APRIL 8 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – A shootout on the Abkhazia-Georgia border killed a Russian border guard and two Georgians, triggering a row between the Kremlin and Tbilisi. Russia said the Georgians were working under orders from central government but Georgia said the dead men were criminals and showed rebel Abkhazia was lawless.
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(News report from Issue No. 35, published on April 11 2011)
MARCH 29 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov sacked national security minister Charymyrat Amanov for unspecified “shortcomings”, state TV said. Mr Amanov had been in the post since 2007. President since December 2006, Mr Berdymukhamedov has often sacked minsters suddenly and with no explanation.
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(News report from Issue No. 34, published on April 4 2011)
MARCH 28 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, each of its 153 members can block the accession of another country.
Russia has been negotiating since 1993 to join the WTO. The US wants it to join and in December 2010, the European Union said it also wanted Russia to join.
The main stumbling block is Georgia. Already a WTO member, Georgia’s block on Russian membership is one of its strongest diplomatic weapons. But Georgia also has to be wary of over playing it.
Georgia and Russia resumed their negotiations over Russian WTO membership during a two-day meeting in Bern on March 9. It was their first meeting on the WTO issue since Georgia broke off talks in April 2008 after Russia strengthened relations with the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Relations worsened further and in August 2008 they fought a brief war.
But now, under pressure from its allies, Georgia is back negotiating with Russia. In exchange for agreeing to Russian WTO membership Georgia wants more control over customs points along its internationally recognised border between Russia and Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Georgia can take a tough line but it has to be careful not to isolate itself and irritate its allies. Both sides said the meeting in Bern was constructive. The next meeting is expected in April.
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(News report from Issue No. 33, published on March 28 2011)
MARCH 24 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – A document released by the German parliament showed Germany had paid Uzbekistan for the use of a military base while EU sanctions were imposed in 2005-9. The EU imposed sanctions after Uzbek soldiers killed protesters in 2005. Germany had rented the base since 2002. Rights groups have said the West places strategic interests above human rights in Central Asia.
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(News report from Issue No. 33, published on March 28 2011)
MARCH 19 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Russian news agencies quoted Kyrgyz PM Almazbek Atambayev as saying during a meeting with Russian PM Vladimir Putin that Kyrgyzstan was ready to sell 75% of its gas company, KyrgyzGas, to Russia. Russia and the US are competing for influence in Kyrgyzstan, where they each have an airbase.
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(News report from Issue No. 32, published on March 21 2011)
MARCH 17 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – In a gesture of good will over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged one prisoner each in a deal arranged last year. A ceasefire since 1994 has maintained a shaky peace over Nagorno-Karabakh but sporadic shootouts between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers over the last few years have intensified.
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(News report from Issue No. 32, published on March 21 2011)
MARCH 17 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Defence ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states — Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan — met in Astana to coordinate policy until 2013. The SCO, a military and economic group, has increased its activities over the last few years and some analysts have even referred to it as a potential counterbalance to NATO.
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(News report from Issue No. 32, published on March 21 2011)
MARCH 11/12 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Police in Azerbaijan arrested about 150 people in Baku during demonstrations that some protesters had hoped would trigger uprisings similar to those in the Middle East. The protesters organised the demonstrations via Facebook but a heavy police presence snuffed out any momentum.
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(News report from Issue No. 31, published on March 14 2011)
MARCH 10 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Masked police raided several Turkish businesses in Tashkent including one of the city’s biggest supermarket Turkuaz, media reported. The authorities said the businesses were fronts for Islamic extremism, accusations the businesses deny. The raids follow similar action against Turkish business in December and may be part of turf war.
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(News report from Issue No. 31, published on March 14 2011)
MARCH 7 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – In a sign of just how crucial Kyrgyzstan is to US policy in Central Asia and Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan’s President Roza Otunbayeva met with US President Barack Obama at the White House. The Manas airbase outside Bishkek is a major re-supply hub for the US mission in Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstan has said it wants to impose a $40m fuel tax on the base.
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(News report from Issue No. 31, published on March 14 2011)