Tag Archives: international relations

EU wants to relax visa, says Armenia

NOV. 14 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenian media reported that following an EU meeting backing a visa liberalisation deal with Georgia and Ukraine, the EU also wanted to start talks with Armenia on scrapping, or relaxing, its visa system. Specifically, Armenpress said that EU officials were waiting for “an opportunity to start negotiations on visa issues with Armenia in a timely period.”

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 305, published on Nov. 18 2016)

Turkmen president hosts Palestinian leader Abbas

NOV. 15 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov hosted Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas for the first time in Ashagabat for talks on bolstering bilateral relations.

Mr Abbas has never been on an official visit to Central Asia before.

After meeting Mr Berdymukhamedov, Mr Abbas opened a new Palestinian embassy. This is thefourth Palestinian embassy in the region after Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.

A Turkmen foreign ministry delegation had travelled to Palestine earlier this year to lay the groundwork for Mr Abbas’ trip to Ashgabat. For Mr Berdymukhamedov, the visit by Mr Abbas was an opportunity to look statesmanlike.

Official media quoted Mr Berdymukhamedov as saying: “Turkmenistan, which implements its foreign policy based on the principles of positive neutrality, is interested in the development of equitable and friendly relations with all world countries, including the Middle East countries and Palestine in particular.”

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 305, published on Nov. 18 2016)

Chinese minister visits Uzbekistan

NOV. 14 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — In another round of quickfire diplomacy by Uzbekistan, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi travelled to Tashkent to meet acting president Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Mr Mirziyoyev has been acting president since the death of Islam Karimov in September and is all but certain to become the full-time president after a presidential election next month.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 305, published on Nov. 18 2016)

EU wants new deal with Azerbaijan

NOV. 11 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — The European Council, the EU’s political core, has said it wants to renegotiate a new bilateral deal with Azerbaijan. This is important because it sets the tone of subsequent talks between the EU and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan and the EU have rowed over human rights.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 305, published on Nov. 18 2016)

Uzbek and Kyrgyz officials meet

NOV. 14 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek and Kyrgyz officials met in Ferghana City, Uzbekistan, to agree resolutions to seven more border dispute areas, the 24.kg news website reported. The border resolution process is part of a drive by Uzbekistan since the death of Islam Karimov in September to repair damaged relations with its neighbours. 24.kg reported that the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border was 1,378km long and that nearly a third of this has been disputed.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 305, published on Nov. 18 2016)

Uzbek delegation visits Ashgabat

NOV. 5 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek deputy PM Ulugbek Rozukulov led a delegation to Ashgabat to meet with Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, official Turkmen media reported. Mr Rozukulov’s mission is part of a drive by acting president Shavket Mirziyoyev to improve Uzbekistan’s international relations since the death in September of Islam Karimov.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 304, published on Nov. 11 2016)

Comment: C.Asia and S.Caucasus eye up a Trump presidency, says Kilner

NOV. 11 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Donald Trump, the incoming US president, has a long list of issues that need tackling in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, not least the dominance of China and Russia.

Central Asia, in particular, has traditionally been an arena where the world’s great powers have shadow-boxed, testing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This is just as true today as it was during the 19th century’s Great Game between Russia and Britain. Now, though, China has entered the fray and the West is led by the US and not Britain.

Since NATO withdrew most of its forces from Afghanistan in 2013/14, US interest in Central Asia has waned and it has ceded diplomatic, economic and cultural influence to Russia and China.

When she was Secretary of State between 2009 and 2013, Hillary Clinton promoted a new north-south Silk Road running from Central Asia to India. This was to be US soft power in action, a commercial push to rival influences exerted by China through its loans and by Russia through its diplomatic and energy levers. It hasn’t shaped up to much, and Clinton wont now be able to see it through, but Trump, a businessman and reality TV star, may be well-placed to invigorate this north-south Silk Road.

Governments in Central Asia and the South Caucasus will also be watching his policies on NATO, Russia and Iran.

Georgia has, perhaps, the most to be concerned about. It has struck out on a determinedly Western direction and needs a strong US and NATO as a counterpoint to Russia. If the US’ commitment to NATO wanes, Georgia will be more vulnerable to Russian aggression. Certainly its two breakaway states, Russia-backed Abkhazia and South Ossetia, will feel emboldened.

