News Digest

Kazakh police clash with protesters on Independence Day

16 December

Some 400 protesters have clashed in Kazakhstan's commercial capital, Almaty, with security forces after police tried to detain the leader of the demonstration, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. The group was protesting unresolved housing issues and demands that the government resign. The clash on Republic Square occurred when police tried to arrest protest leader Ainur Kurmanov, who heads an unregistered NGO dealing with the housing crisis. Kurmanov told RFE/RL from the police station that the protesters wanted to commemorate the victims of a December protest in 1986, when Soviet forces cracked down on a student protest in Almaty. Kazakhstan marks the 17th anniversary of its independence on December 16. (RFE/RL)

Medvedev praises U.S. stance on Georgia MAP
28 November
Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, said he was pleased with the U.S. decision to drop its push for granting NATO Membership Action Plan to Georgia and Ukraine. “I am pleased that finally common sense has prevailed – although, unfortunately, it happened at the end of the present U.S. administration’s [term in office],” Medvedev told journalists during the visit in Havana on November 27. “In any case, it is the current state of affairs; whatever the reason is – whether the Americans have listened to the Europeans or something else, the most important is that this idea is no longer pushed forth so ferociously and senselessly as it has been done within past several years,” Medvedev added. Condoleezza Rice, the U.S. secretary of state, said on November 26, that there was no need at this stage to discuss granting MAP to Georgia and Ukraine. She, however, also said that Britain had an alternative proposal on how to proceed with the NATO’s Bucharest summit decision, which says that Georgia and Ukraine will become NATO members sometime in the future. Davit Bakradze, the Georgian Parliamentary Chairman, said on November 28, that Medvedev’s remarks did not reflect the U.S. position in full. “To see only the part of this statement [by Rice], which says that no MAP can be granted and not to see the other part, which speaks about joining NATO through using other mechanisms, is an attempt to accept desirable as reality,” Bakradze told journalists. In his remarks on the matter, Medvedev also said: “Let these countries [Georgia and Ukraine] themselves decide what they want. I have already numerously said – let them hold referendums first - no such [referendums] have been held – and then move wherever they want to.” 77% of voters in Georgia said in the January 5 plebiscite that they favoured NATO membership. (Civil Georgia)

Afghan Suicide Blast Kills 11; Two British Soldiers Dead
13 November
A suicide car-bomber has attacked a convoy of U.S.-led troops in eastern Afghanistan, killing 11 people, including a U.S. soldier, and wounding 58, the U.S. military said. Earlier, a U.S. military spokesman said 20 people had been killed in the attack on the outskirts of the eastern city of Jalalabad, near the border with Pakistan. Afghanistan is facing its worst spell of violence this year, the bloodiest since the Taliban's overthrow in 2001, raising fears about the success of international efforts to bring peace and to develop the country. Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said the bomber rammed his vehicle laden with explosives into the convoy as it went through a crowded market just outside Jalalabad. Ten of those killed in the suicide bombing were civilians as were the 58 wounded. "The enemies of Afghanistan committed another barbaric act today," Bashary said, referring to Taliban insurgents and their Al-Qaeda allies. Separately, two British soldiers were killed in the southern province of Helmand while on patrol on November 12 with Afghan soldiers, when their vehicle was blown up by a bomb, the British Ministry of Defense said. Also on November 12, suicide bombers struck in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, killing more than 10 people. Taliban spokesmen could not be contacted for comment. (Reuters)

Officials deny Chechen-Ingushetia merger
30 October
Rumors of a merger between the Russian republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia are unfounded, regional and federal officials said Wednesday.  Oleg Govorun, head of the domestic policy department, called the rumors "groundless," ITAR-TASS reported. "Neither the presidential administration nor the leaders of these republics have such plans," he said. "There are no consultations on the issue, these allegations are full gossip." The two republics were joined under the Soviet Union into a single autonomous area. Ramzan Kadyrov, president of Chechnya, said he would oppose any plan to merge Ingushetia into Chechnya. He said Chechnya is in a phase of "active reconstruction" and should not be burdened with Ingushetia's problems, RIA Novosti reported. Kadyrov heads a pro-Russian government installed after two wars waged by separatist Chechens. Violence in Ingushetia has been increasing recently, and human rights groups warn of a full-scale civil war. (UPI)

BP sees boom in Azeri energy sector
17 October
BP-Azerbaijan said its total investments for oil fields and pipeline arteries in the region could total $28 billion, top officials said Friday. BP Global Executive Director Andy Inglis said production from the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli and Shah Deniz fields could bring major investment opportunities to the oil-rich region, Trend Capital News reported. Gas production from the Shah Deniz field alone is expected to reach 8.6 billion cubic meters, with those volumes expected to reach 20 billion cubic meters in 2012. Meanwhile, the Azeri Press Agency noted the State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan said it would increase the volume of gas exports to Georgia from the Shah Deniz and ACG fields. "Because of recent happenings, Georgian companies terminated cooperation with Russian Gazprom. Azerbaijan will probably offer an increase in gas exports to this country," said SOCAR's Murad Heydarov. The region hosts the 1,099-mile Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, with BP-Azerbaijan as the majority shareholder. (UPI)

