Summery

Azerbaijan

Political Front

• Azerbaijan's ruling party publishes list of candidates for parliamentary elections

The ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) published a list of MP candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections on Saturday, the party told Trend. The parliamentary election campaign began in Azerbaijan on Sept. 4.

• OSCE mission to monitor parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan

The OSCE Mission to monitor the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan will start its activity on September 28, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said.

Geo strategic Front

• Obama, Aliyev Meet In New York As Washington Seeks To Improve Ties

U.S. President Barack Obama (right) met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 24.

• Azerbaijan -- A Questionable Partner For The West

The favorite line promoted by the Azerbaijani government and its apologists abroad is that Azerbaijan is "an indispensable strategic partner" of the United States. While the country's geographic location and energy riches present a genuine opportunity for such an alliance, there is nothing strategic about the current cooperation between the Azerbaijani petro-dictatorship and the United States.

• Nominee For U.S. Envoy To Azerbaijan Takes Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

President Barack Obama's pick for the next U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan cleared a key congressional hurdle on September 21 by winning the approval of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

• Iranian President Ahmadiejad expected to visit Azerbaijan

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to visit Azerbaijan soon, according to the Iranian media.

• WILL GAS HELP RESOLVE THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT?

Since August 2010, a rumor is spreading that the Azerbaijani State oil company, SOCAR, would be about to bid for the North-South pipeline, which ships Russian gas from Mozdok to Yerevan through Georgia. Such a move would give Baku control over 10-15% of the pipeline that delivers 80% of the Armenian gas imports, hence giving it new leverage over Yerevan.

Economic/Energy Front

• Azerbaijan transports 133.4 mln tons of oil via Baku-Ceyhan pipeline

Azerbaijan transported 133.4 mln tons of oil via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, 15.4 bcm of gas via Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline so far, SOCAR Vice President Khoshbakht Yusifzade said.

• Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers discusses draft state budget for 2011

Meeting of Cabinet of Ministers headed by PM Artur Rasizadeh was held today.

According to Cabinet of Ministers, the projects of consolidated budget and state budget for 2011 and next three years, economic and social development conception of Azerbaijan for 2011 and next 3 years were discussed, forecast indicators for the same period were listened at the meeting.

• Azerbaijan to export oil products to Afghanistan

Azerbaijan plans to ship oil to new markets, Vice President of State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) for Investment and Marketing Elshad Nasirov said.

As a whole, Azerbaijan does not intend to increase volume of petroleum exports, as exports of crude oil is much profitable, Nasirov added.

• Azerbaijan, ADB agree on future projects

Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President Xiaoyu Zhao agreed on future projects today, the Cabinet of Ministers said. During the meeting, Zhao lauded the level of socioeconomic development in Azerbaijan.

Social Front

• Families Of Jailed Azeri Bloggers Appeal To Obama

Relatives of two Azerbaijani bloggers jailed in a case condemned by rights groups have appealed to U.S. President Barack Obama to press for their release during talks with Azerbaijan's leader Ilham Aliyev.

Kazakhstan

Political Front

• Kazakh Opposition Activists Detained

ATYRAU, Kazakhstan -- Two members of Kazakhstan's unregistered Algha (Forward) opposition party have been detained by police in the western city of Atyrau, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Geo strategic Front

• Kazakh State Secretary invites US President to attend OSCE summit in Astana

Astana. September 24. Interfax-Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan’s State Secretary and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev has held a meeting with the US President Barack Obama in the framework of the 65th UN General Assembly session in New York.

Economic/Energy Front

• FAO Convenes Meeting On Grain Prices Worries

With memories fresh of the food crisis of two years ago, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is holding an extraordinary meeting today prompted by renewed global worries about high food prices.

• In Eurasia, Millions Worry About Beloved Buckwheat

Devastating fires and droughts are not the only consequences of the heat wave that hit much of the former Soviet Union this summer.

Millions of people across the region are now hit by another misfortune: buckwheat shortages.

