Head Of The State Met In Almaty With The Leaders Of The Otan Party
Kazinform
Almaty, November 12: Today President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev met at Almaty office of the Republican political party Otan with the members of the Bureau of the Political Council and workers of the party apparatus, Presidential press service informs. This is a first meeting of President Nazarbayev with the leaders of Otan after an impressive victory of the party in the parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan. Issues of perfection of the activity of the work organs of the party, especially in the regions of the country were touched upon. The tasks, set before the party in the afterlight of implementation of the political course of the Head of the State and programme Kazakhstani way -2009 adopted at the party congress were the emphasis of the talks.
Daniyal Akhmetov Met Deputies Of The Majilis Of Kazakhstan
Kazinform
Astana, November 12: Head of Government Daniyal Akhmetov met November 12 with the deputies of the Majilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan Tolebek Kosmambetov, Kenzhegali Sagadiyev and Zaure Kadyrova, PM`s press service informs. PM congratulated the deputies upon election to the Parliament of Kazakhstan and considered issues concerning the current law-making activity. The very day Daniyal Akhmetov received executives of the head of the department for small and medium sized business under the Almaty akimat Serik Turzhanov, who reported on existent administrative barriers that balk developing entrepreneurship and ways of its settlement.
Uzbek Election Commission Publishes 20 Titles Of Literature
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 11: Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan published some 20 titles of political literature in 2004 with the purpose to propagandise national election legislation and ensure open and fair elections. According to UzA, the commission published updated laws on elections to Oliy Majlis (new edition), people`s deputies councils and guarantees of citizens` voting right in Uzbek, Russian and English languages. Besides, Law on Central Election Commission, as well as its charter and voting instructions were published in Uzbek and Russian languages.
International Conference On Forthcoming Elections Held In Tashkent
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 10: On 10 November, international conference on `Role of legal information and organisational and technical basis in development of legal culture in the context of forthcoming elections` was held in Tashkent. Organisers of the conference were Institute of Tolerance project of the All-Russia State Library of Foreign Literature, Centre on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid and Tashkent State Institute of Law. Representatives of Central Election Committee, Ministry of Justice, Constitutional Court, NGOs, scientists, teachers and students participated in the conference, which considered issues of democratisation and liberalisation of political systems in CIS countries.
Kazakhs To Act
The Moscow Times
Astana, November 9: Kazakhstan will act on criticism of its democratic failings but rushed reforms would threaten stability, its foreign minister, Kasymzhomart Tokayev, said Tuesday. Despite pledges by President Nursultan Nazarbayev that the Sept. 19 parliamentary poll would meet standards set by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the democracy body said there had been `serious shortcomings.`
Askar Akayev Celebrates His 60th Birth Anniversary In Kyrgyzstan And Russia
RIA Novosti
Bishkek, November 9: Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev, who turns 60 on Wednesday, plans to celebrate the anniversary both in his native republic and in St. Petersburg. Sources in Bishkek close to the President informed that Askar Akayev would celebrate his birthday with the family - children, grandchildren, wife and closest friends. In contrast with eastern tradition, Kyrgyzstan will not organize large-scale public festivities dedicated to president`s birthday. The day after his birthday Mr. Akayev will head to Moscow and later will visit St. Petersburg - the city he calls his second home.
New Georgian Opposition Party Formed
Radio Free Europe
Tbilisi, November 8: Independent parliament deputies Koba Davitashvili and Zviad Dzidziguri formally announced on 8 November the establishment of a new Conservative Party which, they say, already numbers some 8,000 members, Caucasus Press reported. Presenting the new party`s charter, Davitashvili noted that it was drafted in consultation with the U.S. Republican Party. The party will hold its constituent congress in early 2005, at which either Davitashvili or Dzidziguri will be elected chairman.
Uzbek Parties Hold Pre Election Congress
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, November 8: Uzbekistan`s ruling People`s Democratic Party and the pro-presidential Fidokorlar National Democratic Party have held their party congresses in preparation for 26 December parliamentary elections, UzA reported on 8 November. Both parties approved their platforms and selected candidates for the elections. According to the report, the People`s Democratic Party has 580,000 members. The National Democratic Party has 61,000 members.
Uzbek Opposition Party Urges Harsher U.S. Policy Toward Uzbekistan
Associated Press
Tashkent, November 8: An Uzbek opposition party has urged U.S. President George W. Bush to take a tougher stance on Uzbekistan`s poor human rights record and stifling of dissent. `After President Bush`s election for a new term, we expect a renewed U.S. policy toward Uzbekistan,` the outlawed Erk party said in a statement late Monday. Uzbekistan, which neighbors Afghanistan, became a key U.S. ally after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and hosts hundreds of U.S. troops. U.S. officials have said their increased cooperation with Uzbekistan would involve efforts to promote democracy and respect for human rights in the Central Asian nation. `The continued severe violations of human rights and systematic torture of political prisoners in Uzbekistan, has made us feel that (the United States) uses double standards and that has provoked noticeable anti-American sentiments among Uzbeks,` the party said.
Kazakh Court Throws Out Opposition Suit Against TV Stations
Radio Free Europe
Astana, November 8: A court in Almaty has thrown out a lawsuit against three television channels by the opposition parties Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) and the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 8 November. The two parties accused the TV channels KTK, Khabar, and ORT-Yevraziya of causing them `moral damage` by suspending their advertisements in the run-up to 19 September parliamentary elections (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 16 September 2004). DVK presidium member Vladimir Kozlov said that the court ruled that the plaintiff had failed to prove that the parties incurred damage from the TV channels` actions.
First Candidacies For Tajik Elections
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, November 7: Rahmatullo Zoirov, head of the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan, told RFE/RL`s Tajik Service on 8 November that he has put forward his candidacy to represent the Sino (formerly Frunze) district of Dushanbe in February 2005 parliamentary elections. The Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan has also announced that it has advanced the candidacies of 10 people for the city council in Kulob.
Tajikistan Bars Women From Mosques
Agence France-Presse
Dushanbe, November 7: Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov Saturday ordered women in the former Soviet republic neighboring Afghanistan to stay at home for prayer rather than attend mosques with men in order to avoid inter-ethnic conflicts. `Mothers and sisters, the young women of Tajikistan, please freely read your prayers at home, no one is trying to offend your rights,` Rakhmonov said in a speech commemorating the republic`s constitution day.
Uzbek Opposition To Boycott Election
Associated Press
Tashkent, November 6: An Uzbek opposition party announced Saturday that it would boycott next month`s parliamentary vote, saying the government had failed to embrace democracy and calling on the international community to ignore the election. Election officials have refused to let opposition parties run on the Dec. 26 ballot, disqualifying their registrations on technicalities. `Considering the economic, political and social situation in Uzbekistan, we may say the election can`t be either free, democratic or fair,` Atonazar Arifov, head of the unregistered Erk party, told journalists in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent.
Tajik President Addresses Nation On Constitution Day
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, November 6: Imomali Rakhmonov gave an address in Dushanbe on 6 November, his country`s Constitution Day, in which he discussed upcoming elections, Islam and politics, and a recent ban on women attending mosque, agencies reported. On elections, the president said that `Upcoming [February 2005] parliamentary elections should be democratic and transparent, thus affirming the changes we have achieved in society and the constitution,` RIA-Novosti reported. On Islam and politics, Rakhmonov noted that `Islam should not be used for the mercenary and extremist goals of certain groups.` `The state has the right to create legal obstacles to the misuse of religion by any extremist movements and groups, both internal and international,` he added. He suggested the creation of an international center to fight transnational crime and terrorism. The president also voiced his support for a controversial 17 August ruling by Tajik religious leaders banning women from attending religious services, the BBC`s Persian Service reported.
Armenia To Increase Defense Spending By 12 per cent In 2005
Interfax
Yerevan, November 11: Armenia`s defense expenditures will be increased by 12 per cent in 2005, reaching 13 per cent of the state budget, according to the 2005 draft budget the government submitted to parliament. The document stipulates that the country will spend 53.7 billion drams (about $106 million) on defense in general, and nearly 50 billion drams (about $99 million) will be spent on military purposes. In addition, 10 billion drams (nearly $20 million) will be spent on the police and 7 billion drams (nearly $14 million) on the National Security Service in 2005. Parliamentary defense, security, and interior affairs committee chief Mger Shakhgeldian told Interfax that Armenia has to spend this much money on its defense because the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has not been settled.
Georgian Army Introduces `confidence Boxes` For Anonymous Reports To Senior Authorities
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 11: A total of 300 `confidence boxes` will be installed in various Georgian military units on Thursday. `These boxes will make it easier for the Defense Ministry to gain information and to promptly respond to complaints of servicemen,` Irakly Samkurashvili, the ministry`s chief inspector, told reporters. `Anonymity will certainly be provided,` he emphasized. The first `confidence box` will be installed by Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze personally at the 11th Brigade deployed in Vaziani, the Defense Ministry said.
