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Qishloq Ovozi (Archive)

The town of Khorugh, the capital of Tajikistan’s far eastern Gorno-Badakhshan region. (file photo)
The town of Khorugh, the capital of Tajikistan’s far eastern Gorno-Badakhshan region. (file photo)

When Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to the Russian nation on February 21 and described Ukraine as “historically Russian land,” and also announced that Moscow would be recognizing the Russia-backed separatist regions in Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine as independent countries, it sent a chill down the spines of many in Central Asia.

Central Asia was not only part of the Soviet Union but for decades before that was part of the Russia Empire also.

And Russian officials, including Putin, have said publicly that there never was such a thing as a Kazakh state, for example.

There is still a large Russian population in northern Kazakhstan in areas along the Russian border. During the 1990s, a small but vocal group of them called for the Russian annexation of areas in northern Kazakhstan, similar to the situation in Donetsk and Luhansk.

As for separatism in Central Asia, there is Karakalpakstan in western Uzbekistan, where some have been calling for independence for 30 years; and Tajikistan’s far eastern Gorno-Badakhshan region, where many would at least like greater autonomy from the Tajik government.

And due to maps drawn in Soviet times, there are large diasporas in every Central Asian state.

On this week's Majlis podcast, RFE/RL media-relations manager Muhammad Tahir moderates a discussion on the ramifications for Central Asia of Putin’s comments and also what the ripple effects will be for new sanctions being imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

This week’s guests are: from Washington, Erica Marat, an associate professor at the National Defense University in Washington and author of many works on Central Asia; Paul Stronski, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment’s Russia and Eurasia program; from Prague, Alisher Sydyk, director of RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service, known locally as Ozodlik; and Central Asia analyst Bruce Pannier.

Putin, Ukraine, And Why There's Uneasiness In Central Asia
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Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes or on Google Podcasts.

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov (center) with his son, Serdar (left), and grandson, Kerimguly. (file photo)
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov (center) with his son, Serdar (left), and grandson, Kerimguly. (file photo)

Turkmenistan will be having a snap presidential election on March 12 and the winner looks to be dynastic rule.

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov signaled the change in leadership at a February 11 session of the Halk Maslahaty, or People’s Council, when he said it was time for a new generation to take the reins of power.

The next day, Turkmenistan’s Central Election Commission named the date for the presidential election.

There will be other candidates, but the president’s only son, Serdar, is sure to win.

On this week's Majlis podcast, RFE/RL's media-relations manager for South and Central Asia, Muhammad Tahir, moderates a discussion on what Turkmenistan can expect as the presidency passes from father to son.

This week’s guests are: from Washington, D.C., former U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan Laura Kennedy; from the Netherlands, Ruslan Myatiev, the founder of the independent Turkmen.news website; from Scotland, Luca Anceschi, who is a professor of Central Asian Studies at Glasgow University and author of the book Turkmenistan’s Foreign Policy -- Positive Neutrality And The Consolidation Of The Turkmen regime; and Central Asia analyst Bruce Pannier.

Establishment Of Dynastic Rule in Turkmenistan Set For March 12
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Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes or on Google Podcasts.

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About This Blog

Qishloq Ovozi is a blog by RFE/RL Central Asia specialist Bruce Pannier that aims to look at the events that are shaping Central Asia and its respective countries, connect the dots to shed light on why those processes are occurring, and identify the agents of change.​

The name means "Village Voice" in Uzbek. But don't be fooled, Qishloq Ovozi is about all of Central Asia.

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