Summery

• European Rights Court Says Azerbaijan Violated Election Rights

BAKU -- The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the Azerbaijani government is guilty of having violated citizens' right to a free and fair election during parliamentary elections five years ago, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports.

• CEC approves text, form, number and rules to prepare ballots

The Azerbaijani Central Election Commission (CEC) approved the text, form, number and rules to prepare ballots at a today's meeting.

• Over 200 candidates registered in Azerbaijan's parliamentary elections

Over 1,322 candidates, ready to compete for MP mandate in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, appealed to the district election commissions. Over 1,266 candidates got petitions from the CEC. Roughly 399 have already filled them out and submitted to the CEC, Mazahir Panahov, the CEC chairman, said at a CEC meeting.

• Head of OSCE observation mission discusses Azerbaijan pre-election situation with opposition party

Head of OSCE observation mission Audrey Glover discussed pre-election situation in Azerbaijan with the chairman of the opposition Azerbaijan National Independence Party (ANIP), Yusif Bagirzade, the press service of the ANIP said.

• Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry hands over note of protest to U.S. charged' affairs

Azerbaijan has handed over a note of protest to the U.S. charged' affairs in Baku. U.S. charged’ affairs Adam Sterling was invited to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry on September 24, ministry’s spokesperson Elkhan Polukhov said. 

• Azerbaijan Refutes Armenian Claim It Killed Captive

BAKU/YEREVAN -- Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian has publicly accused the Azerbaijani authorities of killing an Armenian man found hanged in Azerbaijani custody on October 5, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.

• Nagorno-Karabakh To Reopen Airport

STEPANAKERT -- Authorities in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh are pressing ahead with plans to reopen the disputed territory's sole civilian airport, which was shut down nearly two decades ago.

• Nagorno-Karabakh Flag Raised At UN, Briefly

Azerbaijan's ambassador to the United Nations has complained that on September 27 Armenia raised the flag of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh republic on the premises of Yerevan's UN mission in New York.

• Iranian Defense Minister To Visit Azerbaijan

BAKU -- Iranian Defense Minister Major General Ahmad Vahidi will visit Azerbaijan next week at the invitation of his Azerbaijani counterpart, Colonel General Safar Abiyev, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports.

• Azerbaijan, NATO cooperation prospects discussed in Brussels

Azerbaijan was represented at the talks by a delegation headed by Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. The delegation included Deputy National Security Minister and Deputy Emergency Situations Minister, Chief of State Border Service, heads of departments of the Interior Ministry and Defense Ministry, according to Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Economic/Energy Front

• BP reaffirms its commitment to cooperate in Azerbaijan's energy projects

The British company BP is ready to continue cooperation in the implementation of the Azerbaijani oil and gas projects, to which it is party, new BP CEO Robert Dudley, said in Baku on Thursday at the signing ceremony of a new contract for exploration and development of the prospective structures Shafag-Asiman.

• Azerbaijan to allocate 3 bn. 287 mln US $ to military expenditures next year

Azerbaijan will allocate 2 630 169 341 AZN to financing of Armed Forces, other military units considered in legislation and militarized organizations.

Social Front

• U.S. Calls On Azerbaijan To Improve Rights Record

BAKU -- A U.S. diplomat says President Barack Obama told Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during their meeting at the United Nations that Baku needs to improve its record on democratic development and human rights, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports.

• Azerbaijan Won't Recognize Harvard Graduate's Diploma

"I had my master's degree diploma from Harvard and I was not able to verify that this diploma is a legal document in the republic of Azerbaijan," Bakhtiyar Hadjiyev, an Azerbaijani citizen and public policy graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service.

Kazakhstan

Political Front

• Kazakh Official Denies Presidential Staff Chief Had Stroke

ASTANA -- A Kazakh official has denied reports that presidential-administration head Sarybai Qalmurzaev has been hospitalized with a stroke, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

• Key political risks to watch in Kazakhstan

ALMATY, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan's long-serving leaderhas announced his intention to stay at the helm of CentralAsia's largest economy for a third decade, erasing concernsabout the possibility of a destabilising succession struggle.

Geo strategic Front

• U.S. Seeks To 'Revitalize' OSCE

BRUSSELS -- The U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) says the United States and its European partners are seeking to "revitalize" the OSCE at the organization's December summit in Astana.

• Suspected Killers Of Kyrgyz Journalist Arrested In Kazakhstan

ALMATY/BISHKEK -- Kazakh investigators have arrested two people in connection with the murder of Kyrgyz journalist Gennady Pavlyuk, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Economic/Energy Front

• Kazakhstan to inject over KZT2.3 trillion into power sector by 2015

"During the implementation of the investment program to develop the power sector in 2010-2014 the industry will receive over 2.3 trillion tenge," said Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Duisenbai Turganov at a press conference on Friday in Astana.

• Kazakhstan and South Korea discussing shipyard project on the Caspian Sea

Astana. October 4. Interfax-Kazakhstan - Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan and South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding on military cooperation.

