Russia will be making its presence felt in the region over the coming days with President Putin in Tajikistan for a marathon round of meetings. It’s difficult not to see his visit, though long planned, as an attempt to redress the balance in Russia’s favour just a week after Condoleezza Rice lobbied key figures in the energy game at the General Assembly in New York. Rice also signed a deal with Kyrgyz foreign minister Ednan Karabayev to combat the smuggling of nuclear material.
Before heading to Dushanbe, Putin took the opportunity to hold talks with his Kazakh counterpart in Novosibirsk. President Nazarbayev underlined his desire to push ahead with the much-discussed Caspian shore pipeline as part of a wider “transport corridor“. Nazarbayev will return to Kazakhstan in time to welcome a 200-strong delegation led by Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. They will discuss the lingering dispute over the development of the Kashagan oilfield by a consortium led by Italy’s Eni.
Turkmenistan, which intends to triple its crude oil output by 2010, announced plans to pump $1bn into its Caspian enterprise zone. Writing for the Jamestown Foundation, John C.K. Daly speculated that Russia intends to use talks this weekend to entice Turkmenistan into membership of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.
An article and photo essay on EurasiaNet highlight the problem of north-south transportation in Tajikistan, particularly in winter when the main road becomes impassable. The Iranians funded and built a tunnel which was supposed to provide an alternative route, but despite being inaugurated in 2006 it has yet to open to traffic. Poor infrastructure is just one of the things hampering Tajikistan’s efforts to develop tourism. Bureaucracy, according to World Politics Review, also plays a role. And as the army’s conscription drive begins, RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty examines the attitudes of young Tajik men to military service.
In Kyrgyzstan this week a row erupted over girls wearing religious dress at school. Previously schools have tolerated hijab, but are citing new guidelines encouraging them to be stricter, according to the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.
In Uzbekistan Islam Karimov’s intentions over the forthcoming presidential election remain the subject of speculation, though it now seems likely he will be nominated. Karimov is not allowed to run for a third term according to the Uzbek constitution.
Stay tuned to Central Asia Now for weekly news digests. Keep an eye out for analysis slots by regional experts.
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