Georgia To Establish National Gendarmerie
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 11: Georgia will announce establishment of a national gendarmerie soon, a source in the Georgian Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Thursday. `The draft resolution of the country`s president authorizing establishment of the national gendarmerie on the basis of the Interior Ministry Force, which was reassigned to the Defense Ministry on November 1, is already being developed,` the source said. `The only candidate for the position of gendarmerie chief is Major General Giorgi Tavtukhashvili, former commander of the Interior Ministry Force,` he stressed. According to him, the gendarmerie will be again reporting to the Interior Ministry. Guarding of facilities and operations during emergency situations and disasters will be its main missions. In case martial law is imposed in the country, the gendarmerie is automatically reassigned to the Defense Ministry.
Russian Border Guard Officer Killed In Action On Tajik - Afghan Border
RIA Novosti
Dushanbe, November 10: A Russian border guard officer was killed in action on the Tajik-Afghan border on Wednesday. Chief of the press service of the Russian Federal Security Service Border Guard Task Force in Tajikistan Colonel Alexander Kondratiev told RIA Novosti that a group of armed men had trespassed the border, trying to infiltrate into Tajiksitan in the mountainous region within the area of responsibility of the Moscow Border Guard Force (180 km to the southeast of Dushanbe). `The border guards moved into action against the border trespassers who offered fierce armed resistance,` the colonel said. Senior Lieutenant Alexander Konstantinov, 23, deputy commander of the Sarigor Border Guard Post, he went on, was severely injured and later died of his wounds.
U.S. European Command Experts To Assess Georgian Defense Reform
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 10: U.S. European Command experts started assessing the Georgian defense reform on Tuesday, a source in the Georgian Defense Ministry told Interfax on Wednesday. `For instance, U.S. experts are evaluating the state of the 21st Kutaisi Brigade and the 25th Batumi battalion in order to assist them in conducting further reforms,` the source said. According to him, the U.S. will continue rendering assistance in training artillery, communications, and logistics officers of the 11th Vaziani Brigade, deployed outside Tbilisi.
US Centcom Deputy Commander Visits Tajikistan
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, November 10: Senior Lieutenant General Lance Smith, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, visited Tajikistan on 10 November, Avesta reported. Smith met with Tajik Defense Minister Colonel General Sherali Khayrulloev, Border Protection Committee head Lieutenant General Abdurahmon Azimov, and National Guard commander Rajabali Rahmonaliev. Their discussions focused on military and technical cooperation between the United States and Tajikistan, drug smuggling across the Tajik-Afghan border, and the transfer of jurisdiction over the border from Russia to Tajikistan, ITAR-TASS reported.
Georgia Ignoring Demilitarization Agreements - S. Ossetia
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 10: Georgia is deploying more troops in the conflict zone with the self-proclaimed republic of South Ossetia in an operation that runs counter to the Sochi agreements on demilitarizing the area, Boris Chochiyev, co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission on the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict, told Interfax on Wednesday. `In spite of the agreement to withdraw all armed units except for peacekeepers from the conflict zone, about 2,000 [Georgian] policemen and soldiers remain in South Ossetia`s Georgian villages,` said Chochiyev, who is also South Ossetia`s minister without portfolio.
Georgia Rotates Iraq Peacekeepers
Radio Free Europe
Tbilisi, November 8: Two companies, numbering in all 300 men, from the Georgian Commandos battalion left Tbilisi for Kuwait on 8 November where they will undergo two weeks` training before being deployed to Iraq, Caucasus Press reported. The men are all graduates of the U.S. Train and Equip program launched in the summer of 2001. Georgian Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze said on 8 November that Tbilisi will increase its manpower in Iraq next year from the current level of 156 men to 850. Also on 8 November, Irina Sarishvili-Chanturia, who heads the League for the People`s Protection, told Caucasus Press that organization has failed in its campaign to collect 30,000 signatures in support of a petition against sending Georgian servicemen to participate in peacekeeping operations abroad.
US Military Commander Visits Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, November 8: Lieutenant General Lance Smith, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, met with Kazakh Defense Minister Colonel General Mukhtar Altynbaev in Astana on 8 November, Khabar TV reported. Altynbaev told journalists after their talks, `We reviewed the reform of Kazakhstan`s armed forces, regional security, and prospects for cooperation between Kazakh and U.S. armed forces,` Kazinform reported. For his part, Smith thanked Kazakhstan for its assistance in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. `It would have been difficult for us without Kazakhstan`s help. It is very important that Kazakhstan has offered its airspace to carry out operations in Afghanistan and its contingent of field engineers who are in Iraq at the moment,` the U.S. deputy commander said, according to Khabar TV.
Armenian Troops Kill Azeri Officer Near Disputed Karabakh Region
Agence France-Presse
Baku, November 8: Armenian troops shot dead an Azeri army officer along the tense border that separates the two warring former Soviet republics, Azerbaijan`s defense ministry revealed. Bahaddin Abdiyev, a 24-year-old lieutenant, was killed on Sunday evening during an exchange of fire with Armenian troops in the Agdam region of southern Azerbaijan, a spokesman told AFP. Armenian and Azeri forces have been locked in a tense stand-off since fighting a war in the early 1990s over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is now under Armenian control.
Uzbek-US Exercises On Liquidation Of WMD Consequences Held
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 6: Uzbekistan and the United States held one-week exercises, in which structures responsible for liquidation of consequences of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the country and along its borders. `More than 100 participants, representing ministries of defence, internal affairs, emergency situations and health, State Border Protection Committee, Customs Committee, Prosecutor`s Office and Nuclear Physics Institute participated in the joint actions aimed at coordination of activities during WMD use,` RIA Novosti reported quoting Ministry of Defence of Uzbekistan on Saturday. The exercises were held under the patronage of the international non-proliferation programme of the US Department of Defence (ACP) and implemented by the Threat Reduction Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Internal Security Department, according to the US Embassy in Uzbekistan. `The exercises were first within the programme framework,` Ken Dill, head of the project, said. `Considering their results, they may become a model for other countries. Similar exercises are planned in the Baltic states.` Within the ICP programme, Uzbekistan received equipment worth US$1 million to prevent smuggling of WMD components.
Dagestani Terrorist Suspect Detained In Azerbaijan To Be Extradited To Russia
Interfax
Moscow, November 12: Police officers in Azerbaijan aided by their colleagues who had come from Dagestan, an internal republic of Russia in the North Caucasus and of Azerbaijan have Magomed Salikhov, a resident of Dagestan suspected of complicity in the bombing of a house in Buinaksk on September 4, 1999 that killed 64 people, Dagestani Deputy Interior Minister Vladislav Chertov told Interfax on Friday. `Salikhov was detained in a joint operation mounted by Russian and Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies. He had been on the federal and international wanted list for terrorism,` an official in the Dagestani Interior Ministry said. The man is to be moved to Dagestan as early as on Saturday, the official said.
Kazakh Group Tied To Uzbek Terrorist Attacks In Spring
Radio Free Europe
Astana, November 11: KNB officials said that members of the group were involved in terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan in late March-early April and three suicide bombings in Tashkent on 30 July, Kazinform reported. Khabar news agency quoted Zhakshybek Biimurzaev, one of the group`s leaders, as saying, `This year there were three terror attacks in Tashkent in July. I organized them on the instruction of my amir [commander] Usman. Three Kazakh citizens took part in them; I was opposed to this, but the amir ordered it.` Bozhko said that the group`s members, who were allegedly trained in Al-Qaeda and Taliban camps, targeted Uzbekistan `because [the Uzbek authorities] purportedly oppress Muslims,` Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Members also referred to the United States and Israel, the Tashkent embassies of which were attacked by suicide bombers on 30 July, as `enemies of Islam.` Bozhko said that the Uzbek citizens will be extradited to Uzbekistan once Kazakh officials complete their investigation.
Group Believed To Have Links With Al Qaeda Uncovered In Kazakhstan
Interfax
Astana, November 11: Kazakh security agencies have uncovered and put an end to the activities of the group Central Asia Mujahedeen Jamaat, which is believed to be a cell of the international terrorist network al Qaeda, First Deputy Chairman of the Kazakh National Security Committee Vladimir Bozhko said. `The National Security Committee has put an end to the activities of a deeply clandestine terrorist group, Central Asia Mujahedeen Jamaat, which was acting in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia and had links with the organization al Qaeda,` Bozhko announced at a news conference in Astana on Thursday. The special services earlier detained the leaders and members of the Central Asia Mujahedeen Jamaat and also their accomplices. Among the detainees are nine Kazakh citizens, four Uzbek citizens, and also four female residents of the Southern Kazakhstan region, who had been trained to act as suicide bombers, he said. Security agents found and seized about 1,000 copies of literature and about 2,000 audio and video cassettes which contained calls to terror, including Osama bin Laden`s addresses, Bozhko said. They also found fake passports and equipment for their manufacture, components of explosive devices, weapons, and ammunition, he said. The investigators have also solved two robberies committed by members of the group to acquire money for their activities, Bozhko said. In addition to the funds that the group was raising inside the country, they were also financed from abroad, he said. In addition, while investigating the activities of this organization, the National Security Committee detained Uzbek citizen Abos Usmonov, who `received instructions from abroad to prepare terrorist attacks against a top official in Uzbekistan together with his accomplices,` he said. The Jamaat was controlled from abroad through appointed leaders, or emirs, Bozhko said. One of them was Akhmat Bekmurzayev, an Uzbek citizen, who was killed in an operation to prevent terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan in March 2004, Bozhko said. Another emir, Zhakshybek Biimurzayev, an ethnic Kyrgyz and a Kyrgyz citizen, had Uzbek and Kazakh passports and was responsible for organizing terrorist attacks in Tashkent, he said.