Social Front

• Kazakhstan Deports Kyrgyz Labor Migrants En Masse

BISHKEK -- Kazakh authorities have deported some 130 Kyrgyz labor migrants, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

Kyrgyzstan

Political Front

• Kyrgyzstan tense as parliamentary vote nears - OSCE

 (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan is highly volatile after June’s ethnic clashes and there are widespread fears an election next weekend could trigger new violence, Europe’s leading vote monitoring group has said.

• Offices Of Kyrgyz Political Party Damaged In Attack

Bishkek police say on October 6 some 100 members of the Meken Sheyitteri (Martyrs of the Homeland) and Aikol Ala-Too (Generous Ala-Too Mountains) movements forced their way into the offices and destroyed furniture, equipment, and documents. They told RFE/RL that a special security team was sent to the offices immediately.

• Death Toll From Violence In Kyrgyzstan Rises

BISHKEK -- The death toll from the June clashes between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan's southern regions of Osh and Jalal-Abad has risen to 429, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

• Kyrgyzstan's Elections Offer Prospect Of Real Change

It is one thing to discuss and debate the fate of a remote foreign country. It is quite another thing to ponder and worry about your own country, which appears before you in three dimensions even in your dreams.

• Ex-Kyrgyz Security Chief Released From Jail

BISHKEK -- The former chief of an elite Kyrgyz security unit was transferred from jail shortly after a protest in Bishkek by security officers demanding his release, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

• Trial Date Set For Ethnic Uzbeks In Kyrgyzstan

KARA-SUU, Kyrgyzstan -- The trial of 10 ethnic Uzbeks in the southern Kyrgyz village of Kara-Suu will resume on October 19, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

The trial was halted by Judge Bakyt Usupbekov on September 30 after relatives of the victims attacked the defendants' lawyer, Kair Asanov

• A new draft law on political parties to be discussed in Kyrgyzstan

After the elections of Kyrgyzstan, a new draft law on political parties is to be discussed. It was voiced today at an open forum “Kyrgyzstan after elections: state structure in conditions of parliamentary government.”

• Provocations are possible before the Kyrgyz parliamentary elections – Sariev

 “In Kyrgyzstan, provocations are possible in the last three days before the parliamentary elections,” Akylbek Sariev, the Chairman of the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda of Kyrgyzstan, stated Wednesday at a meeting with rallying relatives of the killed during the April events.

• Political parties: The parliamentary elections may cause third revolution

Representatives of political parties fear that the parliamentary elections will lead toward third revolution. Such statement was voiced at today’s meeting of Ombudsman with members of political organizations.

Geo strategic Front

• Russia Takes Active Role In Kyrgyz Parliamentary Elections

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (left) greets Ar-Namys party leader Feliks Kulov, a visit that has boosted the party ahead of the upcoming elections.

• Ex-MP denies his agreement on land cession to China

Ex-member of Parliament denies that he has voted for the cession of Kyrgyz lands to China, according to Bolot Sher (Sherniyazov).

• Fugitive Uzbek Community Leader Tells His Story Of The Unrest

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan have sent a request to Ukraine for the extradition of Kadyrjon Batyrov, who is accused by Bishkek of fomenting interethnic hatred. They attribute statements to Batyrov on greater rights for Kyrgyzstan's ethnic Uzbeks that they say were one of the main sparks that ignited clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in June in the Osh and Jalal-Abad provinces that left hundreds dead and briefly displaced hundreds of thousands of people, mainly Uzbeks.

Economic/Energy Front

• Energy Minister discusses power export projects with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan

Osmonbek Artykbaev has discussed the projects of electric power export from Kyrgyzstan to Southern Asia with the colleagues from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan, the press service of the Ministry of Energy informs.

Social Front

• Kyrgyz Satirical Paper To Resume Publication

BISHKEK -- Former editors of the shuttered Kyrgyz newspaper "De Facto" say they will resume publication of that biweekly within three months, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

• Turkey Holds Ethnic Tolerance Conference In Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK -- Turkey is holding a conference today on ethnic tolerance and dialogue at Kyrgyzstan's prominent Issyk-Kul lake resort, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports

• Kyrgyzstan's Ex-Deputy Parliament Speaker 'Beaten, Robbed'

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan's former deputy parliament speaker says he was beaten and robbed in his apartment in Bishkek, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

    Tajikistan

Political Front

• Tajik National Guards Deny Death Toll In Crash

Tajikistan's National Guards have denied multiple media reports that 28 people were killed in a helicopter crash in the east of the country where a military operation against Islamist militants is under way.

• 34 Troops Killed In Tajikistan

Military sources say up to 34 Tajik troops were killed in two separate incidents in the east of the country, in an area where a military operation against Islamist insurgents is under way.

• Military Helicopter Crash In Tajikistan Kills 26

DUSHANBE -- At least 22 Tajik State National Security Commitee personnel and four crew members were killed on the morning of October 6, when a Tajik National Guard helicopter crashed in the Rasht district, 200 kilometers east of Dushanbe, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports.