Barack Obama brought Iran back into the international community by partly lifting sanctions linked to the development of its nuclear sector. Its reemergence was heralded in Central Asia and the South Caucasus as an opportunity. They will be looking to a US led by Trump to boost, and not deflate, Iran’s place in the world. They want Iran to be an economic driver.

And the US’ relationship with Russia is important too. If US-Russia relations don’t improve, and the Russian economy continues to shrink, this filters through to Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

They will be looking for an improvement in US- Russia relations to generate a boost for the Russian economy.

By James Kilner, Editor, The Conway Bulletin

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 304, published on Nov. 11 2016)

Georgia and regional governments welcome Trump election win

TBILISI, NOV. 5 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Governments across Central Asia and the South Caucasus welcomed Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential election on Nov. 4 and heralded it as an opportunity for the US to increase its engagement in the region.

Analysts have said that under President Barack Obama, the US’ interest in Central Asia and the South Caucasus has dropped. Both President Obama’s Secretary of States, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, visited the South Caucasus and Central Asia but since the US and NATO pulled most of its forces out of neighbouring Afghanistan in 2013 and 2014, its interest has waned.

The only US president to have visited the region was George W. Bush in May 2005. He visited Tbilisi when Mikheil Saakashvili was president. Georgia is the US’ biggest ally in the region, sending its army to fight in both Iraq and Afghanistan and Georgian PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili welcomed Mr Trump’s win.

“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Donald J. Trump on his victory in the presidential elections,” he said. “American people voted for change, oriented on making US even stronger.”

His sentiments were echoed by other regional leaders but reaction on the street was less clear cut. In Almaty Aidana Omarova, a university lecturer, said she was appalled that Mr Trump had won the election.

“I cannot even imagine how such a sexist, racist and rude person can lead the US,” she said.

In Tbilisi Nana, a lawyer, was worried. “He wants to improve relations with Russia, that’s not very good for Georgia, in case we need support from the US,” she said. “Secondly he was extremely negative about immigrants and I know there are lots of Georgians who work in America and send money to their families.”

But in Dushanbe, Jakhongir, 29, a website developer, had a different viewpoint. He said the US election had been a great democratic exercise.

“I wish we could have such interesting elections debates here in Tajikistan, too,” he said. “Let’s see how Trump will behave, I think he will be more restrained in his words and actions now.”

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 304, published on Nov. 11 2016)

Kazakh President heads to Asia

NOV. 7/11 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev flew to Japan and South Korea on a tour of East Asian countries aimed at drumming up business. Both Japanese and South Korean companies own stakes in energy and industrial projects in Kazakhstan. Korea has particularly strong links with Kazakhstan and other countries in Central Asia.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 304, published on Nov. 11 2016)

Azerbaijan and Georgia pledge closer economic ties

OCT. 27/28 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Under orders from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to seek out more economic opportunities, economic development minister, Shahin Mustafayev, travelled to Tbilisi to meet his counterparts and mull over various deals.

The meeting is important because it shows how Azerbaijan is looking to boost economic links with its immediate neighbours to help it through an economic downturn. As well as increasing trade with Georgia, Azerbaijan has reached out to Iran and Russia.

Official data showed that last year Azerbaijan invested a record $500m into Georgia’s economy. SOCAR, its state-owned energy company, is one of the most highly visible brands in Georgia with 120 fuel filling stations. Pipeline politics have also brought the two neighbours closer. Georgia is a host country for various oil and gas pipelines running from Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea coast to Turkey and Europe.

And after their meeting in Tbilisi, Georgian officials said that they expected trade between the two countries to increase further.

“Businessmen of Azerbaijan and Georgia will soon start joint business projects to move forward the economy of the two countries,” media quoted Maya Mikeladze, a Georgian Presidential adviser, as saying.

Analysts were more cautious, though. Natig Jafarli, an Azerbaijani economist and opposition activist, said that in current economic conditions a boost in business deals was unlikely. Georgia was still important to Azerbaijan, though.

“Georgia is a window to Europe for Azerbaijan and a major transit corridor,” he said. “Baku will continue to play a vital role in the economy of Georgia.”

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 303, published on Nov. 4 2016)