Russia and Central Asia
A. Official Documents and Declarations
     I. Background
     II. Russia and Central Asia
     III. NATO and Central Asia
B. Speeches
C. Research Studies
D. Parliamentary Reports
E. Links

A. Official Documents and Declarations

I. Background

1. The security situation in Central Asia

The Civil War in Tajikistan

Less than a year after its declaration of independence in 1991, a civil war erupted in the former Soviet Republic of Tajikistan. Tensions resulting from irregularities during the first presidential elections led to an armed confrontation over the control of central government between rival political factions. This conflict, which lasted until 1997, was fought between the Tajik government forces and a coalition of opposition parties, which later formed the United Tajik Opposition (UTO). Beyond the claim of an ideological affiliation ("Communists" vs. "Democrats" and "Islamists"), the warring parties relied on a strong regional base. 
Armed interventions from Russia and Uzbekistan in 1992 enabled the former government factions to defeat their opponents and take control of the country. A Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Collective Peacekeeping Force (composed of Russian troops and nominal contingents from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan), serving mainly to prop up the government, was deployed in 1993. Additional troops from Russia policed the Tajik-Afghan border, while the UN Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) was deployed in November 1994 after the parties signed an agreement on a temporary cease-fire in Tehran. In 1996, the government and the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) signed a framework agreement on national reconciliation and agreed to observe a ceasefire. The General Agreement on the establishment of peace and national accord in Tajikistan was signed on June 27th, 1997 in Moscow, followed by the inauguration of a Commission on National Reconciliation later that year. The task of the Commission was to re-assimilate the opposition fighters into either the Tajik armed forces or civilian life and to prepare an amnesty of the war criminals. Despite those efforts at reestablishing peace and the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections, the armed conflict appears to have subsided in 2000. The security situation remains unstable as warlords still exert violent control in various regions.  


More information on the AKUF site (German only)


Islamic Organisations in the region

Islamic militancy in Central Asia has for many years represented a major security concern of the five Central Asian republics - particularly Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan and Tajikistan. Having banned all opposition for the past decade, the region´s autocratic leaders faced a militant underground Islamic opposition that drew support from Islamic extremist groups in the surrounding regions, such as the Taliban in Afghanistan. Most prominent is the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), which became known in the last three years through its repeated cross border incursions into Uzbekistan with the declared goal of toppling the Uzbek government. The confrontation between the IMU and the Central Asian governments culminated in 2000 in battles with the armed forces of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan while the IMU was attempting to reach the Uzbek territory from its Afghan bases. Although it suffered many casualties during the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan - its charismatic leader Juma Namangoni being reported as dead - the IMU hasn´t been entirely destroyed. IMU fighters are reported to have found refuge in Pakistan. Another illegal Islamic organisation, the Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami ("Party of Islamic Liberation"), based in Uzbekistan, is also known to be very active in the region, though with the peaceful aim of re-establishing an Islamic Caliphate in the region once known as Turkestan. 
The IMU was designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States on September 25th, 2000 following a statement by the Official Spokesman of the U.S. Department of State and redesignated two years later on September 25th, 2002 in another press statement. The comprehensive list of terrorists and groups identified under executive order 13224, established by the Office of the Coordinator on Counterterrorism on 31 December 2001, also classifies the IMU as a terrorist group.

2. Security structures sponsored by the Central Asian states

Cooperative dynamics have developed in the region, parallel with the conflicts, resulting in the creation of a variety of interstate structures, frameworks and forums. 

2.1 Conference on Interaction and Confidence building measures in Asia (CICA)

The convocation of the CICA was first proposed by Kazakhstan at the 47th Session of the UN General Assembly in 1992 with the declared aim of uniting the Asian states in a common effort to enhance the stability and security of the continent. By taking the OSCE as a model, the CICA seeks to build on the European experience in the sphere of disarmament and preventive diplomacy. Diplomatic efforts by Kazakhstan culminated in the Almaty meeting of the foreign ministers of 15 CICA member states in September 1999. This meeting resulted in the signing of a declaration on principles guiding relations and the adoption of a resolution in support of further development of the CICA process. The Almaty Summit of 3-5 June 2002 finally signified the creation of the CICA by the signing of the Almaty Act. It lays the groundwork for cooperation in the areas of nuclear non-proliferation, arms control and the elimination of transnational threats: terrorism, separatism, illicit drug trafficking, illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons and transnational crime. The importance of the struggle against terrorism, being identified as the main threat to the stability of the Asian continent, was further emphasized in the CICA declaration on eliminating terrorism and promoting dialogue among civilizations. 

