AUG. 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Police in Tajikistan detained two Russian soldiers for the suspected murder of a Tajik taxi driver in Dushanbe, media reported. Russia maintains a major military base, its largest overseas base, in the Pamir Mountains. If the soldiers are formally accused of killing the taxi driver, it could dampen important bilateral relations.
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(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 30 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has appointed a Tajik as one of its leaders, media reported. Officials in Tajikistan said the appointment to ISIL, which has beheaded Western journalists, may increase the number of disenfranchised Tajiks heading to fight for it.
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(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 26 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Two Tajiks — a civilian and a soldier — died in a shootout with Kyrgyz forces on the Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border, the most serious violence along the disputed boundary this year. The row between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan threatens to destabilise the region.
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(News report from Issue No. 197, published on Aug. 27 2014)
AUG. 25 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The rebel Georgian region of Abkhazia voted in Raul Khajimba as its new president. Bucking expectations, Mr Khajimba won the vote in the first round, providing Abkhazia and Russia, its patron, with a show of unity. Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in 2008. Georgia described the vote as illegal.
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(News report from Issue No. 197, published on Aug. 27 2014)
AUG. 19 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A lack of opportunities has turned Tajikistan into a prime recruiting ground for radical Islamists, Eurasianet reported. Eurasianet said Tajiks could earn more money fighting for extremists in Syria than they could working on a construction sites in Russia, the usual way for Tajiks to earn money to send home.
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(News report from Issue No. 196, published on Aug. 20 2014)
AUG. 19 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Demonstrating China’s regional prowess, the Chinese security chief, Meng Jianzhu, pledged to help Tajikistan beef up its law enforcement services and security operations. China has been increasing its clout in Central Asia over the past few years and now considers the region as part of its extended domain.
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(News report from Issue No. 196, published on Aug. 20 2014)
AUG.10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Russian president Vladimir Putin hosted talks between Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.Fighting around Nagorno-Karabakh has intensified over the past few weeks threatening a 1994 cease-fire.
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(News report from Issue No. 195, published on Aug. 13 2014)
AUG. 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbekistan’s military detained five Tajik shepherds and their livestock for a week after they strayed into Uzbek territory, media reported, briefly heightening tension between the two neighbours. Uzbekistan- Tajikistan relations are particularly important to monitor for stability in Central Asia.
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(News report from Issue No. 194, published on Aug. 6 2014)
AUG. 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – At least 15 soldiers died around the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh on probably the worst week of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan since a cease-fire in 1994.
Both sides accused the other of breaking various promises and aggravating the stand-off. International observers said they were worried the situation may slide into open conflict.
“We are seriously concerned about the recent upsurge in violence along the line of contact. The cease-fire needs to be respected,” James Warlick, a US mediator between Azerbaijan and Armenia, wrote on Twitter.
The Nagorno-Karabakh stand-off is considered one of the world’s most dangerous so-called frozen conflicts.
Armenian-backed rebels have controlled the region since the UN-brokered 1994 cease-fire. Azerbaijan, though, has always pledged to re-take the enclave and has spent millions of dollars, earned through its booming energy industry, re-arming its military.
In a sign of just how sharply the situation has worsened around Nagorno-Karabakh, reports said that President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia have agreed to meet up to discuss the situation. This is rare but is a positive sign.
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(News report from Issue No. 194, published on Aug. 6 2014)
AUG. 1 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The United States denied it was discussing setting up a base in Uzbekistan after media reports said a deal was imminent. The US pulled out of its base outside Bishkek this year and speculation has been rising that it may be looking to set up a new Central Asia hub.
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(News report from Issue No. 194, published on Aug. 6 2014)