Uzbek Court Hands Down Terrorist Sentence
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, November 10: A Tashkent criminal court on 10 November sentenced five individuals to prison terms ranging from 15 and 1/2 to 16 years for involvement in terrorist attacks in the spring, RFE/RL`s Uzbek Service reported the next day. The five were convicted of homicide, extremism, weapons possession, and other charges. According to the report, a lawyer for one of the defendants said that his client was beaten during the investigation and that the trial was delayed for several months to allow scars from the beating to fade.
Armenian MPs Reject Bill On Struggle Against Money Laundering
Itar-Tass
Yerevan, Novembet 10: The Armenian MPs on Wednesday rejected a bill on struggle against money laundering and financial aid to terrorism. The bill failed to gain the required number of votes. Central Bank Chairman Tigran Sarkisyan noted that the document provided for the creation of a single financial monitoring centre under the Bank of Armenia. The bill specifies demands for financial flows from offshore zones and establishes standards for handling transactions with money of dubious origin. The bill has become the first Armenian normative act to define the notion of `financial terrorism`. It provides real mechanisms for its warning. The drafting of the bill is linked to Armenia`s accession to international conventions on struggle against money laundering and criminally earned incomes as well as the ratification of resolution #1373 of the United Nations aimed at fighting against financial terrorism. It is still unknown when the MPs are going to return to the discussion of this bill.
Tajik Court Sentences 20 Hizb-ut-tahrir Activists
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, November 9: A court in Sughd Province on 9 November sentenced 20 individuals to prison terms ranging from three to eight years for criminal activities on behalf of the banned extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, RFE/RL`s Tajik Service reported. The defendants, who included one ethnic Russian and a former National Security Committee officer, were found guilty of inciting strife along national and religious lines and calling for the overthrow of the state. The group was arrested in Khujand in early 2004. Mahmud Sotiboldiev, a lawyer for the accused, told RFE/RL that the defendants were forced to confess under torture.
Tajik President Calls For Setting Up United World Anti-terror Centre
Itar-Tass
Dushanbe, November 7: The Tajik president believes it is very vital at present to set up a united world centre to combat transnational crime and terrorism. Emomali Rakhmonov said this in his address to the Tajik public in connection with the November 6 celebration of the tenth anniversary since the country`s constitution was adopted. Rakhmonov believes that setting up a world centre would promote working out a common strategy and tactics against present threats and help to eliminate sources to finance extremist and terrorist groups. Tajikistan entirely supports the idea to work out and adopt a code of behavior of states in fight against international terrorism and work out main principles and regulations for cooperation in specific situations, the Tajik leader said. The president once again spoke about problems of Afghanistan that remains the main narcotics producer. The bulk of finances from drug selling is used to finance international organisations, Rakhmonov noted.
Islam Should Not Be Used For Political And Extremist Purposes: Tajik President
RIA Novosti
Dushanbe, November 6: Speaking at a solemn ceremony on the eve of the Day of the Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan, which the republic celebrates on Saturday, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov stated that Islam should not be used for political and extremist purposes. `Islam should not be used by some groups to attain their selfish political and extremist goals,` the president said. In his opinion, the use of religious organizations to attain political and extremist goals harms religion in the first place and contradicts its true purpose. Mr. Rakhmonov underlined that `the state has the right to impose legal obstacles on the way of any extremist organization or group, domestic or international, which abuse religious purposes.` The Tajik President emphasized that religion and religious ties between people are a private matter.
Kyrgyzstan: ADB Reviews Progress After A Decade
IRIN News
Bishkek, November 11: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has begun a new credit line for entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan without government guarantees, as a sign of its confidence in the republic`s political and economic reforms since independence. Half of the incoming aid to the republic will be grant based. `All the credits being sent to Kyrgyzstan have been given on preferential terms. Now Kyrgyzstan is not the country it used to be 12 years ago. Our main task is poverty alleviation in the country as well as regional cooperation improvement,` ADB President Tadao Chino said, while visiting the country recently to review progress. The ADB and Kyrgyzstan have been working together since 1994, with the bank providing US $530 million in aid since then. The funds have been directed to the country`s key ministries, along with implementation of 10 social and economic projects. They include developments in agriculture, education, disaster preparedness and improvement of the road linking the capital Bishkek with the second city of Osh, due to be completed in 2005. The bank will also finance the improvement of two other important roads - from the Kazakh commercial capital Almaty to Bishkek and from Bishkek to Kashgar in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.
Lukoil Overseas To Pump $350 Mln Into Kazakhstan
Interfax
Astana, November 11: Lukoil Overseas, which carries out foreign projects for Russian oil major Lukoil, plans to invest $350 million in its own projects in Kazakhstan in 2004-2005, Boris Zilbermints, the company`s Kazakhstan area manager, said in Astana. Lukoil Overseas will invest around $200 million, `most of it in Karachaganak,` this year, Zilbermints said. In 2005, `considering that the company meets offshore drilling costs until commercial discoveries are made,` investments in on-going projects will amount to $150 million, he said.
EBRD Forecasts CIS Growth At 7.4 per cent In 2004
Uzbek Report
Tehran, November 9: Fifteen years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, many of the former Communist countries from central Europe to Central Asia have made commendable progress in their transition to market economy, according to the EBRD`s latest Transition Report revealed on 9 November. For the fourth straight year the economies of this region are outpacing the world economy, with growth forecast to rise to 6.1 per cent in 2004 from 5.6 per cent in 2003. Growth is expected to be highest in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), at 7.4 per cent, compared with 5 per cent in South-Eastern Europe (SEE) and 4.9 per cent in Central Europe and the Baltic states (CEB). In Russia, the region`s largest economy, growth is expected to slow slightly, to 6.9 per cent from 7.3 per cent a year ago. For 2005, the bank forecasts an overall growth rate of 5.5 per cent for the region.
GDP In Kazakhstan To Grow At Least By 9.3 Per Cent In 2004
RIA Novosti
Astana, November 9: In 2004, GDP in Kazakhstan will grow in real terms by no less than 9.3 per cent, and inflation will not top 6.9 per cent against the 6.4 per cent in 2003, Kazakhstan`s Economy and Budget Planning Minister Kairat Kelimbetov said as he addressed a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The minister said that real incomes of the population will rise by 7.5 per cent before the end of the year, and unemployment will be at 7.7 per cent. `The GDP will be doubled actually in 2008, or two years ahead of the target,` believes the minister. He said that in the first nine months of the year Kazakhstan`s inflation was 6.8 per cent. `Inflation is running within the established band between 5.6 per cent and 7 per cent,` Kelimbetov emphasised.
Kazakhstan To Buy Stake In Kashagan Project
Interfax
Astana, November 9: Kazakhstan and the shareholders of the international consortium Agip KCO reached agreement in principle that the country will take part in a production-sharing agreement in developing the Kashagan oil and gas field in northern Caspian. The agreement was reached at a November 4 meeting in London between Kazakh Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Vladimir Shkolnik, President of the Kazakh national oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz Uzakbai Karabalin, and consortium representatives, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Saturday. The negotiators discussed Kazakhstan`s purchase of an interest in the project from the BG Group.
SOCAR Signs Kyurovdag Deal With Caspian Energy Group
Interfax
Baku, November 9: State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) and Britain`s Caspian Energy Group signed a contract for the development of the Kyurovdag oil field on November 5. SOCAR President Natik Aliyev said this would be a 50:50 contract. `The contract will bring additional investment into the project, to enable new wells to be drilled and other work to modernize infrastructure to be carried out,` Aliyev said. Aliyev did not say how much investment was at issue. `This will depend on the extent of the working program, but at this stage it looks like the investment will run to tens of millions of dollars,` he said. Caspian Energy Group Vice President Phil Maxwell said geological studies would be carried out in 2005. The companies plan to drill five wells in 2006 and use data obtained from those to draft a long-term development program, he said. By 2008, oil production at the field should increase 50 per cent, Maxwell said.
