Antoine Blua is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL.
Under apparent pressure from the United States, Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov yesterday issued two decrees relaxing registration rules for religious organizations and exit restrictions on Turkmen citizens.
Lawmakers in Kyrgyzstan are renewing their criticism of the authorities for failing to punish those responsible for the killing of pro-opposition demonstrators in the southern Aksy Raion in 2002. And for the first time, the secretary of the Kyrgyz Security Council is acknowledging that those who shot at protesters did so intentionally and should be held accountable.
An ethno-cultural region made up of mainly ethnic Uzbeks straddles the border between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It is known as Khorezm on the Uzbek side, and Dashoguz on the Turkmen side. A state-enforced policy of "Turkmenization" and a visa regime are clamping down on religious activity among ethnic Uzbeks on both sides of the border.
A three-day international congress on the Russian language in the Commonwealth of Independent States is being held in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan's President Askar Akaev is taking this opportunity to address concerns about a controversial new law requiring the country's officials to know Kyrgyz.
Foreign nongovernmental organizations operating in Uzbekistan are facing new registration procedures and operational rules that some observers say are meant to curb their activities in the republic.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev ends a two-day visit to Kazakhstan today. Bilateral trade and economic relations were central to the talks.
A new report finds that while the proliferation of small arms may pose serious threats in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, the same cannot be said of Central Asia as a whole.
Visiting Uzbekistan this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the Central Asian nation's human rights record is just one aspect of many in Washington's relations with Tashkent. Rumsfeld gave no indication that bilateral ties have been weakened by continuing reports of rights violations in Uzbekistan.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld paid a visit to Central Asia this week aimed at strengthening military ties and assessing future security needs. RFE/RL looks at the visit and what it accomplished in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Prague, 25 February 2004 (RFE/RL) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived today in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, following a visit to neighboring Uzbekistan.
Prague, 24 February 2004 (RFE/RL) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived today in Uzbekistan following visits to Iraq and Kuwait. It's his third visit to the Central Asian republic in the past two years.
A two-day conference on HIV/AIDS in Europe and Central Asia starts today in the Irish capital, Dublin. Some activists are using the opportunity to focus on HIV/AIDS in the region's prisons.
Kazakhstan is considered a second homeland by the many Chechens who were deported by Josef Stalin from the Caucasus to Kazakhstan in 1944. While Kazakhstan's established Chechen community today marks the 60th anniversary of this tragic event, RFE/RL reports on efforts by Kazakh authorities to block the flow of new Chechen asylum seekers fleeing their war-torn homeland.
A new study by a leading international organization reveals the many obstacles to the development of small and medium-size businesses in Tajikistan. Among other things, the survey shows the majority of Tajik entrepreneurs routinely pay bribes to the tax police and bank officials. And as RFE/RL reports, Tajikistan's situation is not unique in Central Asia.
A new report finds that religious freedom in Kazakhstan has improved after restrictive amendments to the religion law were thrown out in 2002. Government repression against religious communities that do not wish to or who have failed to register has now stopped.
A new report by a U.S. think tank dissects the key political and military factors at play in the U.S. relationship with the states of Central Asia and lays out a comprehensive approach for long-term U.S. involvement in the region. In an interview with RFE/RL, a co-author of the report explains the study's main findings and recommendations.
Top Tajik officials are gathering in London today and tomorrow for talks with donors on the country's progress in reducing poverty. Participants will also look at the disbursement of funds pledged last year.
A mission of the board of directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is visiting Uzbekistan this week to familiarize itself with the country's progress on benchmarks it set for the country last year. RFE/RL looks at the significance of the visit to the Central Asian republic, which stands accused of regularly breaching human rights.
The U.S. dollar has fallen sharply in recent months against other major world currencies, from the euro and the British pound to the Japanese yen. Its value has also dropped against a number of smaller currencies, including those of Central Asia, where the dollar's decline has had a negative impact on people's financial outlook.
International nongovernmental organizations operating in Uzbekistan are facing new registration procedures that some observers say are meant to curb their activity in the Central Asian nation. NGOs previously received accreditation from the Uzbek Foreign Ministry. Now they have just one month to register with the Justice Ministry. RFE/RL looks at whether the move is an attempt to hinder the groups' operations.
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