Tag Archives: international relations

Russian court to try soldier for Armenian murders

>>Murders have strained Armenia-Russia relations>>

JAN. 20 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — A Russian soldier who allegedly killed a family of seven near his base in Armenia will be tried in a Russian military court and not by an Armenian civil court, media reported.

On Jan. 19, a week after six members of the same family died, a six-month-old baby died of wounds sustained in the same attack. No motive has been put forward for the murders.

The news that Valery Permyakov, the soldier who reportedly shot dead the family and then went on the run, will be tried in a Russian military court rather than an Armenian civil court will enflame tension further.

On Jan. 15, three days after the murders, several thousand people demonstrated in Yerevan and Gyumri, where Russia keeps a large military base, calling for the soldier to be handed over to Armenian police.

Reports from the demonstration at Gyumri said that 12 people were injured in fighting with riot police.

Relations between Russia and Armenia are generally cordial — Armenia has joined the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union and also looks to the Kremlin to both support its economy and also to keep the military balance in the region — but the murders and the economic slowdown have strained ties.

For Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan, the murders and the public discontent they have fermented, represent a problem. He needs to ensure that relations with Russia remain good but that the protesters also feel like they are being listened to.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)

Tajikistan seeks extradition

JAN. 16 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Tajikistan has formally asked Turkey to extradite Umarali Quvatov, an opposition figure who previously had good links to Tajik president Emmomali Rakhmon. In October the Tajik authorities banned Mr Quvatov’s organisation Group 24. They also said that they wanted to charge him with bribery.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)

Human rights groups challenge Aliyev

JAN. 20 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Human rights groups challenged German Chancellor Angela Merkel to confront Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev over his crack down on free media and civil liberties when he flies into Berlin for talks on Jan. 21. The authorities in Azerbaijan have locked up several anti-government activists.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)

New ferry service links Turkmenistan and Baku

>>Ferry service highlights increased trade between Turkmenistan and the rest of the world>>

JAN. 15 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Trade between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, the South Caucasus and Europe is increasing, a trend underlined by the docking in Baku of a new ferry.

The ferry, operated by a Turkmen company, can carry up to 200 passengers and 53 trucks across the Caspian Sea. Its main role is to cut the journey time down and to aid trade between Turkmenistan and the Europe.

This is a trend which, under current Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has been accelerating. Mr Berdymukhamedov opened up Turkmenistan in a way that his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, dodged.

Turkmenistan has now not only become a major gas exporter to China and elsewhere but is also a bigger player in global trade.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)

Iran to hold trade fair in Turkmenistan

JAN. 10 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Iran is planning on holding its tenth industrial and trade fair in Ashgabat at the end of February, media reported. This is important because it shows how close relations are between the two countries. US-imposed sanctions have been hitting Iran’s economy.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015)

Russian soldier murders Armenian family

>>Murders trigger anger at Russian base>>

JAN. 13 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — A Russian soldier serving at Russia’s vast military base at Gyumri in Armenia murdered six members of a family and went on the run before being captured, media reported.

The killings have raised tension around the base with dozens of demonstrators reportedly calling for an apology from the base commander.

Gyumri is one of Russia’s largest overseas bases with about 3,000 soldiers stationed there. Armenia’s government views it as an important counterbalance to increasing Azerbaijani military dominance in the region.

Russian officials said that the soldier, named as Private Valery Permyakov, had been captured trying to cross into Turkey a few hours after the murders. No reason for the murders has been given.

According to officials, Permyakov shot dead six members of a local family. The only survivor was a six-month-old boy who was stabbed.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015)

Georgian PM joins Paris rally

JAN. 11 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Georgian PM Irakli Garbashvili flew to Paris to join other world leaders at a unity rally three days after attacks by Islamic extremists killed 17 people in the French capital. Mr Garbashvili was the only head of government from C.Asia and the S.Caucasus to attend.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015

Tajikistan strengthens security along Afghan border

JAN. 8 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Tajikistan’s security services are constructing a new base on the border with Afghanistan to oppose an apparent build-up of Taliban forces, media reported. Central Asian government have worried that the Taliban is preparing an assault once NATO leaves Afghanistan.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015)

Armenia, Azerbaijan armies clash around N-K

JAN. 12 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia accused Azerbaijan of killing two of its soldiers along the border to the dispute region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Separatists backed by Armenia control Nagorno-Karabakh but peace, or a relative peace, is only held by a 1994 UN-brokered ceasefire. There are weekly shootings along the border.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015)

Mrs Clooney to represent Armenia

JAN. 12 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — The new Mrs Clooney, wife of Hollywood superstar George, is adding a dash of glamour to a case going through the European Court of Human Rights involving Armenia. Amal Clooney has agreed to represent Armenia as it challenges an appeal against a Turkish politician who denied an alleged genocide against Armenia in 1915.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015