JAN. 14 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — In a speech at a military parade, Uzbek President Islam Karimov said the withdrawal of NATO soldiers from Afghanistan would increase tension along the Uzbek-Afghan border and could give Islamic militants the chance to attack. NATO soldiers are planning on withdrawing steadily through 2014.
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(News report from Issue No. 167, published on Jan. 15 2014)
NOV. 28 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Russia complained to Kazakhstan after Kazakh border guards shot and killed one Russian fisherman in the Caspian Sea on Nov. 25, media reported. In the same incident, the Kazakh border guards also arrested seven other fisherman, all from the North Caucasus region of Dagestan, for fishing illegally.
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(News report from Issue No. 163, published on Dec. 4 2013)
DEC. 1 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — An Azerbaijani border guard died in a shootout on the border with Iran. The Azerbaijan-Iran border is used heavily by smugglers although the incident could also inflame tension between the two neighbours. Separately, Azerbaijani authorities released an Iranian they had suspected of plotting to bomb the Israeli embassy in Baku.
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(News report from Issue No. 163, published on Dec. 4 2013)
NOV. 6 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijan has accused Iran’s military of firing shots across the border in the latest escalation of tension between the two neighbours, media reported. The Azerbaijani authorities reportedly closed a border crossing for several days after the alleged incident. Azerbaijan-Iran ties are strained
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
OCT. 9 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Trouble appears to be brewing on the border between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Traditionally, Uzbekistan closes its border with its southern neighbour for 72 hours around its Independence Day celebrations on Sept. 1 each year. This year, though, the border remains shut, more than one month later.
Media also reported that Uzbek officials had cancelled a deal made in June with Turkmenistan that allowed citizens from both countries to visit the other for three days without a visa.
It’s unclear what exactly has happened or when, although officials from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan did meet in Bukhara at the end of last month to discuss border issues.
Whatever the official reasons for the border problems, the implications are fairly serious. Business and families are cross border affairs and detouring to the nearest consulates for visas and various permissions to travel is a time consuming tedious business.
One agency that will benefit from the confusion is the border guards’ service. The guards on the borders are notoriously corrupt and, although officially closed, people will still be crossing back and forth. The size of the bribe they need to pay will have increased.
Uzbekistan currently imposes visa requirements on citizens of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan but not Russia or Kazakhstan.
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(News report from Issue No. 155, published on Oct. 9 2013)
OCT. 1 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek soldiers are expected to withdraw from disputed territory on the border with Kyrgyzstan, media reported. Local Kyrgyz accused the Uzbek soldiers of occupying the land days earlier. Tension has been rising on the Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan border for the past year.
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(News report from Issue No. 154, published on Oct. 2 2013)
SEPT. 24 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a Russia-led military group, will arm Tajik forces along its border with Afghanistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after a meeting in Sochi, south Russia. The CSTO is worried about the spread of the Taliban from Afghanistan after NATO leaves in 2014.
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(News report from Issue No. 153, published on Sept. 25 2013)
JULY 23 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — At least one Uzbek soldier died in a gunfight with Kyrgyz soldiers on their shared border. Shootings are relatively common along the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border but the incident again highlights tension. Analysts have said the issue could destabilise the region.
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(News report from Issue No. 145, published on July 29 2013)
JULY 12 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — At a press conference in Baku, Iran’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mohsen Pak Ayin, said he hoped the Aslanduz border crossing would re-open later this year. There are currently five border crossings open between Iran and Azerbaijan. Relations have been strained between the neighbours over the past few years.
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(News report from Issue No. 143, published on July 15 2013)