Kazakhstan Secures Ownership Stake In Vast Caspian Oil Field
Kazakhstan News
Almaty, November 6: Kazakhstan has reached a preliminary agreement in its controversial bid for part of a stake owned by Britain`s BG (British Gas) in the vast Kashagan offshore oil field, the country`s foreign ministry said on Saturday. Talks held in London this week on the state`s bid for part of BG`s 16.67-per cent stake produced `agreement in principle on participation by the Kazakh side,` the foreign ministry said in a written statement. The Kashagan project in the Caspian Sea is the largest and most complex of several under way in this oil-rich former Soviet republic, seen by the West as a potential alternative to traditional producers in the Middle East. The precise size of the stake Kazakhstan will gain was not published. The state`s recent announcement that it wanted at least part of BG`s stake in Kashagan is seen as inconvenient to the other shareholders, who had hoped to distribute the stake among themselves after the British firm announced it wanted to sell last year, informed sources have said. Kashagan is thought to be the world`s fourth or fifth largest oil field, with estimated reserves of 45 billion barrels (5.8 billion tonnes), of which between eight billion barrels and 13 billion barrels are currently considered recoverable. The project has been beset by difficulties, including a delay in the start of production from 2005 until 2008, partly attributed to the unwieldiness of its seven-member ownership structure. While Italy`s ENI operates the field, its stake, unusually, is equal to those of BG, TotalFinaElf, ExxonMobil and Shell-at 16.67 per cent-while smaller stakes are held by ConocoPhillips and Inpex.
World Leaders Congratulate President Karimov With Eid Al-Fitr
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 12: A number of world leaders congratulated President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov and people of Uzbekistan with Eid al-Fitr holiday. In particular, the head of the state received congratulatory messages from presidents of the US, Yemen, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sudan, Azerbaijan and other states, as well as secretary general of the Organisation Islamic Conference.
Majilis To Ratify Moscow Agreement
Kazinform
Astana, November 12: The Majilis has received the Agreement on Joint Planning of Forces Exploit for Joint Security between Kazakhstan and Russia for ratification, informs the press service of Majilis. This agreement was concluded 16 January this year in Moscow. It provides joint analysis of military and political situation and composition of the staff of military coalition groups and planning. The plenipotentiary bodies are also engaged in joint development of principles of interaction, communication, and covert management of troops of coalition groups.
Kazakhstan`s Law Enforcement Officers To Cooperate With Hong Kong Police
Kabar Agency
Beijing, November 12: Today has been completed a visit of delegation of policemen, led by deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan Vladimir Kurbatov to Hong Kong, our correspondent reports. Delegation also comprised the Head of the public security department of MIA of Kazakhstan Gaziz Alpysbayev and deputy Head of the internal affairs department of Aktobe oblast Rakhmadjan Dosanov. During the visit, initiated by Consulate General of Kazakhstan to Hong Kong, the policemen called on the squadrons for special operations. In the course of negotiations with Hong Kong Police Commissioner Dick Li the parties exchanged opinions on matters of mutual interests and outlined the base points to further bilateral cooperation in sphere of protection of public order, fight against crime, and training of the staff.
China To Discuss Issues Of Fast Interaction In Fighting Terrorism And Extremism
Kazinform
Beijing, November 12: Cooperation between law-enforcement authorities of Kazakhstan and China oriented at terrorism crimes prevention is developing in conformity with the adopted Decree February 2000 on activating the fast criminal investigation on detection, suppression and prevention of terrorism and extremism. The members of the Kazakhstan`s delegation, comprised head of the Department for fight with organized crime (DFOC) of Almaty oblast Serik Manabayev and head of the South regional DFOC Sapabek Dyusenov, negotiated with the executives of the inner security department of the Ministry of public security of China. During the talks discussed were issues of regional security and fast interaction. The Chinese party proposed to create joint wok group for coordination of the work aimed at suppression of terrorism and extremism, fast response and exchange of operative information. The parties examined also the preparatory activities for the prospective visit of Minister of internal affairs of Kazakhstan Zautbek Turisbekov this December.
Russia,Kazakhstan In Talks On Access To EU Gas Market
Dow Jones Newswires
Almaty, November 12: Russia and Kazakhstan are in talks about a deal that would give a huge BG Group-led (BRG) gas project access to European markets in exchange for money to renovate a Russian processing plant, a person familiar with the situation told Dow Jones Newswires. `If (Kazakhstan) funds an upgrade of the Orenburg gas processing plant, it will pave the way for Karachaganak to export to Ukraine and western Europe in the future,` the person said. The upgrade is estimated to cost $200 million to $300 million, the person added. The consortium developing the Karachaganak gas and gas condensate field currently exports 5 billion to 6 billion cubic meters of unstable gas a year through the only gas pipeline available to it. The pipeline terminates at a Soviet-era plant owned by gas monopoly OAO Gazprom (GSPBEX.RS) located in the Russian city of Orenburg, close to the border with Kazakhstan. The consortium - which comprises Eni SpA (E), ChevronTexaco Corp. (CVX) and OAO Lukoil Holdings (LKOH.RS) - wants to raise gas output to 8 bcm by 2011, but the Orenburg plant doesn`t have any additional capacity. The Kazakhstan government originally proposed to solve this problem by constructing a $1.2 billion processing plant at the Karachaganak site.
Islam Karimov Extends Condolences To Palestinian People
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 11: President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov sent condolences to secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation executive committee Mahmud Abbas in connection with death of the head of the Palestinian Autonomy Yasser Arafat. He also extended condolences to acting head of the Palestinian Autonomy, chairman of the Legislative Council Ruhi Fattuh. `Bright memory of Yasser Arafat as distinguished political figure not only in Arab and Islamic world, but in the whole world will always remain in our hearts,` the President`s message read. `May Allah give patience to family members, close ones and colleagues of Yasser Arafat, as well as to the government and friendly people of Palestine,` Islam Karimov wrote.
US Assistant Secretary Of Commerce Visits Tashkent
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 11: United States Assistant Secretary of Commerce William Lash arrived in Tashkent on a three-day visit on Thursday. The visit aims to consider perspectives of bilateral trade-economic and investment relations, Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan told UzReport.com During the meetings held at ministries and departments of Uzbekistan, issues of the state and perspectives of development of bilateral relations and trade-economic cooperation were considered. Situation in the region and the role of Uzbekistan in reconstruction of Afghanistan were also on the agenda, the ministry said. On 11 November, the delegation headed by Lash visited Samarkand to meet representatives of the local administration. On Friday, William Lash met chairman of the State Property Committee M.Askarov, First Deputy Economy Minister G.Saidova, First Deputy Foreign Minister V.Norov and Deputy Prime Minister E.Ganiyev.
Kyrgyz Presdient Askar Akaev Confers With Russian President Vladimir Putin In Moscow
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, November 11: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev on Thursday hailed military cooperation as well as closer overall bilateral relations. `Our relations are developing at a rapid pace, quite intensively in all directions,` said V. Putin, who welcomed A. Akayev to his presidential residence outside Moscow. President A. Akayev, who just turned 60 Wednesday, praised the military cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the fight against terrorism. Last year, Moscow opened an airbase in Kant, its first new military base abroad since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Kant had become `a reliable shield against threats of international terrorism,` A. Akayev said, adding that the base has become `fully operational.` Russia has recently increased its military presence at Kant, a base used by Moscow under a Central Asian security pact. It is located close to an airbase used by US forces, at Manas, with some 1,000 troops.
Tajikistan Opens Embassy In Kyrgyzstan
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, November 11: Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov and Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev attended a ceremony in Bishkek on 11 November to mark the official opening of the Tajik Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz TV reported.
Ombudsmen Of Uzbekistan, Russia Sign Cooperation Agreement
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 10: Ombudsmen of Russia and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on cooperation in Moscow, Jahon reported. The document, signed by Plenipotentiary for Human Rights in Russian Federation Vladimir Lukin and Plenipotentiary for Human Rights of Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan Sayyora Rashidova, aims to strengthen cooperation of the two institutes in state protection of human rights and freedoms, as well as their observance by state organs and officials. The ombudsmen agreed to regularly exchange experience and information, hold consultations on issues of protection of human rights and freedoms, organise conferences, seminars and other events in this sphere. `The agreement was signed in the framework of Russian-Uzbek Strategic Partnership Agreement,` Lukin said. `We have to move forward in one direction, so that the reached agreements became a new important stage in further democratic development of our countries.`
Kazakh President Visits Kyrgyzstan For President`s Birthday
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, November 10: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev visited Kyrgyzstan on 10 November to congratulate Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev on the latter`s birthday, Kyrgyz TV reported. Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov also participated in the celebration, akipress.org reported.
Belarus, Uzbekistan Ready To Develop Economic Cooperation
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 10: Prime Minister of Belarus Sergey Sidorskiy paid a short visit to Uzbekistan on Wednesday on his way back from Hanoi. In Tashkent, head of the Belarus government held a working meeting with Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Mirabror Usmanov. The sides discussed issues of development of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. Sidorskiy also familiarised with the exposition of the Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan and Belarus established diplomatic relations on 21 January 1993. The two states have signed more than 35 bilateral documents, the main of which is the Agreement on bases of interstate relations.
