Eurasia News Week in Review - January 10, 2014 Share This /

Below is a roundup of some of the top articles and news highlights from around Central Eurasia over the last week:

Top Stories from Central Asia and the South Caucasus:

• On the BugPit blog, analyst Joshua Kucera covered a recent interview between the head of the United States Transportation Command, General William Fraser, and Russian news agency ITAR-TASS. In the interview General Fraser confirmed the sparse flow of cargo out of Afghanistan through the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), noting that less than one percent of all cargo is shipped out through these Central Asian and Russian routes. General Fraser explained that the shift away from the NDN is because the northern routes cost more money and take longer than the Pakistani ones. As Kucera noted, however, other U.S. officials have been more critical of the NDN, stating that the cumbersome bureaucratic steps imposed by the Central Asian states are a major obstacle to using the routes.  
• Officials from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan held multiple meetings this week to try to resolve security issues in the disputed Fergana Valley. 2013 saw numerous outbursts of violence along the disputed borders between the countries, with the latest episode coming in December. During their meetings, Tajik and Kyrgyz officials agreed to strengthen border cooperation and decided that police officers and border guards from both countries would jointly patrol the area. However, progress on actually delineating the border between the countries remains difficult, and Kyrgyzstan’s Vice Prime Minister for Defense, Security and Border Issues admitted that the country has not demarcated its borders with either Tajikistan or Uzbekistan in seven years.
• In a previous post, we examined the recent announcement by Georgia’s defense minister that the country intends to replace its Soviet and Russian made attack and utility helicopters with U.S.-made ones. The announcement listed the high cost of maintenance and problems with corruption as the reason for the intended switch, and Joshua Kucera pointed out in his SAM post that Georgia has experienced difficulty purchasing and servicing defense equipment from both ex-Soviet and Western countries. Kucera wrote, though, that the U.S. might be more comfortable selling big-ticket defense equipment to Georgia after it recently went through a democratic change of power. He further noted that proposed language restricting security assistance to Georgia was removed from the recently passed U.S. Defense budget bill, possibly clearing the way for greater security cooperation between the two countries.

Quick Hits from Central Asia and the South Caucasus:

• In a lengthy speech on Friday, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev stated that 2013 saw very little progress towards a diplomatic solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, though he expressed optimism and hope that the situation would change in 2014. Aliyev also praised the growth of Azerbaijan’s military in 2013, saying “Our military power play a crucial role in a just settlement of the Nagorno -Karabakh conflict…”
• Azerbaijan and Armenia’s foreign ministers will meet in Paris to discuss a peaceful solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict during the second half of January, Armenia’s foreign minister said on Wednesday. There are additional reports that the presidents of both countries may meet as early as February.  
• Officials from Turkey’s armed forces visited Azerbaijan and Georgia this week. In both cases, cooperation in the defense industry sphere was high on the agenda.
• Azerbaijan’s concluded its two-year membership on the UN Security Council in January. Azernews wrote a useful summary of Azerbaijan’s activities and priorities on the UNSC during its term. 
• Joshua Kucera noted that the U.S. Central Command regional publication, Central Asia Online, would cease to publish shortly because the 2014 U.S. Defense Budget bill cuts all funding for the Trans Regional Web Initiative. Kucera and others have criticized Central Asia Online for its uncritical coverage of Uzbekistan’s counterterrorism operations.
• While stressing that he hopes Russia would maintain its presence in Baikonur Cosmodrome, the head of Kazakhstan’s space agency stated that Kazakhstan wants more sovereignty over the Russian space site within Kazakh territory.
• Twice this week Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security arrested suspects accused of having jihadi ties. On both occasions the suspects allegedly sought to recruit Kyrgyz citizens to join the rebels in Syria.
• The U.S. Defense Department announced last Friday that its personnel in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan would no longer receive danger pay, following a comprehensive threat assessment by the combatant commands.