• Two Explosions Damage Kazakhstan Natural-Gas Pipeline, Halting Shipments

Two explosions in western Kazakhstan damaged a pipeline carrying natural gas in the country, the Emergency Ministry said in a statement.

Flows were halted as emergency workers sought to extinguish the fires caused by the blasts, the ministry said.

Social Front

• Eight Kazakh Inmates Self-Mutilate

QARAGHANDY, Kazakhstan -- Eight inmates at the notorious Dolinka prison in central Kazakhstan engaged in self-mutilation today, the latest in a series of such incidents in the country's jails, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

• Kazakh Border Guard Accused Of Rape

BISHKEK -- An investigation has been launched into the alleged rape of a Kyrgyz woman by a Kazakh border guard last week, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry informed journalists today that a videotape made in the Kazakh border guards' office at the Zhaisan checkpoint while the Kyrgyz woman was alone with the Kazakh guard has been retrieved and is being used as evidence.

• Kazakh Activists Allege They Were 'Kept From Traveling To Almaty'

ATYRAU, Kazakhstan -- Activists of the unregistered Kazakh opposition party Forward (Algha) were unable to travel to Almaty today for a discussion on organizing a referendum seeking President Nursultan Nazarbaev's resignation, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. Adilzhan Kenzhegaliev, a coordinator for Algha's Atyrau branch, told RFE/RL that 15 party activists who planned to travel by train to Almaty could not do so as their seats were occupied by other passengers with valid tickets.

Kyrgyzstan

Political Front

• Printing Of Ballots For Kyrgyz Parliamentary Vote Starts Under Strict Security

BISHKEK -- The printing of ballot papers for Kyrgyzstan's October 10 parliamentary elections is proceeding amid tight security, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

• Dirtying Kyrgyzstan's New Political Field

Kyrgyzstan holds parliamentary elections on October 10 amid great expectations -- for the first time, really, in post-Soviet Central Asia, there is a fresh and clean political field competing.

• Kyrgyz Party Leader To Discuss Agreement With United Russia

BISHKEK -- The Kyrgyz party led by former Prime Minister Feliks Kulov is discussing the signing of a cooperation agreement with Russia's ruling United Russia party, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

• Uzbekistan's President -- The Osh Mayor's Friend?

You might think the president of a country called Uzbekistan -- literally, the land of the Uzbek -- wouldn't be well disposed to the mayor of a city in a neighboring country where scores of Uzbeks were killed last June. But you'd be wrong, at least according to the mayor of Kyrgyzstan's second city, Osh.

• Two Former Kyrgyz Officials Will Not Be Amnestied

BISHKEK -- Two former Kyrgyz officials have been deemed ineligible for amnesty under a decree signed earlier this month by Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbaeva, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

• Kyrgyz Judge Defends Conviction Of Ethnic Uzbek Rights Defender

BISHKEK -- The lead judge in the case that led to ethnic Uzbek rights activist Azimjan Askarov being sentenced to life in prison in Kyrgyzstan denies that the charges were politically motivated and says one of the co-defendants testified against Askarov, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

Geo strategic Front

• Kyrgyzstan Closes Tajik Border After Clashes In Tajikistan

BATKEN, Kyrgyzstan -- Kyrgyzstan has closed its border with Tajikistan following the deadly clashes between an armed extremist group and Tajik military forces in Tajikistan's Rasht province on September 19, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

• Russian-Kyrgyz Military Agreement To Be Signed By March

BISHKEK -- A Russian military official says a new Russian-Kyrgyz agreement on military cooperation will be signed by March, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

General Valery Gerasimov, the deputy chief or staff of the Russian Armed Forces, told journalists in Bishkek today that all Russian military facilities in Kyrgyzstan will be brought under a single command.

• SCO to help ensure security in south Kyrgyzstan

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states will render assistance to Kyrgyzstan in ensuring security in the southern oblasts of the republic, RIA Novosti informs with reference to the public relations center of the Federal Security Service of Russia.