Turkmen Envoy Condemns UN Draft Resolution
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, November 10: Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov told the UN General Assembly on 10 November that a draft resolution on human rights violations in Turkmenistan is baseless, the UN News Service reported. Meredov denied that human rights violations take place in his country and charged that the resolution`s authors have not visited Turkmenistan and are not familiar with the situation there. The draft resolution, which was sponsored by the United States, some EU member states, and other countries, expresses profound concern over unlawful arrests, limitations on freedom of expression, ethnic discrimination, and constraints on civil society in Turkmenistan.
Delegation Of Uzbekistan Science Academy Visits China
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 10: Delegation of the Science Academy of Uzbekistan headed by chairman B.Yuldashev paid a visit to China, Jahon reported. The delegation met president of Chinese Science Academy L.Yunsan, management of the Social Sciences Academy, Chinese institutes of genetics, physics, automation, electrical engineering and others. They discussed issues of development of cooperation and determined new directions of cooperation in various fields of science. The sides emphasised importance of regular information exchange on urgent scientific problems, as well as organisation of symposiums and conferences and scientist exchanges. The talks resulted in agreement on organisation of the visit of China`s Science Academy delegation to Uzbekistan in 2005. This year, almost 100 teachers from Uzbek universities underwent IT and telecommunications training in Shanghai.
Indian Companies Should Build IT Parks In Kazakhstan: Envoy
deepikaglobal.com
Hyderabad, November 10: Republic of Kazakhstan ambassador in India Kairat E Umarov today expressed hope that IT firms in Andhra Pradesh will set up IT parks in his country, which had potential for attracting foreign investments. Addressing a seminar on `Market Access to Commonwealth Independent States (CIS)` organised jointly by the Union Commerce Ministry and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Mr Umarov said the Kazakhstan government was coming out with a policy on development of IT to facilitate Indian companies and entreprenuers to set up their firms. Stating that Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce and FICCI had signed several business collaborations in 1994, he hoped that bilateral economic relations would be strengthened further in future. Mr Ibrokhim Mavionov, Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan, said textile trade between India and his country was poised for further growth in future. His country was keen to study India`s economic, privatisation and banking reforms. Uzbekistan had created all necessary conditions and incentives for foreign investments, he said, adding that the trade between India and Uzbek had grown ten times in the last decade. Andhra Pradesh Industries Commissioner Sutirtha Bhattacharya, giving a presentation on `business opportunities offered in Andhra Pradesh` said the state had good infrastructural facilities and investors were eager to establish joint venture companies in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Duma Approves Coordinator For Relations With Uzbek Parliament
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 10: Lobomir Tyan was elected coordinator of the Russian Duma`s deputies group for relations with Parliament of Uzbekistan. Headed by Tyan, deputy of Nizhny Novgorod state duma, the 22-deputy group will deal with issues of bilateral relations of the two parliaments, NTA reported. Apart from this, the deputies group will aim to create a favourable environment between the two states.
Presidents Of CIS States Congratulate Kyrgyz President On Jubilee
Itar-Tass
Bishkek, November 10: Presidents of the CIS states congratulate Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev on the 60th birthday anniversary that he celebrates on Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin was among the first to congratulate the Kyrgyz leader. `Russia knows you as an experienced politician, firm and consistent supporter of the development of friendship, trust and cooperation between our peoples. We value highly your personal contribution in the strengthening of Russian-Kyrgyz strategic cooperation mostly owing to which bilateral economic, political and humanitarian relations acquired new dynamics,` Putin`s congratulatory message said. The presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have already sent congratulatory telegrams to Akayev, the Kyrgyz presidential press service told Itar-Tass.
Iran`s Envoy To Baku Stresses Need To Boost Provincial Ties
IRNA
Baku, November 10: Islamic Republic of Iran`s Ambassador to Baku Afsahr Soleymani on Wednesday emphasized the need to boost economic and cultural ties and cooperation between two countries` neighboring and other provinces. Soleymani who was visiting Azerbaijan Republic`s Gouichai Township made the comment in a visit with that twonship`s governor, adding, `Establishment of ties between Azerbaijan Republic`s townships with Iranian provinces can boost bilateral economic and cultural ties.` Soleymani stressed Iran`s interest in ever onward progress of the Azerbaijan Republic and speedy solution of that country`s problems, adding, `The two countries` officials should do their best for daily improvement of bilateral economic ties aimed at improving the living conditions and welfare status of the two nations, and providing a good model for the next generation.` He also referred to the great economic potentials in Iran that can be used in expansion of bilateral ties, including Iran`s readiness to assist Azerbaijan Republic in pushing forth its infrastructure projects and its economic development plans.
Russia Approves Draft Deal With Tajikistan On Sangtuda Plant
Interfax
Moscow, November 10: The Russian Cabinet has approved the draft of an intergovernmental agreement with Tajikistan determining the procedure and conditions of Russian involvement in completing the Sangtuda hydro power station. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov signed a corresponding resolution on November 8, the Cabinet press service reports. The agreement was drafted at the Industry and Energy Ministry, approved with the Foreign Ministry and other interested federal authorities, the Unified Energy System (UES) and tentatively checked with Tajikistan where the facility is located. Russia and Tajikistan will set up a company to complete the construction of the facility. The contribution of the Tajik side to the charter capital will be the existing assets of Sangtuda while Russia will convert Tajik debts to the tune of $50 million into shares. By January 1, 2005 Russia`s UES and the Energy Ministry of Tajikistan that are authorized to implement the project should agree on the cost of the unfinished facility to be calculated by an independent expert group. Tajikistan will contribute its part to the charter capital within three months of agreement. Russia is supposed to attract some $200 million to the project during four years. UES will be the general contractor responsible for its engineering, installation, assembly and launch. The new company and UES are to sign a contract by January 1, 2005 binding the Russian energy giant to commission the facility four years after the contract date.
Belarus Prime Minister Sergey Sidorskiy To Visit Tashkent
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 9: Prime Minister of Belarus Sergey Sidorskiy will pay a short visit to Uzbekistan on Wednesday on his way back from Hanoi, RIA Novosti reported. In Tashkent, head of the Belarus government will meet Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Mirabror Usmanov. Sidorskiy will also familiarise with the exposition of the Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan and Belarus established diplomatic relations on 21 January 1993.
French Industry Minister Meets With Kazakh President
Radio Free Europe
Astana, November 9: French Industry Minister Patrick Devedjian met with President Nursultan Nazarbaev in Astana on 9 November, Khabar news agency reported. The two discussed trade ties between the two countries and a planned visit to Kazakhstan by French President Jacques Chirac set for early 2005. A meeting between Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov and Devedjian focused on energy-industry issues. `During recent negotiations in London [in early November], [France`s] Total supported Kazakhstan`s desire to buy a stake in the North Caspian consortium [developing the Kashagan oilfield]. We gratefully accept this support and believe that it will serve as the basis for deepening our future cooperation in the oil and gas sphere,` Akhmetov said, according to Interfax-Kazakhstan. And at a meeting with Foreign Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev in Astana on 8 November, Devedjian said, `France very much wishes to expand the presence of its companies in Kazakhstan,` `Kazakhstan Today` reported.
China Encourages Investments In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 9: China hopes Uzbekistan could take measures to attract more Chinese enterprises to invest there while the Chinese government encourages them to `go out`, Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai said in Beijing on Tuesday. China values trade relations with Uzbekistan and bilateral trade volume this year is expected to increase by 80 per cent compared to 2003, Bo said at the meeting with visiting Uzbek Vice Prime Minister Elyor Ganiyev, Xinhua reported. Bo noted that China was making efforts to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of states during Chinese President Hu Jintao`s visit to Uzbekistan earlier this year. Both said the two sides could facilitate bilateral cooperation in such fields as oil, natural gas, electric appliances, irrigation, chemical industry and electricity. The two sides should make outline on major cooperative projects for scoring substantial progress in bilateral trade cooperation, Bo said.
