Tag Archives: international relations

Kazakh capital to host Syrian technical ceasefire talks

FEB. 6 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Officials from the United Nations, Russia, Turkey and Iran met in Astana to discuss the technical aspects of a ceasefire deal that they hope to impose on a civil war in Syria between President Bashar al- Assad’s forces and rebels. Astana has hosted a series of Syria ceasefire talks, the most recent in January. While the success of the talks is still open for debate, the positive PR generated by the Astana talks for Kazakhstan as a global mediator is undeniable.

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(News report from Issue No. 316, published on Feb. 10 2017)

Second round of Syria talks scheduled, says Kazakh ministry

FEB. 2 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — A second round of talks focused on finding a solution to the war in Syria have been scheduled for Feb. 6, Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry said. The talks, with Turkey, Russia and Iran as the main powerbrokers, are a follow up to talks held last month in Astana. For Kazakhstan, the talks are a good opportunity to market itself as an arena for international deal-making.

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(News report from Issue No. 315, published on Feb. 3 2017)

Putin schedules visit to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

JAN. 27 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to fly to Dushanbe for a state visit that Russian and Tajik media have hinted may coincide with a formal application from Tajikistan to join the Kremlin-lead Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Mr Putin will also travel to Bishkek on the same trip which Russian media said would take place “in the near future”.

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(News report from Issue No. 315, published on Feb. 3 2017)

Georgia sends soldiers to support EU mission in Africa

JAN. 31 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Georgia sent a platoon of 30 soldiers to serve under a France-lead European Union mission in the Central African Republic. The Georgians’ main mission is to defend the EU mission’s base. This is the first deployment of Georgian soldiers to the Central African Republic for two years. Georgia uses its military as an extension of its foreign policy and has sent military support to missions linked to the EU and NATO, two Western institutions that it wants to join.

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(News report from Issue No. 315, published on Feb. 3 2017)

Armenia wants close ties with Iran

JAN. 31 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenian defence minister Vigen Sargsyan travelled to Tehran for a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Dehqan in which both sides pledged to improve their military ties. Neighbours, Armenia and Iran have become increasingly close over the past couple of years, boosting military, economic and trade relations.

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(News report from Issue No. 315, published on Feb. 3 2017)

Armenia increases trade with Russia

JAN. 31 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Exports from Armenia grew by 20% to $1.8b in 2016, the state statistics service reported. Russia remains the biggest trade partner with total bilateral trade of nearly $1.4b, compared to China which has bilateral trade with Armenia of $454m. Bilateral trade with Russia was up by 15%, indicating a general pick up in the economy.

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(News report from Issue No. 315, published on Feb. 3 2017)

Denmark criticises Turkey for killing Armenian’s in WWII

JAN. 26 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — In a partial victory for Armenia, Denmark’s parliament voted to adopt a resolution that criticised a ban in Turkey on using the term genocide to describe the killing of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians at the end of World War II by Ottoman Turks. Parliament stopped short of describing the killings as genocide, saying that it traditionally didn’t issue judgements on historical events. While Armenia has pushed hard for foreign governments to recognise the killings as a genocide, Turkey has refuted all allegations of an organised genocide.

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(News report from Issue No. 314, published on Jan. 27 2017)

Azerbaijan closes top university because of its links to Gulen Movement

JAN. 20 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — The authorities in Azerbaijan have closed the Qafqaz University in Baku because of its links to the Gulen movement which key ally Turkey blames for a failed coup in 2016.

The closure of the high-profile university, considered one of the best in Azerbaijan, follows the shutting of 10 high schools linked to Gulen.

Azerbaijan has been the only country in the South Caucasus and Central Asia region to go out of its way to accommodate Turkey’s demands to close institutions linked to Fethullah Gulen, the Muslim cleric who is now living in exile in the United States.

In the 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR, Gulenists set up schools and universities in the region. They are now regarded as some of the best.

Gunel Hacıyeva, a recent graduate of the Qafqaz University, lamented its closure.

“Caucasus was the best university in Azerbaijan. So much experience, so many people, so many students have become victims of the interests of the authorities of both Turkey and Azerbaijan,” he told the Conway Bulletin.

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(News report from Issue No. 314, published on Jan. 27 2017)

Kazakh capital hosts Syrian peace talks

JAN. 24 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Talks in Astana between the forces of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and rebels broke up after two days with both sides promising to consolidate a ceasefire. The deal, overseen by Turkey, Russia and Iran, will be seen as a diplomatic success for Kazakhstan which hosted the talks. Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev wants to build up a reputation for Kazakhstan as an agent for peace.

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(News report from Issue No. 314, published on Jan. 27 2017)

Armenia opens up to Russia

JAN. 26 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Highlighting increasingly tight ties between Armenia and Russia, Armenian PM Karen Karapetyan ordered his government to start preparing processes that would allow Russians to enter Armenia on their internal passports, essentially an ID document. This, potentially, opens up Armenia a holiday destination to the millions of Russians who don’t hold an international passport. Surrounded by its enemies Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia is reliant on Russia for military, economic and energy ties.

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(News report from Issue No. 314, published on Jan. 27 2017)f