package of agreements on the results of the their talks on Saturday. Putin and Rakhmonov signed a protocol on the exchange of instruments of ratification to the agreement on the status and conditions of the stay of the Russian base in Tajikistan. The presidents of Russia and Tajikistan signed an agreement on border cooperation and a document on the procedure of handing over the Tajik section of the border with Afghanistan that is guarded by Russian border guards, and on the procedure of handing over their property. Russia`s company Russky Aluminii and Tajikistan`s government concluded an agreement on cooperation.
Azerbaijani, Georgian Segments Of Oil Export Pipeline Joined
Radio Free Europe
Tbilisi, October 16: The presidents of Azerbaijan and Georgia, Ilham Aliyev and Mikheil Saakashvili, attended a ceremony on 16 October on the frontier between their respective republics at which the Azerbaijani and Georgian sections of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil-export pipeline were welded together, Georgian and Azerbaijani news agencies reported. Noting the pipeline`s economic significance for Georgia, Saakashvili expressed gratitude for U.S. and Turkish support over the past decade for its construction. Caucasus Press pointed out that Saakashvili did not, however, mention that the idea of routing the export pipeline for Azerbaijan`s Caspian oil via Georgia rather than Armenia originated with his predecessor Eduard Shevardnadze, together with then Turkish President Suleyman Demirel.
Iran, Kyrgyzstan Study Expansion Of Mutual Cooperation
IRNA
Bishkek, October 16: Iran`s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Gholam-Reza Baqeri Moqaddam conferred here Saturday with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Askar Aitmatov on expansion of mutual cooperation. At the meeting, the Iranian ambassador voiced satisfaction over the expansion of ties between the two countries and described the expansion of political relations between the two country`s as a turning point in mutual cooperation. Expressing satisfaction over current economic developments between the two countries, he called for further deepening and bolstering of such ties.
Tajik Ministry Disavows Official Nabbed In Kyrgyz Drug Bust
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, October 20: Tajik Deputy Justice Minister Azizmat Imomov told Avesta on 20 October that a man arrested recently on narcotics charges in Kyrgyzstan and identified as a Tajik official is no longer a Justice Ministry employee. Imomov told the news agency, `Alisher Toshpulotov, who was detained in Kyrgyzstan`s Batken Oblast, has not worked in [Tajikistan`s] justice system since September of this year.` Previously, Toshpulotov had worked as a senior inspector of correctional labor in Soghd Oblast. According to Kyrgyz law enforcement officials, Toshpulotov was arrested while trying to sell nearly 100 kilograms of heroin (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 20 October 2004).
Kyrgyz Police Nab Tajik Official In Opium Bust
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 18: Kyrgyz police arrested a Tajik Justice Ministry official on 18 October for attempting to sell 90 kilograms of opium, Kabar news agency reported. The bust, which took place in a village in the Batken Oblast, is the largest drug seizure in Kyrgyzstan in 2004.
Kyrgyz Premier Asks For British Help Against Afghan Drug Labs
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 18: Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev met with James Sharp, Great Britain`s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, in Bishkek on 18 October and requested British assistance in ensuring the destruction of narcotics laboratories in Afghanistan, Kabar reported. Tanaev said that not one drug laboratory has been destroyed in Afghanistan since the antiterrorist coalition began its activities there; instead, their numbers have grown. Tanaev noted that his country is a frequent transit destination for drug traffickers. Tanaev and Sharp also discussed bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
Armenian Arrested With Radioactive Load
Associated Press
Yerevan, October 18: Authorities have arrested a man found with radioactive cesium-137 in the trunk of his car, a state official said Monday. The highly toxic material, which could contaminate large areas if used in a `dirty bomb,` was found Friday and `rendered harmless,` Ashot Martirosian, chief of the State Atomic Oversight department, said. Advertisement Yerevan resident Gagik Tovmasian was arrested on charges of illegal trade in radioactive materials, Martirosian said. It was unclear how the man obtained the material, but various sources for it exist in Armenia, a small former Soviet republic in the Caucasus Mountains, Martirosian said. Various industries use cesium-137 in density gauges and for machine calibration. Authorities in neighboring Georgia have spoken of the need to create a storage site for gauges in which cesium-137 was used to measure the level of gasoline in underground tanks at gas stations. Martirosian did not say how much cesium was found, but he said the substance is very hazardous to human health. Devices containing cesium-137 can cause serious radiation exposure if broken and held. Depending on the amount and form, experts say a dirty bomb made with cesium-137 could spread intense radioactivity over a section of a city, making it uninhabitable. In February, Martirosian said a powerful source of radiation was found on the Armenian-Iranian border, among scrap metal headed for Iran.