2.2 Central Asian Economic Community (CAEC)

The Central Asian Economic Community (CAEC) was established on April 30th, 1994 by the Agreement on creating a common economic space between the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrghyz Republic and the Republic of Uzbekistan, which enlarged the 1994 Treaty on establishing a single economic space between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to include Kyrgystan. In December 1995 the CAEC decided to address security issues by forming a joint Council of Defence Ministers, which created the tripartite peacekeeping battalion Centrasbat in 1996 to coordinate military exercises, air defence and defence supplies. Following the request of the three Central Asian states, a series of exercises including other nations within the NATO´s Partnership for Peace framework were conducted annually. They aimed at training the Central Asian militaries for participation in multinational peacekeeping and humanitarian operations and strengthening military-to-military relationships in the region. Click here for a Factsheet on Centrasbat 2000 from the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan. In 1998 Tajikistan joined the CAEC. The four states signed an agreement in April 2000 on cooperation in fighting terrorism, extremism and trans-border crime. The transformation of the Central Asian Economic Community into the Central Asian Economic Organization was decided in December 2001 at a meeting of the presidents of the four member states in Tashkent. 

2.3 The Central Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (CANWFZ)

Initially proposed by Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan at the UN General Assembly in 1993, the debate on the creation of the CANWFZ began with the Almaty Declaration, signed in February 1997 by the five Central Asian heads of state to call for its creation. At the following Tashkent Conference of September 1997, a statement was issued by the foreign ministers of the five states in support of the conclusion of a treaty. The creation of a CANWFZ was further supported by a UN Resolution in November 1997. Also Russia affirmed its support for the idea as expressed in a joint statement between the Russian President and the President of Uzbekistan of May 2001. Agreement has already been reached on certain parts of the treaty related to the peaceful use of nuclear technology, the physical protection of nuclear facilities and the transport of nuclear weapons. Click here for a statement by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United Nations A. Vohidov on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons from May 10th, 1999. 

2.4 The Bishkek International Conference on Terrorism

The Bishkek International Conference on the prevention and countering of terrorism was organised at the invitation of Kyrgystan by the OSCE and the UN ODCCP (United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention) on the December 13-14th, 2001. The purpose of the Bishkek Conference, as defined in its Declaration on enhancing security and stability in Central Asia, is to offer an international forum to coordinate actions aimed at strengthening the capacities of the Central Asian states to address the issue of terrorism and the underlying political conflicts and social and economic problems at its origin. Cooperation between anti-terrorist agencies and agencies fighting crime as well as assistance in border control were identified in the Programme of Action of the Bishkek Conference as measures to be taken in order to help the Central Asian states to meet this task.
 

II. Russia and Central Asia 

1. Russian Policy in Central Asia

Following the break-up of the Soviet Union, Russia’s interests in Central Asia were mainly related to security concerns. These were two-fold: first, to integrate the Central Asian states in the CIS sphere and make them into close allies and second, to deny external powers strategic access to Central Asia. Beyond those concerns, the two organizations created by Russia (CIS and Shangai Forum) were also focusing on the following security issues: drug trafficking, regional conflicts and the region´s role as a buffer to Islamic extremism. At the same time, they were intended to counterbalance the increasing ties being made by Central Asian states with western powers such as the U.S. and with NATO – ties which Russia felt undermined its preeminent position in the region. However, mistrusting Russian intentions and desiring to assert an independent identity, Central Asian states have not embraced these initiatives as wholeheartedly as Russia would have liked and continued to cement their ties with western powers, in the form of schemes such as the NATO Partnership for Peace programme. By the late 1990’s, Russia’s previously influential role as the regional security provider was being eroded, as economic decline and demands by Central Asian states forced it to reduce its security presence in the region. While Russian border troops still defend CIS borders in Tajikistan, they were largely phased out in Kyrgyzstan in 1999 (some 100 Russian advisors remain, deployed along the Kyrgyz-Chinese border). In late 1999, the last group of military advisors left Turkmenistan. In 1999, Uzbekistan withdrew from the Collective Security Treaty. At the same time NATO was expanding its operations in the region. 
In view of this altered strategic configuration in the region, the Foreign policy concept of the Russian Federation of June 2000 signalled a change in strategy in Central Asia. In reemphasising the growing western influence in the region (in the form of ties with Western states and western-based military cooperation), it calls for a focus on bilateral tactical agreements alongside the traditional multilateral approach. This, it believes, will stem the growing tide of western influence intent on undermining Russian national interest. In general, the concept introduced a more active interest in the region than had been the case in previous years. President Putin underlined this by making Central Asian states the destination of his first foreign visits. 
In the aftermath of September 11th and the war in Afghanistan, the deployment of western troops in the region raised speculation about the end of the concept of  Russia´s "Near Abroad". In a joint declaration between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President V. Putin at the U.S.-Russia summit of May 2002, the Central Asian region was designated as an area of common interest for the United States and Russia, as both countries are willing to cooperate on the stability and security of the region. 

