Field Reports

On January 11, former Kyrgyz Defense Minister Ismail Isakov was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment. In addition, he was deprived of his General’s rank and obliged to pay a heavy fine. Isakov was found guilty of the illegal transfer of one of the ministry’s apartments to his son’s ownership while heading the office. At the same time, the Bishkek Military Court freed Isakov on other two charges – the illegal selling of written-off military hardware and embezzlement of budget funds.  Isakov has already appealed against the sentence at the Republican Military Court.

Umida Ahmedova is a documentary photographer and Uzbekistan’s first camerawoman. In the end of 2009, she was charged with insult and defamation of the Uzbek nation on the basis of some of her works. Ahmedova went through a trial, where she was found guilty on all charges. The incident received wide publicity domestically in Uzbekistan, as well as internationally. This is a likely reason why the artist was granted an amnesty and released.

Georgia's president Mikheil Saakashvili voiced the proposal for Georgia is to become a logistical hub for NATO's Afghanistan mission in a phone interview with the Associated Press on January 29th.

On February 3, Tajikistan’s Prime Minister Akil Akilov received a letter from his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoev, who requested the Tajik Government to reconsider its construction of the Roghun hydropower station. The Government of Uzbekistan insists that an international and independent assessment of the Roghun construction project should be conducted, and is concerned that the Roghun project may entail disastrous consequences for the entire region.

On January 19, Nikol Pashinyan, editor-in-chief of pro-opposition Haikakan Zhamanak Daily, was sentenced to seven years in prison for organizing mass disorders during the opposition protests on March 1-2, 2008, following the disputed presidential election in February 2008. At least 10 people died and hundreds were injured in the clashes between government forces and protesters who challenged the official results that gave victory to current president Serzh Sargsyan. Pashinyan, an active supporter of former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s bid to challenge Sargsyan’s planned ascension to power, went into hiding and turned himself in on July 1, 2009. This was one month before the deadline given to all fugitives by the parliament-approved presidential amnesty, which secured the release of around 30 opposition activists. 

Speaking to journalists on January 7, Tajikistan’s Migration Service chief Safiallo Devonaev said the government is strengthening efforts to diversify destinations for the country’s surplus labor. Already this year about 1,000 physicians and nurses from Tajikistan will get jobs in Saudi Arabia under an agreement reached in November 2009. They can soon be followed by engineers, drivers and construction workers. According to Mr. Devonaev, Tajik authorities are working to reach similar agreements with Qatar, Iran, Kuwait, Belarus and Ukraine. In the long term, the Migration Service chief said, European countries, Turkey and Canada might be willing to take Tajik workers.

Soon after signing the Turkish-Armenian protocols in October 2009, Turkish officials asserted that their ratification would depend on developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution process, i.e. the return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control. However, during the recent visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan to Moscow, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin declared that attempts to normalize Armenian-Turkish relations and solve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue simultaneously should be abandoned. It has become clear that conflict resolution depends on Russia’s will to exercise pressure on Armenia – and that, in turn, depends on Azerbaijan’s readiness to make concessions. If Azerbaijan agrees to sell all its gas to Russia, pressure on Armenia may lead to a deal on Nagorno-Karabakh, but that will result in stronger Russian dominance in the South Caucasus and endanger Europe’s energy security.

On January 12, Tashkent held an opening ceremony for a new monument called “An oath to the Motherland” (“Vatanga Kasamyod”). The opening ceremony was held on the eve of the Defenders of the Motherland Day. Apparently, the new monument replaced the older one dedicated to “A defender of the southern borders of the Soviet Union”. This replacement caused discontent among some representatives of the Russian authorities. Their Uzbek counterparts, however, were quick to provide explanations to the matter. Nevertheless, even though the situation will hardly cause a serious breakdown in the relationships of Uzbekistan and Russia, several experts view the event as yet another indicator of growing nationalist ideology in Uzbekistan and an urge to get rid of the Soviet past.

On January 2, a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 20 villages in Vanj district, 230 kilometers east of Dushanbe and 80 kilometers north of Khorog, the region’s administrative capital, in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). Hundreds of people became homeless in the subzero weather. There were no reported fatalities.

Azerbaijani officials have recently expressed their criticism with U.S. policies, hinting at cooling relations between the two countries. Observers are concerned that disappointment with Washington's policies after President Obama’s ascent to power can damage the "strategic" partnership and redirect Baku's foreign policy towards Moscow.