Reserves Certification Termed Vital For Talks: Turkmenistan Gas Pipeline Project
Central Asia Daily
Islamabad, November 9: Pakistan believes that further discussions on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) natural gas pipeline project cannot take place unless it is provided with reserve certification report on the Daulatabad gas field. Officials said Pakistan has expressed its inability to hold the TAP steering committee meeting in the next two months and has called for the gas field`s reserves certification before the next meeting. Sources told Dawn that the 8th meeting of the TAP steering committee was originally scheduled to be held in October but was delayed. Later, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had proposed to hold the meeting on Nov 29-30 in Islamabad. `It is regretted that it will not be possible to convene the meeting on Nov 29-30, 2004` because of commitments of the minister for petroleum and natural resources, an official of the ministry quoted from a letter written to the director of the energy division of the ADB. In view of the minister`s other pressing engagements, Pakistan has proposed that the steering committee meeting be held some time later in January or early February 2005 subject to the convenience of the Afghan and Turkmen oil ministers. `In the meanwhile, the position regarding Reserve Certification report on Daulatabad gas field may please be provided,` said the letter. The sources said the 7th steering committee meeting of the TAP project was held about five months ago and Pakistan had reiterated its demand for provision of Daulatabad reserves certification to proceed further on the subject. Pakistan has been demanding the reserve certification for more than 15-months now because it believed international financial institutions and engineering firms would not come forward to take part in the $3.2 billion project unless the project offered guaranteed reserves and sales projections. Turkmenistan had not been able to submit the certification despite assurances of its top leaders. Some quarters in Islamabad still believe that Pakistan could forego the option of gas import because substantial discoveries were expected in its own offshore areas to meet its requirements by the year 2007. Pakistan has been receiving reports that Turkmenistan had dedicated a major part of the Daulatabad field`s gas reserves to Russian energy firm Gazprom that was also interested to lead a consortium to deliver gas from Iran to India via Pakistan. The regret to host the committee meeting comes at a time the oil and gas ministers of India and Pakistan are planning to meet very shortly for the first time to directly discuss the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline and diesel imports to Pakistan. Following the meeting of President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September 2004 in New York, the Iran-India pipeline has got prominence against other gas import plans from Turkmenistan and Qatar. The two leaders had felt that such a project would contribute to the welfare and prosperity of the people of both the countries. Pakistan is expected to earn over $500 million annually in transit fee besides required gas quantities, India will be the real beneficiary as the gas supply will meet its rising fuel requirement while Iran will be able to sell reasonable gas quantities to its only possible market in South Asia on a permanent basis for decades. Foreign ministers of Pakistan and India had discussed all aspects of the pipeline in New Delhi on September 6, 2004 and had agreed that the oil and gas ministers should meet to discuss the issue in its `multifarious dimensions`. The Musharraf-Manmohan meeting triggered a series of consultations in the region involving Iran, Turkmenistan, Russia, Qatar, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan besides a number of other parties interested in providing financing, technical assistance or engineering expertise to the pipeline projects. Informed sources said intense lobbying was expected in the coming few months because Iran, Turkmenistan and Qatar, with varying interests and backings, are trying to sell their gas to the growing economies of the subcontinent. These sources said the ADB which has been floating the idea of a regional natural gas network and had sponsored a feasibility study of Turkmenistan to India pipeline, has now offered its services and financing to any gas pipeline project India and Pakistan agree to. The top management of the Russian energy giant - Gazprom - that is one of the principal contenders of Iran to India pipeline had detailed discussions in New Delhi recently and is planning to send another delegation to Islamabad in the first week of December. The Australian BHP, major global oil, gas and mineral exploration company, is also in intense consultations with Tehran, Islamabad and New Delhi. BHP has conducted more than one study on gas import plans in the region. Crescent Petroleum of Sharjah, the consortium leader of Qatar gas export plan, has already submitted a gas sales agreement to Pakistan government which is undergoing technical evaluation.
UNHCHR Delegation To Pay A Visit To Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 9: Mission of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights headed by Europe, Central Asia and Caucasus Team Coordinator Anders Pedersen will arrive in Tashkent from Almaty, Kazakhstan on 10 November. According to RIA Novosti, the purpose of the mission is to review the regional human rights project, taking into consideration new demands and coordinated actions of state and nongovernmental organisations. The mission will visit ministries of foreign affairs, interior and justice, General Prosecutor`s Office, ombudsman`s office, as well as meet representatives of NGOs and partner organisations. After completion of the visit to Uzbekistan on 13 November, the UN mission will visit Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan Offered Route For Transit Trade
Newscuts
Islamabad, November 9: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Monday Pakistan considered Central Asia as very important part of the region and wished to promote its strong cultural, religious and social ties with it further. He was talking to Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Askar Chingizovich Aitmatov who called on him here at the Prime Minister House. The prime minister said that since Pakistan was located close to the Warm Waters, Kyrgyzstan could benefit from this short route for its transit trade, through China or Afghanistan. He said a strong and stable Afghanistan was good for the region and Pakistan hoped that after the presidential elections, peace and tranquillity would prevail there, which would also facilitate the opening of trade routes to Kyrgyzstan. The possibility of using trucking route, which passes through China, also came under discussion. Mr Aziz said both the countries could develop people-to-people contacts through cultural exchanges and student scholarships. He said the Gwadar Port was being developed into an international port with huge investment from China. He said the road network was being completed with the assistance of Asian Development Bank, which will connect Central Asian Republics with this port and generate massive economic activities in the region. He said goods produced in Pakistan were of good quality and internationally compatible, which could be exported to Kyrgyzstan at much cheaper transportation rates. `Our private sector is expanding and we would welcome Kyrgyzstan`s private sector and entrepreneurs to visit Pakistan for better interaction,` he added. The possibility of exporting power from Kyrgyzstan also came under discussion. Both sides agreed that in the next Joint Economic Commission meeting, matters pertaining to opening of banks, resuming flights from Karachi and exchange of private sector delegations would be discussed. The Kyrgyz minister said his country would contribute towards rebuilding Afghanistan. `We will extend full cooperation to Pakistan in fighting terrorism and extremism in the region,` he added. Our Reporter adds: Mr Aitmatov also called on Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, his Pakistani counterpart, on Monday and discussed with him a wide range of issues. A joint statement issued here after the meeting said that views on regional and international issues were exchanged. Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akaev would pay an official visit to Pakistan early next year during which some agreements would be signed, it emerged during the meeting. The two sides agreed to hold the second session of the Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan Joint Ministerial Commission in Bishkek in December, 2004. It was agreed in the meeting to implement the `Quadrilateral Agreement` on priority and fully utilize the Karakorum Highway for the purpose. `Reiterating their commitment to peace and stability, the two sides resolved that effective measures would be taken by their respective departments to jointly combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Kazakh Prime Minister, Lukoil President Discuss Oil And Gas Projects In Caspian Shelf
RIA Novosti
Astana, November 9: Kazakhstan`s Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov and President of the LUKOIL open joint stock company Vagit Alekperov have discussed further cooperation on the implementation of oil and gas projects on the Caspian Sea shelf and the creation of the engineering infrastructure of transportation of hydrocarbon raw materials, the press service of the Kazakh government told RIA Novosti. The sides pointed out active development of LUKOIL projects in Kazakhstan. In particular, oil production within LUKOIL projects on Kazakh territory grew by over 20 per cent in the first ten months of 2004 as compared to the same period in 2003. LUKOIL is prospecting and developing new oil fields, delivering oil and oil products, forming a network of gas stations and organizing joint ventures to build industrial and social objects via its subsidiary LUKOIL Overseas in Kazakhstan.
Former British Diplomat Continues Criticism Of Uzbek Government
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, November 9: Craig Murray, Britain`s former ambassador to Uzbekistan and an outspoken critic of Uzbek President Islam Karimov`s human rights record, told the BBC`s Uzbek Service in an interview on 9 November that the Uzbek president uses the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking as an excuse to limit freedoms in the country. Murray stressed the need for frank talk, saying, `The Americans` criticism of the Uzbek government behind closed doors, for example, has had virtually no effect.` Murray said that he lost his post for his criticism of Britain`s Foreign Office (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 15 October 2004), and added that `diplomats who have tried to criticize the human rights situation in countries that have joined the war on terror are certainly thinking about the possibility that they might lose their posts.`
St. Petersburg Eyes Markets For Local Ware In Iran, Azerbaijan
IRNA
St. Petersburg, November 9: The governor of Russia`s second largest city, St Petersburg, who begins a two-day working trip to the Islamic Republic of Iran and a one-day visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan on November 11 expects to find new markets on which to sell products manufactured by St Petersburg-based enterprises in those two countries. Valentina Matviyenko told reporters before flying to Iran, `St. Petersburg needs to expand the boundaries of its international cooperation. Regrettably, we are not very welcome to Europe -- the markets there are occupied and it is very difficult to make one`s way to them. But there are countries to which we could export our products intensively.`
Russia To Give Tajik Citizens Three Months Passport Reprieve
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, November 8: According to Tajik Labor Minister Mahmadsho Ilolov, Russian authorities will give Tajik citizens who reside in Russia until 1 April 2005 to comply with regulations requiring a valid foreign passport for travel within the Eurasian Economic Community (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan), the BBC`s Persian Service reported on 8 November. The requirement had been slated to go into effect on 1 January 2005. Ilolov said that Russia`s Federal Migration Service and Interior Ministry have agreed to the reprieve, which will allow Tajik citizens in Russia, whose numbers have been estimated at up to 1 million, more time to acquire proper travel documents. Ilolov also said that negotiations are underway with Russian immigration authorities to extend the registration deadline for Tajik citizens in Russia.
