Eurasia News Digest (May 16-31)

Central Asia

Attempt of EU ambassador to Armenia to interfere in internal affairs of Azerbaijan is unacceptable: MFA

On May 15, during a press conference, EU Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin said that that "the rights and security of the Armenian population of Karabakh must be ensured" and an "international mechanism" must be created for this, referring to the statement of President of the European Council Charles Michel. Hajizada noted that Azerbaijan's position on this issue is well known. Click here to read... [2]

Uzbekistan hosts HQ for trans-Afghan train project

Plans to build a railroad from Uzbekistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan were given a shot in the arm last week with the opening of a project coordination office in Tashkent. This apparently concerted return to this multibillion-dollar initiative is again underlining the increasingly pragmatic and accommodating stance governments across Central Asia are adopting toward the Taliban regime in Kabul. Click here to read... [3]

Kazakhstan and the European Union outline new areas of cooperation

Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu paid a working visit to Brussels and held talks with senior representatives of the European Union to discuss the current agenda of bilateral and multilateral interaction and promising areas for its further development. Click here to read... [4]

Russian foreign ministry says some of Central Asian nations could join anti-Russian sanctions

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Galuzin, says some Central Asia’s nations are signaling that they could join Western sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation. “We are confident that this much is clearly visible and understood in the Central Asian capitals: artificial destruction of ties with Russia can result in more serious damage than the costs of the notorious secondary sanctions," he went on to say. Click here to read... [5]

Memo on China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan railway construction project signed in Xi’an

Minister of Transport and Communications of Kyrgyzstan Tilek Tekebaev signed in Xi'an a tripartite document providing for the next steps for the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway construction project. Click here to read... [6]

Kazakhstan and China Forge New Travel Alliance with Mutual Visa-Free Agreement

Kazakhstan and China have taken significant steps towards enhancing collaboration in the tourism sector, aiming to boost the number of visitors travelling between the two countries. During his state visit to China on Wednesday, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and signed 23 crucial agreements, including a bilateral visa exemption arrangement. Click here to read... [7]

Kazakh leader warns against further integration of the Russia-led economic bloc

Speaking at EAEU plenary session in Moscow, Tokayev said Kazakhstan sees the union as an exclusively economic bloc. “This is precisely what is stipulated in the 2015 treaty,” Tokayev said, addressing his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. “Any other areas of integration should only be considered “through the prism of the economy.” At the same time, he noted that economic integration within the EAEU was in a “delicate spot,” with the union effectively divided into two parts. Click here to read... [8]

President Xi Jinping Chairs the Inaugural China-Central Asia Summit and Delivers a Keynote Speech

President Xi Jinping chaired the inaugural China-Central Asia Summit in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. In an amicable atmosphere, the presidents reviewed the history of friendly exchanges between China and the five Central Asian countries, took stock of cooperation experience in various fields, and envisioned future cooperation directions. With the future in mind, they agreed to work together for an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future. Click here to read... [9]

Dozens of Tajik migrants detained in Moscow on May 30

Media reports say dozens of Tajik labour migrants have been detained in Moscow again. This time, more than 150 Tajik labor migrants were reportedly taken to police station in Moscow’s Mitino district on the morning of May 30. Click here to read... [10]

South Caucasus

Azerbaijan nabs another criminal group acting upon Iran's instructions

Another criminal group acting on the instructions of Iran has been detained in Azerbaijan, the latter’s Interior Ministry, State Security Service and Prosecutor General’s Office said in a joint statement. Regular operational measures were carried out to stop the criminal actions of a group of Azerbaijani citizens recruited by the Iranian special services through religious propaganda and in exchange for material interest in order to destabilize the situation on the territory of Azerbaijan. Click here to read... [11]

Putin notes successful cooperation in Eurasian Economic Union

The Russian President suggested discussing specific issues of cooperation within the organization at the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Union on May 25. "Cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union is really quite successful," he said when opening the closed-door meeting. The Russian president referred to his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s comments that "Armenia is the main beneficiary as the highest economic growth rate is in Armenia. Click here to read... [12]

Negotiations are underway with U.S. for construction of new nuclear block –Pashinyan

Yerevan informs all its partners about its negotiations with other parties regarding the construction of a new nuclear block," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said while speaking in the parliament about the United States plan to build a reactor in Armenia. Click here to read... [13]

Russia and Iran agree on new rail corridor via Azerbaijan

Russia and Iran have agreed to complete a railroad that would link Russia with ports on the Persian Gulf, providing a transportation lifeline – via Azerbaijan as a critical link – for the two sanctions-hit countries. The presidents of Russia and Iran, Vladimir Putin and Ibrahim Raisi, signed an agreement on May 17 to build a 170-kilometer section of the railroad in northern Iran, from Astara on the Azerbaijani border to the city of Rasht. Click here to read... [14]

Russia's transport ambitions create new headaches in Georgia

The re-establishment of direct flights between Russia and Georgia was followed by remarks in Moscow about the prospective revival of the long-dead railway link through the breakaway Abkhazia region. At the same time, Tbilisi has to deal with local scrutiny of its facilitation of Armenia's maritime trade with Russia. This has led to questions in Georgia about whether the government will have to give in to more pressure from Moscow to take part in schemes connecting Russia with its partners to the south and east. Click here to read... [15]

Erdoğan secures another 5-year term in Türkiye’s runoff polls

Erdoğan is reelected Türkiye’s president in the runoff election with 52.14 percent of the votes according to unofficial results, Supreme Election Council (YSK) Chair Ahmet Yener announced. His challenger Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the presidential candidate of Nation Alliance, garnered 47.86 percent of votes as 99.43 percent of the ballot boxes were opened, Yener said. Click here to read... [16]

Azerbaijani president gives ultimatum to Karabakh authorities

Aliyev's threatening rhetoric makes clear his government will ignore exhortations to sit down for talks with representatives of the entity he considers anathema to Azerbaijan. Ilham Aliyev was delivering a speech on May 28 in the town of Lachin, near the breakaway region, which was under Armenian occupation for three decades and returned to Azerbaijan after the 2020 Second Karabakh War. Click here to read... [17]