Eurasia News Week in Review - January 31, 2014 Share This /

A commander in the U.S. Army Sustainment Command confirmed this week that the military would begin shifting operations from the Manas Transit Center to Romania next month, while the head of Central Command’s Special Operations department visited the region to discuss cooperation with Tajikistan’s special forces. 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:

• The United States military will begin moving operations from the Manas Transit Center in Kyrgyzstan to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania next month, Major General John O’Connor revealed in an interview this week. While the new base in Romania is a temporary one, at least 20,000 U.S. soldiers and marines are expected to pass through as operations in Afghanistan wind down. And though the new base is further from Afghanistan, it will cost less to use than the Kyrgyzstan base, and conditions are expected to be superior to those in Manas.
• Joshua Kucera posted a blog on the Worldwide Threat Assessment published by the U.S. Intelligence Community on Thursday, which revealed the U.S. government’s analysis of the security situation in Central Eurasia. Although the report is markedly similar to last year’s, Kucera noted that “unclear political succession plans” in countries in the region are identified as a concern for the first time, while the threat of interstate conflict is somewhat downplayed. The threat assessment also focuses on the potential for internal instability in Georgia due to the government’s prosecution of former regime officials; the likelihood of escalation between Armenia and Azerbaijan; and Russia’s foreign and defense policies.
• The head of U.S. Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT), Major General Michael Nagata, visited Tajikistan on Monday to meet with senior U.S. and Tajik officials. According to a press release by the U.S. embassy in Dushanbe, the two sides discussed “continued military cooperation between the United States and Tajikistan, including SOCCENT’s relationship with the Tajik Special Operations Forces.” U.S. training of Tajik military and police forces spiked in 2012, with training specifically concentrating on one of Tajikistan’s special forces units, the State Committees for National Security (the GKNB). Analyst Joshua Kucera has written extensively on U.S. training and assistance to Tajikistan’s GKNB, even though these forces are accused of being deployed against domestic opponents rather than outside threats.
• The U.S. embassy in Tajikistan also announced on Monday that 23 participants from Tajikistan’s Ministry of Interior, the GKNB, and the General Prosecutor’s Office completed a Major Case Management course, one of several Antiterrorism Assistance programs the State Department is running in Tajikistan this year. The statement said the course taught participants terrorism investigation techniques and expressed hope that participants will pass on their knowledge to their colleagues.
• Several U.S. officials released statements this week on the escalating violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan along Nagorno Karabakh and the subsequent ministerial talks in Paris. Deputy State Department Spokesperson Marie Harf re-iterated the department’s “position that the use of force will not resolve this conflict.” The overall position was summarized in U.S. Ambassador James Warlick’s tweet, calling for a “focus on finding peace; escalation is no one’s interest.” Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA), meanwhile, blamed Azerbaijan for the escalation of violence, scolding Azerbaijan for “creat[ing] obstacles to the peace process,” and adding that it “must be held accountable for these ruthless displays of violence.”

Quick Hits from Central Asia and the South Caucasus:

• U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) intends to purchase $100 million worth of commercial goods from the Central Asian states in 2014, which will then be shipped to Afghanistan. CENTCOM hopes that the procurements will support “the development of regional competition and support local business development.”
• The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, of which the U.S. is a member, announced new antiterrorism and border control cooperation activities with Kyrgyzstan’s security forces and customs officers. 
• Joshua Kucera highlighted some recent developments following the clashes between Kyrgyz and Tajik border guards earlier month, including the presence of Tajik paramilitary forces near the border and attempts by the Collective Security Treaty Organization to help resolve the conflict. Both sides agreed to expedite the border demarcation process this week.
• Eurasianet’s David Trilling shed light on the domestic controversy in Kyrgyzstan surrounding the border service’s killing of 9 unarmed (or lightly armed, depending on reports) Chinese Uighurs, who crossed the border into Kyrgyzstan illegally last Thursday.  
• A number of countries in the region held bilateral meetings intended to boost defense cooperation, including: Georgia and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, and Russia and Kazakhstan. During the Kazakh-Russian meetings, Russia agreed to joint operations of its anti-ballistic missile testing range, Balkhash (which is located in Kazakhstan), while confirming a previously announced agreement to provide Kazakhstan with S-300 air defense systems free of charge.
• While tensions along the Nagorno Karabakh border eased compared to last week, clashes still occurred throughout the week, with both Azerbaijan and Armenia reporting casualties. 
• NATO’s Secretary General released his annual report on Thursday, which indicated NATO signed individual country programs with five Central Eurasian countries this year: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The report also identified areas of focus for the four countries aspiring to join NATO, which for Georgia means “continuing progress toward civilian and military reform goals.”