• Russian Military Delegation Begins Talks In Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK -- A Russian military delegation has arrived in Bishkek for talks after Kyrgyzstan said it wanted more money to host Russian military facilities, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

Economic/Energy Front

Social Front

• Relatives Demand Kyrgyz Security Officers' Release

BISHKEK -- Dozens of relatives of arrested Kyrgyz security officers gathered on the Old Square in Bishkek to demand their immediate release, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

One officer of Kyrgyzstan's elite "Alfa" security unit and eight officers of a second security unit were arrested in May this year for their role in the violent dispersal of mass antigovernment protests in Bishkek on April 7, during which 86 people were killed.

• Four Men Jailed For Using Mosques To Spark Kyrgyz Unrest

KARA-SUU, Kyrgyzstan -- A court in southern Kyrgyzstan has sentenced four men to four years in jail for using local mosques to set off deadly unrest in June, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

    Tajikistan

Political Front

• Tajik Security Forces Search Homes Of Former UTO Fighters

GHARM, Tajikistan -- A former Tajik opposition commander says government forces have continued to surround and search the houses of ex-opposition fighters living in the central Rasht district, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports.

• Interior Ministry denies report about eight killed militants and three wounded government troops in Rasht

DUSHANBE, September 24, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Report about eight killed militants and three wounded government troops does not correspondent to the facts, Thohir Normatov, the chef of the Interior Ministry staff, told Asia-Plus Friday afternoon.

• Tajikistan Blames Islamist Militants For Attack That Killed 25 Soldiers

Authorities in Tajikistan are blaming Islamist militants for an ambush that killed at least 25* government troops in the country's eastern Rasht Valley on September 19.

• Reports: At Least Five Tajik Soldiers Dead After Attack

Suspected terrorists today attacked a convoy of troops in Tajikistan, leaving at least five soldiers dead. According to local media, the convoy was in eastern Tajikistan, about 185 kilometers east of the capital, Dushanbe, when it came under gunfire.

• Militants Suspected In Tajik Suicide Bombing Detained

The Interior Ministry in Tajikistan says it has detained three suspected Islamist militants in connection with a recent suicide bombing that killed two police officers and wounded 25 others.

Geo strategic Front

• Tajik leader meets with NATO secretary general in New York

DUSHANBE, September 23, Asia-Plus  -- President Emomali Rahmon met with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in New York yesterday on sidelines of the 65th session of the UN General Assembly, according to presidential press service.

• Tajik president, Thai PM discuss cooperation issues

DUSHANBE, September 24, 2010, Asia-Plus -- On Thursday September 23, President Emomali Rahmon, who is currently in New York to attend the 65th session of the UN General Assembly, met with Prime Minister of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva, according to presidential press service.

• Kyrgyzstan Closes Tajik Border After Clashes In Tajikistan

BATKEN, Kyrgyzstan -- Kyrgyzstan has closed its border with Tajikistan following the deadly clashes between an armed extremist group and Tajik military forces in Tajikistan's Rasht province on September 19, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

• Tajikistan Says Five Killed In Counterterrorist Operation

DUSHANBE -- The Tajik Interior Ministry says that at least five supporters of former opposition commander Mirzokhuja Ahmadov were killed during an counterterrorist operation in the Rasht district, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports.

Economic/Energy Front

Social Front

• Tajik capital hosts international song festival

DUSHANBE, September 18, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- An international two-day song festival, entitled “The Sky of Commonwealth,” kicked off in Dushanbe on September 17.

• Tajik pressure said to be growing over Islamic dress

DUSHANBE, September 18, 2010, Asia-Plus – A branch of the Islamic Revival (IRP) in the city of Kulob has complained that authorities are pressuring women who wear the hijab, the Islamic head scarf, Radio Liberty reported on September 17.

Turkmenistan

Political Front

Geo strategic Front

• Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Angela Merkel discuss cooperation

Issues of cooperation in the energy sector, industry, transport and communications, agriculture and culture were on top of the agenda of the meeting between President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. As the Turkmenistan.ru correspondent reports from Ashgabat quoting the press service of the head of state, the meeting took place at the UN building on September 21.

