This week President Karimov of Uzbekistan visited Turkmenistan, where he was made an honorary elder. He had other reasons to be pleased, though, as the amount of cotton harvested back home reached government targets and the European Union promised to ease sanctions against the country. The sanctions were imposed following a violent crackdown against protesters in the town of Andijan in 2005 and after Uzbekistan refused to allow an international investigation. Though an arms embargo remains in place, visa restrictions imposed on officials have been relaxed. The decision has drawn criticism from human rights groups.
Kazakhstan’s controversial bid for the chairmanship of the OSCE in 2009 received a boost on Wednesday, as the US permanent representative to the OSCE said her country views the application with “great optimism”. Germany also stated that it would support the bid. Groups such as Reporters Without Borders oppose the Kazakhstan’s application on the basis that it has never held completely free and fair elections, and one of the OSCE’s primary responsibilities is election monitoring.
As Kyrgyzstan’s constitutional referendum draws closer, the country’s Prosecutor General has once again called on Russia to extradite Aidar Akayev, son of the ex-President of the republic, Askar. Since the government’s overthrow in 2005, none of the Akayev family have been back Kyrgyzstan, with the exception of Bermet, who was charged with various offences on her return. The referendum itself may be the prelude to a snap election, according to Reuters. President Bakiyev currently faces a parliament dominated by his opponents. If passed, some the constitutional amendments he proposes will make it easier for his supporters to enter the legislature.
EurasiaNet reports on an expert panel convened at Washington DC’s Central Asia Caucasus Institute to discuss Tajikistan’s progress since the end of the civil war 10 years ago. Elsewhere on the site, James Delly discusses the country’s cotton harvest, which relies on student labour.
Stay tuned to Central Asia Now for weekly news digests. Keep an eye out for analysis slots by regional experts.
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