Kyrgyzstan: Gay Convicts` Rights Abused In Prisons
Reuters
Bishkek, October 21: Prison authorities and inmates are abusing the rights of gay prisoners in Kyrgyzstan by harsh internal rules dating back to Soviet times and the strict informal hierarchy within the penal system, according to a new report by a local NGO, Oasis. `They [gays] are separated from the other prisoners. They do the dirtiest jobs and are never paid for them. They wear plastic bags instead of shoes and live in shelters made of boxes, rubbish, dirty clay and waste. Some of them are exposed to violence on average 20 times per day,` Oasis director Vladimir Tyupin told IRIN on Wednesday at the official launch of the report. The Oasis report on prison monitoring for the observation of human rights of sexual minorities, supported by Freedom House, a US-based rights watchdog group, revealed that every prison has a strict informal hierarchy with its own leadership elected by the convicts, the mainstream group and the `offended` group, including gays. The `offended` are the outcasts in prison who don`t comply with the harsh prison norms or informal rules and are deprived of their rights.
Pipeline Participants To Pay Georgia For Security
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 19: Participants in the pipeline company BTC Co., which is building the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, will pay Georgia an additional $165 million during the 20 years the pipeline is being operated to ensure security and environmental protection in Georgia. An Interfax corespondent reports that this is set down in an agreement signed by BTC Executive Director Michael Townsend and Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania in Tbilisi on Tuesday. According to the document, over the next six years $67 million will be spent on this project. Speaking about how this money will be spent, Zhvania said that initially $5 billion, earmarked to ensure ecological safety in Borzhomi gorge, would be used to restore Borzhomi park and increase the region`s attractiveness to tourists. In summer the Georgian Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ministry suspended the construction work in the Borzhomi Gorge and demanded additional information from investors on safety measures being taken in this environmentally sensitive area.
Former Chechen Interior Ministry Officer Held In Kyrgyzstan
Interfax
Bishkek, October 19: Kyrgyz police detained four citizens of Chechnya in Bishkek who are suspected of attempted murder against a police officer and illegal possession of firearms. `One of the detainees, an A. Akhtakhanov, was enlisted in illegal armed groups in 2001 when he was an officer of the Chechen Interior Ministry. He used data that he received at work to inform the bandits about the movement of Chechen government top officials,` Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev told journalists before his meeting with officials of the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry. Akhtakhanov`s messages `were used to arrange ambushes, which led to several top Chechen government officials and officers of the Chechen Interior Ministry being shot on the Kurchaloi-Gudermes transport routes,` Nurgaliyev said.
Kyrgyz Militia Could Reveal Famous Crimes Of The Last Two Months
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, October 18: Kyrgyz militia could reveal famous crimes of the last two months - 5 murders, including double murders, robbing attack to the Iranian enterprise, robbery of jeweller`s in Bishkek. Joldoshbek Buzurmankulov, the head of the Interior Ministry press service told at the Kabar Agency. Investigation bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan identified personalities of criminals, who shot last year 21 people in Chinese commercial bus. These criminals are two citizens of China of Uygur nationality. At present the both of them are wanted. The investigation process of this crime was discussed during the recent meeting of the first deputy public security of China Yan Huanin with the Interior Minister of Kyrgyzstan Bakirdin Subanbekov in Bishkek. This tragedy has happened on March 27, 2003 on the Torigart-Bishkek roadway. There were 21 entrepreneurs in the bus, 18 out of them were Chinese and 3 of them were Kyrgyz citizens. Almost all of them had a large sum of money.
New Chairman Of Uzavtoyol Appointed
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 20: President of Uzbekistan signed a decree on 10 October 2004 on relieving Rustam Yunusov of his post of Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of Uzavtoyol (Uzbek automobile roads) state joint-stock company, in connection with retiring on a pension. On 11 October 2004, the President issued a decree on appointing Turgunbay Azimbaev to the post of acting chairman of Uzavtoyol. Prior to appointment Azimbaev worked as deputy chairman of the company.
Niko Vashakidze Made Georgia`s State Oil Company Chief
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 19: Niko Vashakidze has been appointed president of Georgia`s State Oil Corporation, Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania told a news conference on Tuesday. Vashakidze was deputy head of the National Security Council prior to the appointment. Vashakidze actively participated in drafting a contract for the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Zhvania said. `He is one of the Security Council`s best officials and will definitely cope with his new job,` the prime minister said. The corporation`s former president Giorgi Chanturia was released from his post more than a month ago. There has been no comment from the Georgian government about the resignation.
