Tag Archives: international relations

Armenia joins Customs Union

MARCH 1 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia will join the Russia-led Customs Union by mid-April, local media quoted deputy foreign minister Shavarsh Kocharyan as saying.

His statement was a show of support from the Armenian government to Russia in its row with the West over Ukraine. Armenia has previously said it would not be ready to join the Customs Union — a loose economic bloc including Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan — until June.

The decision last year by Ukraine’s government to turn its back on the European Union in favour of closer ties with Russia, triggered demonstrations which culminated in his month’s revolution.

Armenia, though, has never wavered in its support for Russia. Its move towards the Customs Union and away from the European Union has broad public support.

Russian companies are one of the biggest investors in Armenia. Earlier this year Russian gas monopoly Gazprom completed the purchase of the Armenia gas network and oil company Rosneft has also pledged to invest $500m into a rubber plant outside Yerevan.

The Russian military also maintains one of its biggest overseas bases in Armenia which the public sees as a bulwark against potential Azerbaijani aggression. Also on March 1, one of the main opposition leaders in Armenia, former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan told his supporters at a rally in Yerevan that joining the Customs Union was the right move for Armenia.

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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 174, published on March 5 2014)

Russia considers buying airport in Kyrgyzstan

MARCH 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — For visitors to Kyrgyzstan’s main civilian airport, Manas, catching sight of US warplanes taking off in the distance used to be part of arriving in Bishkek. Not anymore.

As the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan continues these glimpses of the US military have become increasingly rare. It is quitting its airbase next to Manas civilian airport from where it has flown missions to Afghanistan since 2001.

Given Russian opposition to the facility, Kyrgyzstan’s leaders had few choices but to call time on the co-called Transit Center.

And this seems to suit locals.

“I have no problem with America but I don’t think we needed this base,” said Askar Bolotbayev, a Bishkek resident.

“It doesn’t provide us with electricity, it isn’t something we can export. We somehow survived before it and we will survive after it, too.”

Yet, with the centre worth roughly $200m to the anaemic Kyrgyz economy, Kyrgyzstan is keen to fill a hole by turning their main airport into something bigger and better.

Dair Tokobayev, an official at Manas airport, told local press that the government wanted to transform Manas into a regional transit hub.

But not without Russian backing, of course. Russian energy company Rosneft is reportedly considering buying a 51% stake in the airport.

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(News report from Issue No. 174, published on March 5 2014)

Georgian president visits Armenia

FEB. 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili visited his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan to reaffirm strong relations between the two countries despite their divergent foreign policy. Georgia is close to the West while Armenia is increasingly close to Russia.

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(News report from Issue No. 174, published on March 5 2014)

Uzbekistan backs Kiev against Moscow

MARCH 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — If Georgia’s support for the revolution in Ukraine was no surprise, Uzbekistan’s apparent concern about the territorial integrity of Ukraine is.

Uzbekistan was the first from the block of former Soviet states that you would have bet on supporting Russia to break ranks.

“Events in Ukraine … create a real threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and have caused deep anxiety and concern in Uzbekistan,” the Uzbek foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

Uzbekistan has a reputation for isolationism. It has awkward relations with its neighbours and has stayed clear of the Russian-led Customs Union.

Even so, Uzbekistan is part of the military orientated Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which includes Russia, China and most of Central Asia. Russia is also an important economic partner for Uzbekistan.

For Uzbekistan to issue such a statement criticising the Russian military’s deployment in Ukraine is risky. Uzbekistan’s relations with its former colonial master have been patchy and, after this proclamation, may be even patchier.

Perhaps spurring Uzbekistan on in the background is its current ties to NATO. NATO is paying Uzbekistan handsomely to shift its kit from Afghanistan back home. Uzbekistan, possibly, had one eye on their current benefactors when issuing the statement.

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(News report from Issue No. 174, published on March 5 2014)

Kazakhstan sponsors Almaty 2022 Olympic bid

FEB. 20 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakhstan’s delegation at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Russia took the chance to plug Almaty for the 2022 event. The Kazakh delegation pledged that they would not spend hugely on new facilities as Sochi had. Almaty is competing against Lviv in Ukraine, Oslo, Beijing and Krakow in Poland.

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(News report from Issue No. 173, published on Feb. 26 2014)

Kazakhs rally for Ukraine

FEB. 20 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — The revolution that swept Viktor Yanukovich from power in Ukraine has reverberated, gently, around the former Soviet Union.

In Almaty, the financial capital of Kazakhstan, roughly two dozen people gathered outside the Ukrainian consulate last week after news emerged that snipers had shot dozens of people in Kiev. They lit candles and sang the Ukrainian national anthem. Social media filled with statements of solidarity and posts that shared the latest news, both in Russian and in Kazakh.

Although analysts have said that the revolution in Ukraine may trigger anti-government demonstrations in other parts of the former Soviet Union, apart from the vigil outside the Ukrainian consulate in Almaty, the reaction on the streets was muted.

This was partly, said political observer Adil Nurmakov of blogbasta.kz, because most legal forms of protest in Kazakhstan had been extinguished.

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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 173, published on Feb. 26 2014)

Uzbekistan rejects criticisms on human rights

FEB. 19 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan rejected criticism from human rights groups that it violates the right to religious freedom, media reported. The New York-based Human Rights Watch has previously reported that Uzbekistan has arrested more than 200 people since 2012 on religionr-elated charges.

(News report from Issue No. 173, published on Feb. 26 2014)

Uzbekistan develops rail links to the Ferghana Valley

FEB. 23 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan’s government has allocated another $280m to the construction of a railway line linking the Ferghana Valley to the rest of the country, media reported.

The loan from the Uzbek Reconstruction and Development Fund to Uzbekistan Railways is to be specifically spent on mining machinery needed for the project.

It’s an ambitious project designed to allow trains to cross — over and under — the mountains straddling the Ferghana Valley with the rest of the country.

It’s also important, not only for reducing journey times, but also politically. Currently the main road linking the Ferghana Valley to the rest of Uzbekistan is often closed during winter because of snow, forcing people to travel through Tajikistan. Uzbekistan’s relations with Tajikistan are strained.

Although the Uzbek government has offered some cash for the project, much of the funding is coming from China. This is revealing. China has becoming increasingly active in Central Asia through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) military alliance and through funding various projects.

(News report from Issue No. 173, published on Feb. 26 2014)

Georgia sends soldiers to Africa

FEB. 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Georgia’s parliament approved sending roughly 100 Georgian soldiers to the Central African Republic on an international peacekeeping mission due to start next month. Georgia has been eager to curry international favour by sending soldiers on NATO and EU peacekeeping missions.

(News report from Issue No. 173, published on Feb. 26 2014)

Kazakh FM complains over Russian comment

FEB. 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry has complained to Russia about comments made by politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky who said Central Asia should become a federal Russian region, media reported. Mr Zhirinovsky is known for his outspoken comments and, although relatively high profile, is considered a fringe politician.

(News report from Issue No. 173, published on Feb. 26 2014)