In the aftermath of last week’s SCO summit in Bishkek, The Economist puts paid to suggestions that it represents a new kind of Warsaw Pact. The Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) comments that it will not be admitting any new members, at least for the time being. EurasiaNet’s Igor Rotar looks at reasons existing SCO members are still far from a genuine diplomatic or military alignment.
In the host nation, Kyrgyzstan, attention returned to domestic problems, including the $2 billion national debt. The fund set up to encourage citizens to help pay off the debt has so far received about $4000.
On Friday a BP executive, in Turkmenistan to meet President Berdymukhammedov, raised the prospect of investing in the country to develop its rich oil and gas reserves. At the same time the Kazakh government has warned the consortium exploring the Kashagan oilfield that it may have its licence revoked for breaching environmental guidelines. This has prompted the Italian Prime Minister to schedule a visit to Kazakhstan. The Italian company Eni leads the consortium.
The think tank International Crisis Group warned on Thursday that Uzbekistan was a ‘threat to the region’ because of its regime’s lack of regard for human rights and the possiblity of a violent succession struggle. In Tajikistan two men who had been detained in Guantanamo Bay and were said to be members of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan were sentenced to 17 years imprisonment. A Russian human rights group has expressed concern at the number of Uzbek asylum seekers being extradited by Kazakhstan.
A delegation of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, in Turkmenistan for a five day tour, praised the release earlier this month of 11 prisoners, including a prominent Muslim cleric. Writing in EurasiaNet, Aisha Berdyeva warns that the amnesty doesn’t necessary signal a more liberal agenda and IWPR suggests that further pardons are unlikely.
Stay tuned to Central Asia Now for weekly news digests. Keep an eye out for our fortnightly analysis slots by regional experts.
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