Tag Archives: international relations

Georgia and regional governments welcome Trump election win

TBILISI, NOV. 5 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Governments across Central Asia and the South Caucasus welcomed Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential election on Nov. 4 and heralded it as an opportunity for the US to increase its engagement in the region.

Analysts have said that under President Barack Obama, the US’ interest in Central Asia and the South Caucasus has dropped. Both President Obama’s Secretary of States, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, visited the South Caucasus and Central Asia but since the US and NATO pulled most of its forces out of neighbouring Afghanistan in 2013 and 2014, its interest has waned.

The only US president to have visited the region was George W. Bush in May 2005. He visited Tbilisi when Mikheil Saakashvili was president. Georgia is the US’ biggest ally in the region, sending its army to fight in both Iraq and Afghanistan and Georgian PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili welcomed Mr Trump’s win.

“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Donald J. Trump on his victory in the presidential elections,” he said. “American people voted for change, oriented on making US even stronger.”

His sentiments were echoed by other regional leaders but reaction on the street was less clear cut. In Almaty Aidana Omarova, a university lecturer, said she was appalled that Mr Trump had won the election.

“I cannot even imagine how such a sexist, racist and rude person can lead the US,” she said.

In Tbilisi Nana, a lawyer, was worried. “He wants to improve relations with Russia, that’s not very good for Georgia, in case we need support from the US,” she said. “Secondly he was extremely negative about immigrants and I know there are lots of Georgians who work in America and send money to their families.”

But in Dushanbe, Jakhongir, 29, a website developer, had a different viewpoint. He said the US election had been a great democratic exercise.

“I wish we could have such interesting elections debates here in Tajikistan, too,” he said. “Let’s see how Trump will behave, I think he will be more restrained in his words and actions now.”

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(News report from Issue No. 304, published on Nov. 11 2016)

Kazakh President heads to Asia

NOV. 7/11 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev flew to Japan and South Korea on a tour of East Asian countries aimed at drumming up business. Both Japanese and South Korean companies own stakes in energy and industrial projects in Kazakhstan. Korea has particularly strong links with Kazakhstan and other countries in Central Asia.

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(News report from Issue No. 304, published on Nov. 11 2016)

Azerbaijan and Georgia pledge closer economic ties

OCT. 27/28 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Under orders from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to seek out more economic opportunities, economic development minister, Shahin Mustafayev, travelled to Tbilisi to meet his counterparts and mull over various deals.

The meeting is important because it shows how Azerbaijan is looking to boost economic links with its immediate neighbours to help it through an economic downturn. As well as increasing trade with Georgia, Azerbaijan has reached out to Iran and Russia.

Official data showed that last year Azerbaijan invested a record $500m into Georgia’s economy. SOCAR, its state-owned energy company, is one of the most highly visible brands in Georgia with 120 fuel filling stations. Pipeline politics have also brought the two neighbours closer. Georgia is a host country for various oil and gas pipelines running from Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea coast to Turkey and Europe.

And after their meeting in Tbilisi, Georgian officials said that they expected trade between the two countries to increase further.

“Businessmen of Azerbaijan and Georgia will soon start joint business projects to move forward the economy of the two countries,” media quoted Maya Mikeladze, a Georgian Presidential adviser, as saying.

Analysts were more cautious, though. Natig Jafarli, an Azerbaijani economist and opposition activist, said that in current economic conditions a boost in business deals was unlikely. Georgia was still important to Azerbaijan, though.

“Georgia is a window to Europe for Azerbaijan and a major transit corridor,” he said. “Baku will continue to play a vital role in the economy of Georgia.”

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(News report from Issue No. 303, published on Nov. 4 2016)

Uzbekistan opening

NOV. 4 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Since the passing of late-President Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan has been striding towards improving relations with its neighbours and, perhaps most importantly, its business climate.

This week’s decision to comply with International Labour Organisation regulations on freedom of assembly will allow the country to climb up the rankings of transparency and ease of doing business, as both workers and companies will, at least on paper, will enjoy more freedoms.

In early October, acting President and PM Shavkat Mirziyoyev also said that the authorities will have to ease up on ordering police raids on businesses, which investors have condemned as a way for public officials to ask for bribes. From Jan. 2017, police checks will have to be scheduled, unless there is a clear breach of the law.

Besides integrating better policies in its closed and strict regulatory system, Uzbekistan also seems to be opening up to new trade routes, as it has re-kindled its air link to London. This will open up in December.

Regular flights from Uzbekistan to Europe’s financial capital have suffered hiccups over the past decade and they were finally recently suspended. Uzbekistan Airways’ proposal to re-open the route, even just for a short term, could be important to put Tashkent back on the investors’ map.