First SCO Ambassadors` Club Session Held In Astana
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 8: First session of the ambassadors` club of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states was held in Astana on Monday, Strana.ru reported. Foreign minister of Kazakhstan Kasymjomart Tokayev, ambassadors of China Zhou Xiaopei, Kyrgyzstan Jumagul Saadanbekov, Russia Vladimir Babichev, Tajikistan Akbarsho Iskandarov and Uzbekistan Turdikul Butayarov participated in the club meeting. The diplomats considered issues of interaction of the SCO Secretariat, council of national coordinators and permanent representatives at embassies accredited in Kazakhstan. In his speech, Kazakh foreign minister emphasised the importance of cooperation of SCO member states in fighting terrorism and on trade and economic cooperation issues. `As a regional organisation, SCO possesses huge potential, which should be fully used in order to solve urgent problems, in particular, counteraction to international terrorism,` the minister said. The Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan said Astana was preparing to host the next SCO summit in July 2005. SCO, set up on 5 June 2001, unites Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Pakistan, Kyrgyzistan To Expand Ties, Fight Terror
Pakistan Observer
Islamabad, November 8: Pakistan and Kyrgyzistan on Monday agreed to expand their bilateral relations, with particular emphasis on boosting economic ties and to jointly combat terrorism. A joint statement issued on the conclusion of the two-day visit of the Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Askar Aitmatov said the two countries also exchanged views on regional and international issues. Askar Aitmatov called on President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and held formal talks with Foreign Minister Khurshid M. Kasuri. The joint statement said the meetings were held in a cordial atmosphere reflective of mutual friendship and understanding. They also agreed to further develop bilateral relations based on principles of sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs of each other and recognised norms of international law. The two sides agreed to hold the second session of the Pak- Kyrgyz JMC in December this year in Bishkek to strengthen and enhance trade and economic cooperation between Pakistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. They also agreed to pursue early implementation of the Quadrilateral Agreement and fully utilise Karakorum Highway to promote bilateral trade, transportation and transit of goods. President of the Kyrgyz Republic Askar Akaev would visit Pakistan early next year to strengthen the institutional underpinning of relations between the two states and will sign bilateral agreements during the visit. The ministries of foreign affairs of the two countries would hold regular political consultations to coordinate their positions on issues of mutual interest and promote cooperation at international forums. The two countries also resolved that effective measures be taken by their respective departments to jointly combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They also stressed the need to intensify efforts against drug trafficking. They agreed to continue supporting Afghanistan in the restoration of peace, reconstruction and return to the fold of world community as a sovereign and peace-loving state to preserve peace and stability in the region. The Foreign Minister of Kyrgyz Republic appreciated President Pervez Musharraf`s vision of `Enlightened Moderation` and said it offered prescription for peace and harmony at the global and Islamic planes. He extended an invitation to Foreign Minister Khurshid M. Kasuri for an official visit to the Kyrgyz Republic at a mutually convenient time. The invitation was accepted. Meanwhile, during the meeting with Mr Aitmatov Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Monday said Pakistan considers Central Asia as very important part of the region and hoped the strong cultural, religious and social relations would be further promoted. Prime Minister said as Pakistan is located close to the Warm Waters therefore, Kyrgyzistan can benefit from this short route for its transit trade, through China or Afghanistan. He said strong and stable Afghanistan is good for the region and Pakistan hopes that after the presidential elections, peace and tranquillity will prevail there, which would also facilitate the opening of trade routes to Kyrgyzistan. The possibility of using trucking route, which passes through China, also came under discussion. The Prime Minister said both the countries can develop people to people contact through cultural exchanges and student scholarships. He said Gwadar Port is being developed into an international port with huge investment from China. He said the road network is being completed with the assistance of Asian Development Bank, which will connect Central Asian Republics, with this port and would generate massive economic activities in the region. `Our private sector is expanding and we would welcome Kyrgyzistan private sector and entrepreneurs to visit Pakistan for better interaction,` he added. The possibility of exporting power from Kyrgyzistan also came under discussion. Kyrgyzistan Foreign Minister Askar Chingizovich Aitmatov said his country is committed to take the cordial relationship forward in the bilateral framework and further consolidate the existing ties. He said Kyrgyzistan would contribute towards re-building Afghanistan. `We will extend full cooperation to Pakistan in fighting terrorism and extremism in the region,` he added.
Tajik Trade Team Visits LCCI
Newscuts
Lahore, November 8: Sohail Lashari, senior vice president Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). has urged the government to start a direct flight to Tajikistan to boost the volume of trade between Pakistan and Central Asian States (CAS). According to a press release issued on Monday, Mr Lashari expressed these views while talking to a trade delegation from Tajikistan. He said the government should take immediate attention towards this issue, as only because of non-availability of a direct flight, Pakistan is unable to earn much-needed foreign exchange. The government should also develop easy land route to CAS, which is very big market for Pakistani businessmen, he added. Mr Lashari informed that a high level delegation would visit Tajikistan in the first week of December under the patronage of LCCI to find ways and means for increasing the volume of trade between Pakistan and Tajikistan.
Germany To Give Tajikistan 9 Million Euros
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, November 7: Representatives of the German Development Bank and Tajikistan`s Economy Ministry have signed six agreements for Germany to provide Tajikistan with 9 million euros ($11.6 million) in economic-development grants, RFE/RL`s Tajik Service reported on 7 November. One 6 million-euro grant will go to social-sector projects, and a 3 million-euro grant will support entrepreneurship.
Iran Exhibition To Open In Tashkent
Tehran Times
Semnan, November 7: An Iranian solo exhibition is due to open in the Uzbek capital city of Tashkent on November 24, deputy head of commerce organization of Semnan Province for developing foreign trade said here Sunday. Gholam-Reza Rokni added that 50 industrial production companies will participate in the fair, sponsored by Semnan Province. The four-day exhibition aims to explore possibilities for opening joint ventures, transferring technology in the fields of small industries and expanding exports to Uzbekistan, he said.
Turkish-Uzbek Cooperation Grows Stronger
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 6: Turkish and Uzbek officials on Thursday signed an agreement in Tashkent that extends the activities of the Turkish Business Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) in Uzbekistan for another three years, Anatolia news agency reported. Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Elyor Ganiyev thanked TIKA for its assistance to Uzbekistan, including technical services. `Uzbekistan`s cooperation with TIKA has always been in the country`s interest and we will continue this cooperation,` Ganiyev said. TIKA president Hakan Fidan`s Tashkent visit will contribute to development of Turkish-Uzbek relations, said Ganiyev. He expressed the importance of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s visit to Uzbekistan in the end of last year. It was stimulating for both countries` relations that have been developing in recent years, he noted. `Currently in Uzbekistan there are 263 Uzbek-Turkish joint enterprises and 55 other companies doing business with 100-percent Turkish capital.
Baku Praises Progress In Caspian Status Determination
Interfax
Baku, November 6: The parties interested in working out a legal status of the Caspian Sea are displaying a constructive approach, Azerbaijan`s Deputy Foreign Minister Halaf Halafov, who is also special envoy at the talks on the Caspian legal status, said at a news briefing in Baku on Saturday. `The negotiations have made substantial progress, and at least three countries - Azerbaijan, Russia, and Kazakhstan - have already settled the problem of dividing the Caspian floor,` Halafov said. The negotiations on dividing the Caspian floor between the other countries are continuing in a favorable atmosphere, he said.
Abkhazia Government Briefly Taken Over
Associated Press
Tbilisi, November 12: Thousands of supporters of Abkhazia`s opposition presidential candidate briefly seized the office of the outgoing leader Friday as tensions again spiked in the breakaway Georgian region nearly six weeks after a disputed -- and still unresolved -- election. Demonstrators supporting Sergei Bagapsh, who has claimed victory in the Oct. 3 election, stormed the headquarters of outgoing President Vladislav Ardzinba in the province`s main city, Sukhumi, and occupied it for several hours. Russian television showed people waving Abkhazian flags from the windows and armed men celebrating with champagne and vodka in Ardzinba`s office. Scattered fistfights were seen breaking out in the hallways. One man retreated in fear as a half-dozen others clawed at his clothing. Several people were reported injured. A woman who was wounded by a ricocheting bullet shot by guards at the building later died, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported, and several people received minor injuries. Ardzinba, who is sick, was at home when the seizure occurred. The protesters cleared the building after Bagapsh, accompanied by his rival, Raul Khadzhimba, asked them to leave.
UN Mission Investigates Human Rights In Uzbekistan
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, November 10: A management mission of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights arrived in Tashkent on 10 November to review current programs in Uzbekistan, RFE/RL`s Uzbek Service reported. The mission met with Uzbek human rights ombudsman Sayora Rashidova and Interior Ministry officials on 11 November to discuss human rights and conditions in prisons. Mission members may also meet with local human rights activists, RFE/RL reported.
