Tag Archives: international relations

Azerbaijan orders AstraZeneca and Sputnik-V vaccines

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MARCH 11 (The Bulletin) — Azerbaijan, which has begun a mass vaccination scheme against the coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 disease, said that it had now ordered batches of Sputnik-V, the Russia-made vaccine, and the AstraZeneca vaccine. Sputnik-V was the first recognised vaccine for the disease. Some European countries have stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine because of worries that it triggers blood clots.

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— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Pakistan offers Uzbekistan access to its ports

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MARCH 11 (The Bulletin) — On a two day visit to Pakistan, Uzbek foreign minister Abdulaziz Kamilov talked up the potential of Pakistan’s ports at Karachi and Gwadar as “gateways to Central Asia”. The landlocked Central Asian republics are continually looking for ways to get access to the sea. The ports at Karachi and Gwadar are being upgraded by China as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. Sending goods through them would give Central Asian manufacturers direct access to the Indian Ocean.

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— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

German MP resigns over corruption allegations linked to Azerbaijan

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MARCH 11 (The Bulletin) — Mark Hauptmann, a German MP from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party, resigned his position after being accused of receiving cash from Azerbaijan to promote its interests. Spiegel magazine said that Mr Hauptmann had used his position as the editor of a regional newspaper to promote Azerbaijan’s agenda in 2015 and 2018. He has denied the accusations. In January, a court in Italy sentenced former MEP Luca Volonte to four years in prison for taking bribes from Azerbaijan.

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— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

UNICEF Armenia chief is accused of spying

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YEREVAN/MARCH 11 (The Bulletin) — UNICEF withdrew its country chief to Armenia, Marianne Clark-Hattingh, after she was accused by Armenian media of spying for Azerbaijan and Britain.

With tension running high in Armenia since it lost a war for control of Nagorno-Karabakh against Azerbaijan last year, Armenian media reported that prosecutors had started investigating the spy allegations against Ms Clark-Hattingh.

UNICEF refuted the allegations against Ms Clark-Hattingh and said that it had taken the decision to withdraw her as a precaution.

In Geneva, Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN Secretary General said that UNICEF and the Armenian government had agreed that Ms Clark-Hattingh would complete her assignment in Armenia next month and then be replaced.

“She is a highly qualified, extremely experienced and committed development professional, who has previously served with UNICEF at Headquarters, as well as being the Representative in Malaysia and other posts in places such as Somalia, Guinea, Benin and Madagascar,” he said.

But Mr Dujarric appears to be covering up a row between UNICEF and the Armenian government over Ms Clark-Hattingh’s work.

On March 9, the Armenian government had said that it was disappointed with her work and that she should be replaced.

“UNICEF’s Representative in Armenia Marianne Clark-Hattingh’s failures in the implementation of her mandate and her uncooperative conduct were problematic for the Armenian side, hence the Government of Armenia made a decision to suspend Clark-Hattingh’s tenure as UNICEF’s Representative in Armenia,” a spokesperson for the Armenian foreign ministry said.

Ms Clark-Hattingh has not commented. 

Her profile on the UNICEF website has now been taken down, although a cached version said that she had only been the Armenia UNICEF country chief since July 2020. Her Twitter account has also been deleted.

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— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Azerbaijan promises construction projects to Israeli companies

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BAKU/MARCH 9 (The Bulletin) — Azerbaijan’s government has promised Israeli companies contracts to rebuild Nagorno-Karabakh, the region that it took control of last year after a six-week war with Armenia.

Israeli military advice and technology were critical for helping Azerbaijan defeat a well-dug in Armenian army that had held Nagorno-Karabakh since the early 1990s, and analysts said that the contracts were effectively payback for this help.

Media quoted Ibrahim Khazar, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Turkey, as saying that the construction work would concentrate on restoring the region’s “historical and authentic heritage”. He also said that Israeli companies had offered to “rehabilitate” the region.

Analysts have said that rebuilding Nagorno-Karabakh will give Azerbaijan’s construction sector a boost.

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— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Turkey and Uzbekistan agree to strengthen bilateral business relations

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MARCH 9 (The Bulletin) — Turkey and Uzbekistan agreed a deal to strengthen bilateral relations, especially business and economic relations. At a press conference in Tashkent, the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said Turkey-Uzbekistan relations had great potential and that they would sign a free trade agreement in the “upcoming period”. Turkey sees itself as a force in Central Asia and the South Caucasus and wants to boost its presence and influence.

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— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

EU appoints mediate for Georgian political stand-off

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MARCH 9 (The Bulletin) — Highlighting the central role that the EU expects to play in mediating a resolution to a breakdown in the political system in Georgia since a disputed election in October last year, European Council President Charles Michel appointed a personal envoy to talks. It is expected that Christian Danielsson, head of the EU delegation in Sweden, is expected to mediate in the talks. Last month police arrested a senior opposition leader and the PM resigned. Protests have continued on the streets.

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— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Turkmenistan takes batch of Chinese coronavirus vaccine

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MARCH 9 (The Bulletin) — Despite not acknowledging a single case of the coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 disease, Turkmenistan has accepted batches of a China-made vaccine. It has already approved the use of the Sputnik-V Russia-made vaccine. Most Central Asian countries have accepted supplies of both the Russian and Chinese vaccines, reflecting the geopolitical struggle over the region.

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— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Tajik labourers say that Chinese firms abuse them

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DUSHANBE/MARCH 5 (The Bulletin) — Tajik labourers working for a Chinese firm constructing a  new government building in Dushanbe have complained of poor conditions and harassment, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported (March 5).

The Tajik workers refused to give their names to reporters because they said that if they were caught complaining, they would be fired. “All heavy and manual work in construction is done by Tajiks, and local workers wear yellow helmets and Chinese wear red hats. Most of them are employers, engineers and office workers,” one worker told RFE/RL.

Tajikistan is heavily in debt to China which has given dozens of soft loans to build roads, new government buildings and beautify Dushanbe and other cities.

Activists have said that Chinese companies’ attitude towards different workers has been made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Most of the workers here are former migrants who can’t go to Russia because the border is closed,” said another person working on the site. Remittances from migrant workers typically make up around half of Tajikistan’s GDP.

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— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

India creates coronavirus air corridor with Uzbekistan

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MARCH 5 2021 (The Bulletin) — In what some analysts have described as a case of coronavirus realpolitik, India added Uzbekistan to a so-called ‘air bubble’ that allows Indians to travel to other countries with only limited restrictions. India has now set up ‘air bubbles’ with 27 countries. It is trying to build up influence in Central Asia and sees Uzbekistan as its best route.

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— This story was published in issue 474 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 5 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021