Rice: U.S. not trying to poach Kazakhstan
5 October

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday the United States is not attempting to poach Kazakhstan away from Russia. After meeting with Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Marat Tazhin, Rice dismissed accusations that the U.S. government has begun targeting Russian allies for diplomatic relations. Rice said while Kazakhstan may be a Russian ally, the country is not part of Russia's so-called sphere of influence. "First of all, Kazakhstan is an independent country. It can have friendships with whomever it wishes, and I think Kazakhstan has wished to have friendships and relationships with all of its neighbors," Rice said. "And that is, I think, perfectly acceptable in the 21st century, so we don't see and don't accept any notion of a special sphere of influence." Tazhin said while tensions are building between Russian and the international community, Kazakhstan had long enjoyed a ties with the United States. "At the same time, I should underline that our relationship with the United States has stable, has strategic character," he said. "And in 2006, during meetings of president of United States and president of Kazakhstan, it was very openly stated that our two countries have stable and strategic relationship." (UPI)

Armenia links issue of Abkhazia, S. Ossetia to N.-Karabakh

19 September

Armenia  will  not  recognize  the independence  of  Abkhazia  and  South Ossetia before Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence  receives  international recognition as "recognition of the independence of other states without the recognition of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh is nonsense," an Armenian diplomat said on Friday. Armenia  itself  has  not  recognized  the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh,  an Armenian-speaking enclave in Azerbaijan, though there have been "political,  legal,  moral,  ethical,  ethnic and other reasons for this," Oleg  Yesayan,  Armenian  ambassador  to  Belarus,  told  a  news conference in Minsk. "The independence of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh was declared on October  2,  1991, in full conformity to the then constitution of the USSR and  international  law.  Then  a  general  referendum was held and supreme  bodies  of  state  authority  were  elected – a parliament and government.  On  January  6,  1992 – more than 16 years ago – the state independence of  the  Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh was proclaimed. Both then and  now Armenia had and has all necessary reasons to recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh," Yesayan said. However,  there  began an international legal process of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh  conflict, and this is why Armenia has still not recognized the enclave's independence, he said. "It  is  for  the  same  reason that Armenia has not recognized the independence of Kosovo," the ambassador said. (Interfax)

IMF, Georgia Agree on USD 750 mln Loan
3 September
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on September 3 it had “agreed in principle” with the Georgian authorities on a USD 750 million financial package in the form of an 18-month stand-by arrangement. The proposed arrangement requires the approval of the IMF Executive Board, which is expected to consider Georgia's request in mid-September. The IMF said the arrangement was intended to support “the economic policies of the Georgian authorities and to help mitigate the adverse economic and financial consequences of the recent conflict.” Eka Sharashidze, the Georgian economy minister, said on September 3 that the government had revised economic growth forecasts for 2008. “Because of the war, we expect economic growth to slow to 5-6% from our initial estimate of double-digit growth,” she told journalists. “Georgia’s strong record of reform and sound macroeconomic policies has strengthened the resilience of the economy and bodes well for a solid recovery from this shock,” The IMF, whose mission visited Georgia on August 23-September 3, said in a statement. “The main objectives of the Stand-By Arrangement are to cover part of the expected temporary external financing gap, and to help sustain the confidence of markets and investors by supporting policies that will ensure continued macroeconomic stability and promote the recovery of private sector investment and economic growth.” Kakha Bendukidze, chief of the government’s administration, who once served as state minister in charge of economic reforms, said in an interview with the Georgian weekly Kviris Palitra this week that the Georgian economy hadn't collapsed and it had proved to be very flexible as a result of reforms carried out in recent years. (Civil Georgia)

RUSSIA CONTINUES PULLING BACK TROOPS FROM GEORGIA - RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY

21 August
Russia continued pulling back units  of  the 58th army of the Northern Caucasus Military District from Georgian territory, which were sent to the Georgia-Ossetia conflict area to  support  the Russian peacekeepers, the Russian Defense Ministry told Interfax. "The  second  troop train is currently being pulled back," Interfax was told. A large Russian military column, which was moving from the Georgian administrative  border,  entered  the  eastern part of Tskhinvali around 9:00 a.m.  Moscow  time.  The  column is composed of over forty units of equipment, including armored vehicles and artillery. The  column  did  not  stop  in Tskhinvali and headed towards North Ossetia. Earlier  this  week,  Russian  General  Staff  deputy chief Anatoly Nogovitsyn  said  Russia  will  fulfill  all its obligations to withdraw troops from  Georgia  enshrined  in the six settlement principles agreed upon by  the presidents Dmitry Medvedev of Russia and Nicolas Sarkozy of France. "We  will fulfill all our obligations based on the six principles," Nogovitsyn told a briefing in Moscow. (Interfax)

PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV ATTENDS GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY OF TURKISH STRETCH OF BTK RAILWAY

24 July

Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Abdullah Gul of Turkey and Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia as well as officials from the European Union, USA and other countries attended Thursday the groundbreaking ceremony of the Turkish section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway in Kars.  The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, also called Iron Silk Road, will link China with Europe. The ceremony started with opening remarks of Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim who called the 76-km railroad a landmark event. According to him, this project will make Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia even closer. Construction of the railway began on November 21 at the Marabda station in Georgia and is set to be completed in 2011.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili described BTK railway as the one of the major projects of the century. He pointed out BTK railway would allow boosting export potential of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia. Saakashvili noted this project could have never been realized without President Ilham Aliyev`s persistence. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev characterized the groundbreaking ceremony of the BTK railway as the landmark in the cooperation among the three countries. He described the BTK railway project as the example of effective cooperation. Thanks to the political will of the three countries, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum projects are being implemented, and BTK project is another success of this cooperation. Turkish President Gul described BTK railway project as the revival of the Silk Road. According to him, this project will link not only Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia but also Europe and Asia.
By early estimation, this railway will be carrying 1.5 million passengers and 6 million tons of cargo in 2010 and 3.5 million people and 16.5 million tons in 2034.  Kazakhstan signed the protocol to link up to the line. (Azertag)