Eurasia Week in Review - June 6, 2014
The United States formally handed Kyrgyzstan control of the Manas Air Base this week, while several top officials from the Central Eurasian region met with NATO defense ministers this week to discuss security cooperation. Below is a roundup of these stories and other news highlights from around Central Eurasia this week.
Top News from Central Asia and the South Caucasus
· The United States officially closed the Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan, the most prominent U.S. military installation in Central Asia, on June 3. The remaining service personnel are scheduled to leave the base by the end of week. $30 million in specialized military equipment will be left to Kyrgyz authorities.
· On June 3, U.S. President Barack Obama announced a $1 billion fund to boost the defenses of NATO's easternmost members and other friendly countries on Russia's borders: "We will be stepping up our partnerships with friends like Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia as they provide for their own defense." The money would support ongoing land, sea, and air deployments in Eastern Europe, move additional resources closer to the Russian border, and provide additional aid to non-NATO members Ukraine and Georgia.
· Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov visited the NATO military command in Brussels to discuss NATO-Azerbaijani relations and further develop the cooperation plan set out in the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) on Azerbaijan. Hasanov also met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to discuss NATO’s new mission in Afghanistan after 2014. Azerbaijan is among the eight partner countries that have confirmed their presence in Afghanistan following U.S. withdrawal.
· NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says Russia must accept Georgia’s decision to pursue greater military and economic integration with NATO and the European Union. Although Joshua Kucera writes on his blog The Bug Pit, it remains to be seen what NATO will decide regarding Georgian accession to the security alliance at the upcoming summit in Wales this September.
Quick Hits from Central Asia and the South Caucasus
· U.S. Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal arrived in Tajikistan this week for the third session of the U.S.-Tajikistan Annual Bilateral Consultations. And is expected to meet with political leaders, civil society and youth representatives, and international organization officials.
· The President of Georgian Abkhazia resigned under pressure this week after large demonstrations against his failure to end corruption. Moscow sent high-level emissaries to the breakaway region to calm the unrest.
·Trilateral meetings between the Azerbaijani, Turkish, and Georgian defense ministers took place on June 5 to discuss joint exercises to protect strategic energy and transport infrastructure in the region.
·The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan received a delegation from Afghanistan to discuss bilateral security issues. The presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan also met this week to discuss issues related to energy security and transport networks.
·The U.S. State Department called upon Azerbaijan and Armenia to redouble efforts on finding a political settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
·Turkey announced plans to develop stronger economic ties with Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, aiming to eventually launch a transport network between Turkey and these countries to increase trade volume.
·Uzbekistan and Latvia discussed bilateral security cooperation during an official visit on May 27.
·The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, will hold hearings next week to discuss the security, economic, and human rights dimensions of U.S.-Azerbaijani relations.