Over 9,000 Inmates Released By Turkmen Amnesty
Interfax
Ashgabat, November 9: Over 9,000 prisoners were released by amnesty in Turkmenistan, a source in Turkmen Justice Ministry told Interfax on Tuesday. The Turkmen president issued a decree, ordering heads of industrial facilities and local administrations to `aid those who were released from prison in both their adaptation to normal life and their search for jobs.` The amnesty is related to the celebration of the 27th day of the sacred Ramadan month, the Night of Omnipotence, that will be celebrated on November 14, the source said. Such amnesties have taken place in Turkmenistan since 1999. The lists of inmates to be released were published in by two national newspapers in Russian and Turkmen on October 24.
Tashkent Workshop Considers Prevention Of Human Trafficking
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 8: Learning from international and local best practices of government-civil society cooperation in preventing human trafficking was the focus of a workshop organised jointly by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Centre in Tashkent and the US Embassy. The one-and-a-half-day event brought together 70 participants from state structures, civil society and mass media from all regions of the country. The workshop was opened by US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jon Purnell, who underscored the importance of prevention in combating the threat of human trafficking. The second workshop of its kind, `Joint efforts to combat trafficking in human beings` is part of the anti-trafficking programme of the OSCE Centre and follows a series of training courses for state structures, media outlets and civil society conducted by the centre in 2003 and 2004.
Tbilisi Stresses Importance Of New Agreement With South Ossetia
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, November 7: Batu Kuteliya, the deputy state security minister, said in Tbilisi on Saturday that it was extremely vital to implement the agreements, which Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvaniya and South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity reached in the Black Sea town of Sochi on November 5, 2004. Kutelia who took part in the Sochi talks as a member of the Georgian delegation warned that any violation of the aforesaid agreement would have a negative impact on the conflict settlement. `Our principal objective is to demilitarise the conflict zone to enable the local residents to move freely in any direction,` he emphasized. `No armed groups or military formations, except for representatives of the Joint Peacekeeping Force (it includes the Georgian, Russian and Ossetian battalions - note by Itar-Tass) should be deployed in the conflict zone under the terms of the Sochi agreements. Representatives of the Joint Peacekeeping Force and OSCE observers will control the implementation of these agreements,` Kuteliya went on to say.
Kazakhstan: Radioactive Waste On The Move, Possible Threat - NGO
Kazakhstan News
Ankara, November 10: Kazakhstan is moving radioactive waste from the Baykonur space centre to a former nuclear testing ground in the northern Kazakh city of Semipalatinsk. Environmental NGOs told IRIN the move carried health and safety risks. `The preparatory work [on transporting the radioactive waste] has been going on for a while. It is very likely that the actual work on moving them has already started,` Sergey Chelnokov, a senior expert on substance control of the Kazakh committee on nuclear energy, told IRIN from the Kazakh commercial capital of Almaty. Russia rents the Baykonur space launching site located in central Kazakhstan. `These are not nuclear substances, they are closed sealed sources of radiation that had been used to control some technical processes,` Chelnokov explained, adding that the amount of radioactive waste awaiting transportation was not big. `They don`t expose any threat to environment or people`s health,` he claimed. According to the nuclear energy committee, the radioactive waste will be stored in special containers to prevent radiation and exclude radioactive pollution in case of an accident. `All the security measures should be adhered to and the waste will be transported by a company that has a special licence to do that,` he said. During Soviet times, the Baykonur space centre was used for various space programmes and some radioactive sources have remained there since. `They need to be moved to a special storage place in Semipalatinsk to be kept under secure conditions,` the nuclear energy body official added. Some unofficial estimates suggest that around 5,000 radioactive ampoule waste items should have been moved to Baykal-I, but reportedly only 400 have been sent there so far. Facilities that have them mainly don`t have resources to do that.
Kazakhstan And China Strike Uranium Deal
Associated Press
Astana, November 8: Kazakhstan`s national atomic company said Monday it has struck a long-term deal with China`s nuclear agency to produce and process uranium. KazAtomProm and China National Nuclear Corporation signed the deal that runs through 2020 on Saturday in Beijing, said KazAtomProm spokeswoman Shynar Zhanibekova. Zhanibekova said financial details of the deal were a commercial secret. The deal between the two neighboring countries was signed along with a separate strategic partnership agreement aimed to `unite the strongest links in the two countries` nuclear energy industries,` KazAtomProm said in a statement. The Central Asian nation has 30 percent of the world`s uranium reserves and is the fourth biggest uranium producer, according to KazAtomProm. It produces low-enriched uranium tablets for nuclear power plants. China wants to increase its uranium imports to supply its growing nuclear industry.
Austrian Drug Control Experts Visit Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tehran, November 9: A group of Austrian experts of special subdivision for fighting drug traffic of the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs visited Uzbekistan. The visit was held in the framework of the intergovernmental cooperation agreement in the sphere of security and fight against crime, Jahon reported. In the course of the visit, Austrian experts held meetings at the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan and National Information-Analytical Centre for Drug Control, and discussed cooperation in the sphere of identifying and terminating illegal drug circulation. The delegation also visited police subdivision and cynologic centres, where they exchanged experience with their Uzbek counterparts and held practical workshop on issues of drug use in the European countries.
Russian Border Guards Seize Some 100 Kilos Of Opium In Tajikistan
IRNA
Dushanbe, November 7: Russian border guards seized 98.5 of raw opium on the Kalai-Khumb section of the Tajik-Afghan border on Saturday, a source at the Russian border troops in Tajikistan told Tass. A patrol of one of the mountain border outposts of the Kalai-Khumb border detachment uncovered a cache in the course of a search operation. From the cache the border guards removed four sacks of drugs with a total weight of 98.5 kilos. Additional surveillance posts were set up around the area of the incident. All in all, Russian border guards have seized more than 3.5 tons of drugs, predominantly heroin, on the Tajik-Afghan border since January 1.
Progress Spacecraft Being Prepared For Launch
Interfax
Baikonur, November 11: Preparation of the launch of a Progress M-51 cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS) began at the Baikonur launch pad on Thursday, a source in the Baikonur Federal Space Center told Interfax. Preparations for testing the spacecraft`s electrical systems are underway, which will be conducted by the staff of the Energia company under supervision of space center`s personnel, the source said. The launch of the Progress to the ISS is planned for December 23, 2004.
Special Focus
India Follows China`s Central Asian Steps
The geopolitics of Central Asia form one significant template in the surprising twists in China`s recent approaches toward India. Chinese policy is adapting to the post-September 11 Central Asian situation with a high degree of flexibility. China is seeking cooperation with India in Central Asia, including Xinjiang. On a pending four-year-old Indian invitation, the chairman of China`s autonomous region of Xinjiang, Ismail Tiliwandi, visited India in October.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FK09Df04.htmlEnergy At The Source Of Sino-Kazakh Rapproachment
China and Kazakhstan have moved rapidly over the past six months to strengthen bilateral relations. Although the two countries share a desire to increase security cooperation to counteract the rise of Islamic radicalism in Central Asia, energy-related issues are currently driving the Beijing-Astana relationship.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav110804.shtmlGrowing Russian Influence In Central Asia
Having lost its superpower status, Russia still remains an important player in world politics. Given the changing contours of Moscow`s regional dynamics, accentuated by increasing U.S. and Chinese influence and the creeping engagement of the European Union in the Caucasus and Central Asia, it is obvious that Russia cannot afford to be a bystander to the changing military and strategic balance of power in its backyard.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp110804.shtml Armenia: Report Shows Significant Decline In Poverty
A recent economic survey in Armenia, showing a significant decline in the number of citizens living in poverty, has placed President Robert Kocharian`s administration in a somewhat awkward position. While Kocharian has been eager to show Armenians that living standards are improving, the report`s findings could complicate the Armenian government`s efforts to secure international aid for poverty-reduction programs.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav110904.shtml Russia`s Gravitational Pull In Eurasia Stands To Strengthen After Ukrainian Election
The outcome of Ukraine`s contentious presidential vote could have far-reaching ramifications for the US-Russian geopolitical competition in Central Asia and the Caucasus. An election victory by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, who is widely viewed as Russia`s preferred candidate, could embolden Kremlin efforts to enhance its position in the energy-rich Caspian Basin.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav111004.shtmlFighting Hunger And Heroin On The Tajik-Afghan Border
To tackle the booming opiate trade along the Afghan-Tajik border, international organizations should strive to address the issue of hunger. Cure hunger, development experts say, and the number of narcotics traffickers will begin to dwindle. Weaken the supply chain, and heroin sales in both Russia and the West will begin to dry up. A Tajik woman and child (Dan Gerstle for EurasiaNet)
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav111104.shtmlAbkhaz Standoff Turns Violent
Several people were injured, one seriously, on November 12 when supporters of Abkhaz presidential candidate Sergei Bagapsh forced their way into the building in Sukhum that houses the government and presidential offices, proclaiming Bagapsh the winner of the October 3 ballot to elect a successor to outgoing President Vladislav Ardzinba.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp111204.shtml
Report dated 12 November 2004