Field Reports

On April 14, 2012, media in Tajikistan reported that local residents of the Mastcha district in Northern Tajikistan had observed multiple heavy military vehicles gathering on Uzbekistan’s territory close to its state border with Tajikistan. Observers believe that Uzbekistan’s concentration of military hardware on its border with Tajikistan is another sign of increased tension between the two neighboring countries.

The Parliament of Georgia passed draft amendments to the Organic Law on Political Unions of Citizens in its second reading on April 24. The new changes aim to ease the strict regulations imposed by the original amendments, which were initiated by the Georgian government in fall 2011.

On April 25, President Nazarbayev was interviewed by one of Russia’s leading television channels, Russia 24. Two weeks before the inauguration of Vladimir Putin as the country’s new president, the Kazakh leader shared his vision about the future of the world economy, the prospects of integration on the post-Soviet space and his understanding of common challenges for regional security in Central Asia.

Negotiations between Kyrgyzstan and Russia on large energy projects are deadlocked due to Moscow’s demands to revise the existing agreements. While most local observers support Bishkek's intention to adhere to the current agreement, others contend that the country's leaders need to consider Moscow's proposal.

On April 6, Astana hosted another meeting of foreign ministers representing the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. This high-level gathering was organized a month before the Moscow summit of the CSTO heads of state, which will officially mark the 20th anniversary of the Treaty, and touched upon a series of issues ranging from bilateral relations to the organization’s international agenda. As regards the situation in Afghanistan, the ministers agreed to take concrete measures to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border, considering that a gradual transfer of security responsibilities to Afghan authorities will further aggravate the pending risks in hardly controllable border areas. For this purpose, it is envisaged that Tajikistan will receive additional support, in financial or technical terms, to fight unwarranted intrusions.

The Electoral Commission of South Ossetia announced on April 9 that the former head of the region’s State Security Committee, Leonid Tibilov, had become the de-facto president of the region. Georgia, as well as the international community minus Russia and a handful of other states, considers the elections illegitimate.

In preparation of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, Europe's largest television event which will be hosted by Azerbaijan in May, the national security forces have conducted mopping-up operations throughout the country. On April 12, Russian news agency Interfax cited an article published on Ummanews.com, stating that an author who introduced himself as Muslim threatened the participants of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Baku. Ummanews.com, a Russian-language web site, presents itself as an “international Islamic information portal” opened by a group of Islamic students studying abroad. (The word ummah means the community of Muslims or even the whole Muslim world.) According to the article published on April 8, Eurovision was termed “a nightmare” for all Muslims. “The forces of the Devil, perverts and homosexuals from across the world should not think that they can so easily come to the land on which the blood of faithful Muslims was shed and behave any way they want. They will certainly be attacked,” the author allegedly said.
It added that “no Mossad, MI6, CIA, NSM [National Security Ministry] or other three-letter organizations can protect them from the punishment they deserve.”

While lavish festivities have not been rare in post-independence Tajikistan, the week-long celebration of Novruz this year, from March 21-25, surpassed most previous events in scale and grandeur. Parades, concerts, sports events, and fairs were held across the country, both in towns and villages, leaving few neighborhoods uninvolved. Tajiks were given a week-long vacation to participate in these events, which culminated in a massive theatrical performance in Dushanbe on March 25. The performance involved some 5,000 students and about 500 professional actors and actresses, and was attended by Afghan, Iranian, and Pakistani leaders. The extensive celebrations were used by the authorities to foster a sense of national pride and cohesion, and to emphasize the Tajiks’ Persian roots.

Parliamentary elections will be held in Armenia on May 6. The elections hold several important implications for the country. First, the country’s leadership has promised that these elections will be the cleanest held in Armenia so far. As can be understood from other reports, this will be an important precondition for continued Western support to Armenia. However, all elections held in the country to date have drawn international criticism.