Tag Archives: security

Aliyev meets Putin in Kremlin days after Russian soldiers quit Nagorno-Karabakh

BAKU/YEREVAN/APRIL 22 2024 (The Bulletin) — Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s president, flew to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, five days after the Kremlin pulled 2,000 Russian soldiers out of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Under a 2020 peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the soldiers had a mandate to remain in the disputed region until 2025 but the Kremlin said that they were no longer needed.

“Geopolitical realities in the region have changed and there are no more operational functions left for them,” said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman. Instead, the soldiers will redeploy to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In the Kremlin, Mr Aliyev and Mr Putin shook hands and smiled warmly for the camera. They said that they had discussed “regional security” but did not reference Nagorno-Karabakh or the war in Ukraine.

Analysts have said that Russia’s withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh either represents a weakening of the Kremlin’s influence in the region or the emergence of a security pact between Baku and Moscow.

Armenian officials have accused Russia of betrayal and Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian PM, has said that he wants to leave the Kremlin’s CSTO security pact.

Azerbaijan recaptured the whole of Nagorno-Karabakh in September when a lightning-quick strike grabbed Stepanakert, the rebel capital. Around 120,000 ethnic Armenians fled after the attack and Yerevan has accused Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing.

On April 16, Armenia lodged an ethnic cleansing case against Azerbaijan with the Hague-based International Court of Justice.

Armenia has also agreed to transfer four villages demanded by Azerbaijan, a move described as an important milestone towards peace. Mr Aliyev had demanded the villages because he said that, historically, they were Azerbaijani.

The decision to hand over the villages has triggered protests but the Armenian government said it cuts the risk of war with Azerbaijan.

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— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

UK foreign minister goes on “grand tour” of Central Asia

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APRIL 22 2024 (The Bulletin) — David Cameron, Britain’s foreign minister, started a “Grand Tour” of Central Asia designed to win backing for migrant labour deals from the region’s presidents and persuade them to support the West over the Kremlin. Lord Cameron becomes the first British foreign minister to visit Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, highlighting the increased importance of the region. Britain has been trying to plug Brexit labour shortages with migrants from Central Asia.

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— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Armenian seperatist leader goes on hunger strike

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APRIL 19 2024 (The Bulletin) — A billionaire former leader of Armenia-backed rebels in Nagorno-Karabakh has gone on hunger strike in an Azerbaijani prison, media reported. Ruben Vardanyan was arrested in September during a lightning Azerbaijani strike on Stepanakert, the rebel capital. He was the co-founder of Troika Dialog, one of Russia’s biggest investment banks, but he renounced his Russian citizenship in 2022 and moved to Stepanakert to become a leader for several months.

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— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Armenia to start manufacturing drones

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APRIL 17 2024 (The Bulletin) — Armenia could soon start manufacturing its own drones, its minister for hi-tech industry, Mkhitar Hayrepetyan, said. He said that Armenia’s defence ministry had already placed orders worth $305m with manufacturers for what he described as “moderate quality” drones. Armenia is trying to arm itself with more sophisticated weapons to close the tech gap with Azerbaijan.

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— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

EU to send “non-lethal” aid to Armenia

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APRIL 17 2024 (The Bulletin) — The EU agreed to send “non-lethal” military aid to Armenia for the first time, part of increasingly tight ties. Under the agreement, Armenia will send 10m euros under the European Peace Facility (EPF) which will finance battalion-sized field camps and army medical centres. Last month the EU pledged 270m euros to Armenia to strengthen business and society against Russian influence. ENDS

— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Migrant flow from Tajikistan to Russia has picked up, says airline

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DUSHANBE/APRIL 17 2024 (The Bulletin) — Migrant flows from Dushanbe to Moscow have picked up since a drop after a terrorist attack in Moscow, Tajik media quoted aviation officials as saying.

This is important because Tajik officials had reported that thousands of Tajik workers wanted to leave Russia at the end of March because of an increase in xenophobic attacks and pressure from the police.

Remittances sent back by workers in Russia are vital for the Tajik economy, making up around 25% of its GDP.

An official for Somon Air, a Tajik airline, said that by the end of April passenger traffic between Tajikistan and Russia should have returned to normal.

“We’re seeing a trend towards an increase in passenger traffic in the direction of Russia and back compared with the figures two weeks ago,” the official said.

Somon Air operates between 130 and 140 flights per month between Russia and Tajikistan.

Police arrested four Tajik men for killing at least 144 people at a rock concert in Moscow on March 22, the worst terrorist attack in Russia for 20 years.

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— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Comment: Tajikistan complains of torture to Russia

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APRIL 15 2024 (The Bulletin) –Don’t underestimate the importance of Tajikistan complaining to the Kremlin about the torture of four of its citizens, arrested for a terror attack in Moscow in March.

Dushanbe has been incensed at the cruelty shown by Russian security forces to the four men who were captured relatively unharmed but appeared later in court bruised and battered, their eyes hollow.

Of course, the Tajik government feels shame that its citizens are involved in terrorist incidents but they also link the torture of the men to humiliation felt by the thousands of Tajik workers who are now being stopped and searched on Russian streets and often deported for infractions.

Remittances are vital to the Tajik economy and it is important that Russia keeps welcoming Tajiks. It’s also a worry that Turkey has suspended visa-free access for Tajiks after the terror attack.

Policymakers’ reaction to the terror attack in Moscow may be to shun and discriminate against Tajiks. This would be entirely wrong and it is good to hear the Tajik government standing up for its citizens.

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— This story was published in issue 564 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 15 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Armenia posts its first defence attache to Britain

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APRIL 8 2024 (The Bulletin) — India posted its first defence attache to its embassy in Yerevan, a sign military ties between the two countries are hardening. Armenia has started to buy weapons from India since downgrading relations with Russia last year. Armenian media also reported that Armenia will post its first defence attache at its enlarged embassy in London, another sign that it is shifting its strategic thinking away from Russia and towards the West.

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— This story was published in issue 564 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 15 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Hardline Russian politician calls for invasion of Kazakhstan

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APRIL 7 2024 (The Bulletin) — A hardline Russian politician resumed his calls for the Kremlin to invade Kazakhstan, setting off another debate in Kazakhstan about the readiness of its army and relations with Russia. The supposedly clandestine recording of Andriy Gurulyov, a Russian Duma deputy and a former army general, said that Kazakhstan should be next because it is “ungrateful”. Several Kremlin propagandists have called on Russia to invade Kazakhstan but Kazakh officials have played down the threat.

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— This story was published in issue 564 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 15 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Pashinyan accused of nepotism

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JAN. 10 2022 (The Bulletin) — Three Armenian NGOs accused PM Nikol Pashinyan of nepotism after he appointed his childhood friend, Vahe Ghazaryan, as interior minister. They pulled out of a high-profile project with the government to reform the Armenian police, often accused of being corrupt and incompetent. Mr Ghazaryan has been head of Armenia’s national police force since 2020. Mr Pashinyan approved the re-establishment of the interior ministry in December, two decades after it was disbanded. Its main job is to organise and monitor the police.

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— This story was published in issue 532 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Jan. 16 2023