Eurasia News Week in Review - April 25, 2014

04/25/14
Daniel Resnick
Central Eurasia
U.S. Policy, Foreign Policy, Security, Human Rights

This week Russia made diplomatic moves to keep the United States out of the Caspian Sea while the Collective Security Treaty Organization said it is ending its cooperation with NATO. Below is a roundup of these stories and some of the other top articles and news highlights from around Central Eurasia over the last week:

Top stories from Central Asia and the South Caucasus:

  • On Tuesday, foreign ministers from Caspian Sea littoral countries – Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan – agreed to a Russian demand to restrict the presence of non-littoral navies in the Caspian, specifically referencing the United States. The agreement came amid Russian consternation about recent U.S. naval deployments in the Black Sea, with Russia accusing the U.S. of violating a treaty that limits foreign presence in the sea. As analyst Joshua Kucera noted on The Bug Pit, some Caspian Sea countries (Iran and Russia) appear more resolute about the restriction than others (Azerbaijan). While the U.S. has no formal military presence in the Caspian, it has worked with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to improve their naval capacities, and it is unclear if these efforts would be impacted by this restriction.     
  • The Secretary General of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Nikolai Bordyuzha, made two noteworthy statements about CSTO deployments in Central Asia and cooperation with NATO following the crisis in Ukraine:
    • On Tuesday, Bordyuzha stated that increased military assistance to Tajikistan should be sufficient to prevent instability from reaching Central Asia after NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, negating the need for additional CSTO presence in the region. Bordyuzha also noted the CSTO could deploy its Rapid Reaction force to the region if instability were to arise.
    • On Thursday, Bordyuzha said the CSTO would halt its contacts and joint activities with NATO due to the crisis in Ukraine and instead strengthen the organization’s cooperation with the Chinese-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Joshua Kucera noted that CSTO – NATO contacts are limited anyway, writing that NATO has rebuffed CSTO proposals for closer cooperation in the past.     
  • A U.S. Congressional delegation led by House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman, Ed Royce (R-CA), visited Azerbaijan and Armenia this week. In Azerbaijan, the delegation met with the Foreign Minister, Defense Minister and President. With regards to security, discussions centered on Azerbaijan’s peacekeeping contributions in Afghanistan, counterterrorism cooperation and energy security. In Armenia, the delegation met with the country’s president and paid tribute to victims of the Armenian Genocide, which marked its 99th anniversary this week.

 

Quick hits from Central Asia and the South Caucasus:

  • Azerbaijan arrested prominent liberal journalist Rauf Mirqadirov and charged him with spying on behalf of Azerbaijan’s rival, Armenia. Mirqadirov was involved in Track II diplomacy (civilian diplomacy not sanctioned by the official governments) efforts with Armenian civil society groups, and analysts wondered whether these civilian peace efforts would stop following his arrest. The U.S. Embassy in Baku criticized Mirqadirov’s arrest.
  • The New York Times analyzed Russia’s military tactics in Ukraine, highlighting the “swift meshing of hard and soft power” that Russia used to annex Crimea and destabilize other parts of the country. The article stated that the tactics worked best because of Ukraine’s proximity to Russia and the presence of “pockets of ethnic Russians to provide local support,” and wrote that Central Asia and the South Caucasus could likewise be vulnerable if a similar situation were to take place. 
  • In his annual address to the nation, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon singled out Russia as the country’s main strategic partner and called for increased economic, cultural and military ties with the country. Rahmon also called for enhancing cooperation with the U.S. and European Union, particularly in the “fight against terrorism, extremism, illegal traffic of narcotics and transnational organized crime.”
  • Turkey’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff, General Necdet Ozel, visited Kyrgyzstan this week and met with his Kyrgyz counterpart and Kyrgyzstan’s President. The two sides discussed strengthening military cooperation between the countries. Meanwhile, Kyrgyz and Turkish Special Forces are conducting training exercises that will run through May 30.
  • High-level Kyrgyz security officials participated in a counterterrorism “study tour” in Turkey organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The visit was part of a larger counterterrorism cooperation agreement between Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and the OSCE.
  • Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament ratified a joint-air defense system agreement with Russia on Wednesday.