Silk Road Reporters
Thursday, February 12, 2015 - 06:48
While Turkmenistan is unlikely to reject its neutrality because of the possible threat of unrest emanating from Afghanistan, Russia’s task is to persuade the Turkmen authorities that, rather than turning to NATO or the U.S. for assistance, asking for Russia’s help will encourage the preservation of its neutrality as Moscow helped Turkmenistan to gain the status.
Monday, December 15, 2014 - 07:23
The sad truth is that the Western war on drug production in Afghanistan over the past 13 years has been a disaster. Afghanistan’s post-Soviet neighbors – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are nervously pondering how the drawdown of foreign troops in Afghanistan to one-tenth the size of their 2010 deployments will affect this trade, so destabilizing for regional security.
Friday, December 12, 2014 - 09:46
The upper command of the respective border agencies of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are set to meet on December 12 in the Kyrgyz city of Osh, a news release from the Kyrgyz State Border Service has announced, according to Akipress.
Friday, December 12, 2014 - 09:19
The prison system of Kyrgyzstan suffers from a myriad of problems, including extremely poor material conditions, issues in separating and controlling the prison population, acute overcrowding and lack of prison staff training. Not surprisingly, low pay and dangerous working conditions make it hard to attract qualified staff to the service.
Friday, December 5, 2014 - 05:59
Russia has supplied Kyrgyzstan with $70 million worth of military equipment, Kyrgyz Defense Minister, Abibilla Kudaiberdiyev stated on December 4, according to Akipress.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 07:06
Russia under Putin has repeatedly stated that two former Soviet republics joining NATO would cross a “red line” – Ukraine and Georgia. Amid deteriorating Western-Russian relations over Ukraine, on Nov. 17 Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili visited NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Thursday, November 20, 2014 - 06:38
As Kazakhstan approaches its 23rd Independence Day anniversary, citizens and human rights experts discuss where the country is moving with its democratic record. In the last four years Kazakhstan has increased persecution of religious and political groups, analysts say.
Monday, November 10, 2014 - 09:45
Since its formation in 1998 by Tahir Yuldashev and former Soviet paratrooper Juma Namangani, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) has sought to overthrow the government of Uzbek President Islam Karimov and establish an Islamic Sharia state in Uzbekistan, with the eventual goal of incorporating all the Muslim post-Soviet space under its control in a Caliphate.
Monday, November 10, 2014 - 06:52
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Tajik Constitution President Emomali Rakhmon announced amnesty for 10,000 prisoners on November 3. Analysts, however, worry that the amnesty is simply a political game ahead of February 2015 elections, and that at least 10% of those released will be back in prison within a year.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - 06:24
On 29 August 1949, Operation First Lightning was conducted in Semipalatinsk in north-eastern Kazakhstan, testing an implosion type nuclear weapon in the open air. The cost of the test included the destruction of villages which was poignantly demonstrated in the film “A Gift to Stalin”, highlighting the high cost to the people and nature of Kazakhstan. In 29 August 1991, the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing facility was closed after years of tests which has caused irreparable damage to this country. A few months later, Kazakhstan gained its independence from the Soviet Union. With the signing of the Lisbon Protocols, Kazakhstan, having the worlds 4th largest nuclear arsenal denuclearize by 21 April 1996. With the memories of the hardships caused by the tests intact, the people and government of Kazakhstan have worked to reduce proliferation. Despite the hard work, the are still several failings that Kazakhstan has yet to rectify and with leadership succession in question, the government of Kazakhstan must act swiftly to remain at the forefront of peaceful nuclear use.