All the recent improvements in Uzbekistan’s business sector, however, cannot overshadow problems with political and human rights. In December, Mr Mirziyoyev will be elected president. If Uzbekistan wants to convince investors, he will have to make progress in relaxing its regime and grant more freedoms.

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(News report from Issue No. 303, published on Nov. 4 2016)

Netanyahu visits Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan

OCT. 30 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan over the next three months, the Israeli government said. Mr Netanyahu has visited Azerbaijan previously during a term as PM in 1997. No Israeli PM has ever visited Kazakhstan. Both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are Israel’s biggest oil suppliers.

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(News report from Issue No. 303, published on Nov. 4 2016)

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan patch up border disputes

BISHKEK, OCT. 31 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Delegations from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan met to agree solutions to 49 long-running border disputes around the Ferghana Valley which, earlier this year, had threatened to tip into conflict.

The agreements mark the next stage in an unprecedented and surprising detente between the two rivals since Uzbek PM Shavkat Mirizyoyev was appointed acting president after the death of Islam Karimov in September.

This was the second of two meetings between the Uzbek and Kyrgyz deputy PMs. A third meeting is scheduled before the end of the year.

Bishkek-based analyst Elmira Nogoybaeva said the change in attitude in Tashkent was welcome but that Kyrgyzstan would need to see whether this was a genuine change of heart or a temporary fad.

“Such meetings are always welcomed by Kyrgyzstan, the question is how long will they last,” she said. “We all look to these meetings with optimism.”

The Ferghana Valley lies at the heart of Central Asia and analysts have previously said that if tension between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan over borders boils over into conflict, and this year there have been reports of Kyrgyz and Uzbek soldiers squaring up to each other, it will pull the whole region into war.

In Bishkek, people were optimistic. Ainagul, 43, said it was a positive but there would be problems ahead.

“Of course, it is good that borders are being delineated, now Kyrgyz people will know to whom territory belongs, and it will prevent conflict between Kyrgyz and Uzbek,” she said. “I still doubt though that conflicts on borders will stop altogether as we still have problems even on the Kyrgyz- Kazakh border which was supposed to have been delineated.”

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(News report from Issue No. 303, published on Nov. 4 2016)

Chinese PM visits Kyrgyz capital

NOV. 2 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Chinese PM Li Keqiang visited Bishkek for a ministerial meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation members, a first step in an 8-day tour of Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Mr Li will also visit Kazakhstan, his second visit this year, before flying to Latvia and Russia. During his visit to Kyrgyzstan, Mr Li also said that he hopes that the investigation into a car bomb at the Chinese embassy in August can soon be concluded.

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(News report from Issue No. 303, published on Nov. 4 2016)

OSCE starts monitoring Uzbek election

TASHKENT, NOV. 2 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — The OSCE, Europe’s democracy watchdog, started its first long-term vote observation mission in Uzbekistan ahead of a presidential election on Dec. 4

ODHIR, the OSCE’s vote monitoring unit, has only previously sent short-term missions to Uzbekistan.

In a statement, ODHIR said the government had invited it to send a long-term monitoring team. This is important because it adds more weight to the impression that Uzbekistan is adopting an outward- looking agenda since the death of Islam Karimov in September. He was regarded as difficult to deal with and mistrustful of the West.

ODHIR will send a 15-person team headed by Swedish diplomat Peter Tejler to Tashkent and 20 more people will be dispatched to the regions.

Another 250 observers will be sent to Uzbekistan a few days before the vote on Dec. 4.

Last year, ODHIR sent a short term mission to monitor a presidential election. They reported that the election had lacked competition and contravened the rule of law.

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(News report from Issue No. 303, published on Nov. 4 2016)

Turkmen President visits Putin

NOV. 1 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi during an official visit aimed at improving economic and trade ties. After a legal spat, Turkmenistan and Russia stopped trading gas, an important revenue stream for the Central Asian country. Mr Berdymukhamedov’s visit signals a potential rapprochement between the two countries.

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(News report from Issue No. 303, published on Nov. 4 2016)

Turkey woos Tajikistan

OCT. 21 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu travelled to Dushanbe for a meeting with his Tajik counter- part Sirojiddin Aslov. Diplomatic sources told media after the meeting that the two ministers had signed a deal to promote their political and cultural relations. Turkey has been paying more attention to its relations with friendly Central Asian and South Caucasus countries since it shot down a Russian fighter- jet over Syria last year.

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(News report from Issue No. 302, published on Oct. 28 2016)