• Another Fugitive Killed In Tajikistan

DUSHANBE -- Bozorali Valadi Egamberdi, an Afghan citizen who escaped from a Tajik detention center more than a month ago, has been killed in a gun battle with Tajik security forces, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports.

• Tajik Minister Accuses Media Of Sympathizing With Militants

DUSHANBE -- Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Khairulloev has accused independent newspapers of sympathizing with the Islamic militants who ambushed an army convoy in late August, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports.

• Worries Grow As Tajik Government Continues Operation Against Militants

Government forces have set up over a dozen checkpoints along the road connecting Dushanbe and the administrative center of the Rasht district, and are searching passing vehicles and their passengers.

• Afghan government not able to fully control Afghanistan’s common border with Tajikistan, says Afghan FM

DUSHANBE, October 7, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- President Emomali Rahmon received visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmay Rasoul Wednesday afternoon.  The two discussed a broad range of issues related to state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

• Tajik, Afghan FMs sign protocol of cooperation

DUSHANBE, October 7, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik-Afghan bilateral cooperation in various fields was the focus of a meeting of Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi with his Afghan counterpart Zalmay Rasoul that took place here Wednesday afternoon.

• Tajikistan, Pakistan satisfied with cooperation level

DUSHANBE, October 2, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- State and prospects of further expansion of bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation between Tajikistan and Pakistan were discussed here on October 1 in the course of the talks of President Emomali Rahmon with visiting Pakistani Minister for Petroleum Natural Resources Syed Naveed Qamar.

Geo strategic Front

Economic/Energy Front

Social Front

• Dushanbe to host 2nd Central Asian forum on HIV/TB co-infection problem

DUSHANBE, October 5, 2010, Asia-Plus -- The 2nd Central Asian scientific and practical conference entitled “HIV/TB: Towards Universal Access” is opening in Dushanbe tomorrow.

• In Tajikistan, Islamic Names Are The New Fashion

Until earlier this year, one 19-year-old student from the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, was known as Shohrukh to his friends and family.

• Tajikistan Suspicious Of Its Students

Tajik authorities say graduates of foreign religious schools could pose a threat to their homeland -- and they're taking steps to address the issue. Tajik students studying at Cairo's Al-Azhar University say they are concerned about Dushanbe's request that the prominent Islamic school send back anyone studying outside official government quotas.

    Turkmenistan

Political Front

• Turkmen Opposition Politician Allowed Into OSCE Conference

An exiled Turkmen opposition politician has gained permission to attend an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) conference in Warsaw that he initially was barred from attending, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports.

• Turkmen President Hails Work Of National Security Service

ASHGABAT -- Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has called on the National Security Ministry to fight against those who "disseminate slanderous information about Turkmenistan's democratic, law-based secular state," RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports.

• Exiled Turkmen Activists Barred From OSCE Conference

One of the men, Annadurdy Hajiyev, a member of the Watan movement and former deputy chairman of the Central Bank of Turkmenistan, is seen here in a file photo with Tajigul Begmedova, head of the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation on Human Rights

• New law on Military Duty and Military Service comes into force in Turkmenistan

The new law of Turkmenistan "On Military Duty and Military Service" came into force on October 6. The law provides for "legal regulation of conscription and military service to ensure the fulfillment by Turkmenistan's citizens of their constitutional duty and responsibility to protect the Fatherland."

Geo strategic Front

• Belarusian parliament ratifies military agreement with Turkmenistan

The House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus ratified the agreement between the governments of Belarus and Turkmenistan on military and military-technical cooperation on October 4. The agreement was signed on January 25, 2010 in Minsk.

• Iran - closest neighbor and partner of Turkmenistan

The Days of Culture of Turkmenistan started in the province of Golestan of the Islamic Republic of Iran on October 2. The delegation of Turkmenistan composed of famous artists, poets, musicians, singers, members of the Theatre and Film Arts arrived in the city of Gorgan to participate in the events.

Economic/Energy Front

• Russia remains strategic partner of Turkmenistan in oil and gas sector

Turkmenistan maintains strategic cooperation in the oil and gas industry with his long-standing partner - Russia, although the global economic crisis has slowed down the pace of implementation of joint projects.

• Turkmen gas reserves available for EU - president

(AFP) - Turkmenistan’s president said on Thursday the isolated Central Asian state had the capacity to almost quadruple gas exports in the next 20 years and was ready to meet demand from Europe.

Social Front

    Uzbekistan

Political Front

Geo strategic Front

Economic/Energy Front

• Tashkent hosts Uzbek-Czech Business Forum

The forum of business circles of Uzbekistan and Czech Republic was held at the business center in Tashkent. The event, organized by the Ministry for Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, focused on further expanding of the bilateral trade and investment cooperation.

Social Front

• Tortures in Uzbekistan: The position of former prisoner Sanjar Umarov produced sharp criticism from his "colleagues"

Uzbek dissidents and human rights advocates, representatives of civil sector sharply criticized the statements of Sanjar Umarov, the prominent businessman and former head of Sunny Coalition opposition movement, he shared in the interview with The New York Times.