Special Focus
Russian Blockade Of South Caucasus Leaves Armenians Fuming
Russia`s decision to close border-crossing points with Georgia and Azerbaijan, purportedly to frustrate movements by Chechen militants, has produced widespread discontent, even anger in Armenia - Moscow`s long-time strategic ally in the Caucasus. Some in Yerevan suggest the move may prompt a reassessment of Armenia`s special relationship with Russia.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav101804.shtmlGeorgia`s Government Grapples With Promoting The Rule Of Law In Western Provinces
Officials in Georgia are concerned that rising tension in the breakaway region of Abkhazia may spill over into the neighboring regions of Samegrelo and Imereti, where Tbilisi is already struggling to promote order. Observers say the situation is exposing the underlying weakness of Georgia`s regional political institutions.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101804.shtmlAnalysis: Energy Geopolitics In The Caspian
Intense competition for unimpeded access to the world`s natural resources is continuing and is likely to increase, according to the 21 April edition of `Jane`s Foreign Report.` The current unprecedented surge in fuel prices illustrates the growing need for a greater supply and consequently demonstrates the volatile nature of the energy market.
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http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/10/1b1ef154-ebd1-48a0-81a4-1aa9003a79f2.htmlCementing Russia`s Central Asian Clout
In the immediate aftermath of Russia`s unprecedented deal to exchange debt relief for military facilities in mountainous Central Asia, Moscow has joined a purely Central Asian grouping, indicating the Kremlin`s continued determination to sustain its influence in this geopolitically competitive zone.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FJ20Ag01.htmlEnergized Caspian Capers
Intense competition for unimpeded access to the world`s natural resources is continuing and is likely to increase, according to the April 21 edition of Jane`s Foreign Report. The current unprecedented surge in fuel prices illustrates the growing need for a greater supply and consequently demonstrates the volatile nature of the energy market.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FJ20Ag02.htmlRenegade Politician In Kazakhstan Tries To Push President Into Political Corner
A dispute over Kazakhstan`s parliament election results is opening up cracks in the country`s political foundation. The renegade leader of the ruling Otan Party, Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, touched off the crisis by characterizing the vote as a `farce,` and issuing a direct challenge to President Nursultan Nazarbayev `to find the elections illegitimate.` So far, the president has not responded.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101904.shtmlAnalysis: Energy Geopolitics In The Caspian
Intense competition for unimpeded access to the world`s natural resources is continuing and is likely to increase, according to the April 21 edition of `Jane`s Foreign Report.` The current unprecedented surge in fuel prices illustrates the growing need for a greater supply and consequently demonstrates the volatile nature of the energy market.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/pp101904.shtmlAbkhazia Election Debacle Presents Russia With Difficult Choices
The Abkhazia election controversy is shaping up as a potential policy disaster for Russia. The Kremlin`s bungled attempt to manipulate the political succession process in breakaway region could end up depriving Moscow of a potential `trump card` in its often-contentious dealings with Georgia.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav102004.shtmlCaspian And Caucasian RegionsThe 12th International Conference on `Central Asia and the Caucasus: Looking into the future of energy systems` was organised by The Institute for Political and International Studies, Tehran, from October 12-13, 2004. Inaugurated by the Foreign Minister of Iran Mr Kamal Karrazi, the moot was attended by 23 countries, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, India, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Switzerland, Tajikistan, UK and USA. A number of journalists from Germany, Sweden and other countries were invited to cover the event.
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2004-daily/22-10-2004/oped/o3.htm Intra Governmental Tension Marks Run-up To Rose Revolution Anniversary In Georgia
As the first anniversary of Georgia`s Rose Revolution nears, reports of a deepening rift in the country`s governing coalition are surfacing. The debate over Georgia`s 2005 state budget is serving as the catalyst for speculation about tension within the highest levels of government.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav102204.shtmlAzerbaijan: Opposition Leaders Receive Prison Sentences
Among the defendants are three deputy chairmen of the Musavat (Liberty) party: Rauf Arifoglu, Arif Hacili, and Ibrahim Ibrahimli. The other four are Azerbaijan`s Democratic Party Secretary-General Serdar Jalaloglu; Umid (Hope) party Chairman Iqbal Agazade; Halq (People`s) party leader and former Prime Minister Panah Huseynov; and Etimad Asadov, the chair of the Karabakh War Veterans Association.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp102204.shtml
Report dated 22 October 2004