• Turkmenistan puts forward five initiatives on Afghan settlement in UN

In his speech at the 65th session of the UN General Assembly, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has elaborated on the issues of resolving the situation in Afghanistan and proposed his approaches to this problem to the international community.

• Turkmenistan to stay loyal to its neutral status

Turkmenistan's neutral status marking its fifteenth anniversary this year and recognized by the international community prevented the country from being drawn into any forms of regional rivalry and did not let anyone use the Turkmen military and economic potential on its side in potential conflicts.

• Turkmenistan calls for active Afghan engagement in major regional projects

"Today, there is a need for more active engagement of Afghanistan in promising transport, communication and energy projects in the region. It will give the Afghans confidence in their future, help them and their country feel full and equal participants of regional and global processes", said Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in an interview for the national mass media.

• Turkmenistan stands against politicization of outstanding issues on the Caspian Sea

"Turkmenistan's position on the legal status of the Caspian Sea is very balanced and responsible. We are committed to continued engagement with partners in different formats in terms of constructive dialogue, respect and equality,"said President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in an interview with the Turkmen mass media on the eve of his departure for New York.

Economic/Energy Front

• Chevron ready to participate in joint investment projects in Turkmenistan

The U.S. business circles fully support the Turkmen initiatives including those relating to ensuring global energy security aimed at facilitating the creation of necessary conditions for reliable energy supplies.

• Framework agreement on trans-Afghan gas pipeline construction signed

In the framework of the 11th meeting of the Steering Committee for Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project the heads of line ministries of the participating countries signed a framework agreement on construction of the pipeline. Representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) also attended the meeting.

• Turkmenistan proposes to establish UN Energy Council

In his speech at the 65th UN General Assembly session in New York on 20 September, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov proposed to consider the issue of establishing the United Nations Energy Council that would provide a political framework and organizational modalities for a systematic, professional discussion of the entire complex of energy issues.

• Gas supply schedule via Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline for 2011 adopted

China and Central Asian countries have adopted a strategic plan on conditions of monthly gas supplies in winter 2010 and during 2011 as well as a schedule of regular maintenance of Turkmenistan-China trans-border gas pipeline, ChinaPRO business magazine reported referring to the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

• American businessmen invited to visit Ashgabat more often

The program of visit of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to New York included a business lunch meeting with members of the Business Council "Turkmenistan - USA".

• U.S. intends to build up contacts with Turkmenistan in oil and gas sphere

The U.S businesses intend to build up productive contacts with Turkmenistan in the oil and gas industry, Special Envoy of U.S. Department of State for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar said yesterday during the meeting with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Social Front

    Uzbekistan

Political Front

• Uzbekistan's President -- The Osh Mayor's Friend?

You might think the president of a country called Uzbekistan -- literally, the land of the Uzbek -- wouldn't be well disposed to the mayor of a city in a neighboring country where scores of Uzbeks were killed last June. But you'd be wrong, at least according to the mayor of Kyrgyzstan's second city, Osh.

Geo strategic Front

• Islam Karimov visits USA while the correspondent of Voice of America is being prosecuted

At the behest of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on September 19 the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov took off to New York with the purpose to attend the plenary session of UN General Assembly, dedicated to the Millennium development goals, Uzbek mass media report.

Economic/Energy Front

• Uzbekistan nationalizes business from Russia's WBD

Uzbekistan has de facto nationalized the local branch of Russia's largest dairy manufacturer, Wimm-Bill-Dann (WBD), "in profit of state," Kommersant business daily said on Tuesday, following the company's conflict with the powerful Uzbek National Security Service, RIA Novosti reports.

Social Front

• OSCE Criticizes Uzbek Treatment Of Journalists

One of the persecuted Uzbek journalists, Dilmurod Sayyid, whose wife and 6-year-old daughter died in an auto accident while traveling to visit him in prison in November 2009

September 24, 2010