Click here for an overwiew of Russian energy policy in the Caspian Region

2. Security structures sponsored by the Russian Federation

2.1 The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

The most prominent cooperative structure in the region, the CIS was created on Russia´s initiative as a means to preserve linkages between the former Soviet states – as well as to maintain its dominant position in the region. As a first step towards the creation of the CIS, the Agreement on the Establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States was signed by the presidents of Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine in Minsk on December 8th, 1991. On December 21st, 1991, the Protocol to the Agreement on the Establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States formalized the creation of the CIS by eleven republics (the five Central Asian republics, Russia, Belarus, the Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia and Azerbaijan as an observer), which adopted on this occasion the Almaty Declaration. The CIS Charter of 1993 commits its member states to pursue a concerted policy in international security, disarmament and arms control, building up arms services and provision of internal security in the CIS through the use of military observers and collective peace forces. In recent years a breakdown in CIS relations was observed, as the Central Asian States seeked to extend cooperative relations with other powers and Russia in turn focused on bilateral relations with CIS member states. It seems that the following two structures, which have emerged within the framework of the CIS, are more likely to involve the Central Asian states in multilateral cooperation with Russia in the future:

  • Collective Security Treaty (CST): The Treaty on Collective Security was signed by Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia (later joined by Azerbaijan, Belarus and Georgia) in Tashkent on May 15th, 1992. In April 1999, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Azerbaijan withdrew from the CST, citing its ineffectiveness and obtrusiveness. However, the Central Asian states remain committed to tackling the regional terrorist threat within a CIS framework as expressed in a statement on fighting terrorism and extremism issued at a session of the Collective Security Council in Yerevan in May 2001. Following the invasion of armed Islamist groups into Kyrgyzstan in 1999, Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan took part in the joint military command-and-staff exercise CIS Southern Shield-99. In April 2000, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan agreed to create a CIS Antiterrorist Center, supported by the Russian Federal Security Service. In May 2001, the creation of a Collective Rapid Reaction Force was decided within the framework of the CST as a response to regional crises and a means to fortify porous border areas against terrorist attacks and incursions. In May 2002, the Collective Security Council decided at its Moscow session to transform the CST into the Collective Security Treaty Organization with the aim of deepening military and military-technical cooperation between its member states.
Click here for further documents related to the CIS  2.2 The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

The "Shanghai Five" - composed of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgystan - was originally formed with the aim of solving disputes over the 7,000 km long Soviet-Chinese border by promoting confidence-building measures between the two major powers Russia and China and the Central Asian states bordering China. Agreements on strengthening confidence in the military field and arms reduction in the border areas were signed in Shanghai and Moscow in 1996 and 1997 respectively. Later on the Shangai Forum extended its security agenda to other areas - including the fight against terrorism, illegal drug trafficking, arms smuggling and illegal immigration as a means of contributing to the stability of the region. Beyond this security focus, the Forum expressed its wish to strengthen trade relations and cooperation on economic issues, as well as infrastructure and environmental projects, like the restoration of the ancient "Silk Road". The Almaty Statement of July 1998 stressed the need for consultation on security issues through regular meetings. The 1999 Bishkek summit emphasized in a joint statement collective efforts to combat religious and separatist extremism and the international flow of drugs as well as to enhance joint border protection. On this occasion the "Bishkek Group" was set up to facilitate cooperation between the law enforcement and security departments of the five countries. The Dushanbe Summit of 2000 was attended by Uzbekistan as an observer and announced in the Dushanbe Declaration the creation of a regional antiterrorist center in Bishkek. Cooperation between the CIS antiterrorist center and the antiterrorist center of the Shanghai Five, both having their future location in Bishkek, has thus far not been discussed. 
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was established at the Shanghai summit of June 2001 as a first step towards the institutionalization of the Forum as expressed in the Declaration on the Creation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. On this occasion, a Convention on the struggle against terrorism, separatism and extremism - designated as the "three threats" to regional security - was signed. Another result of the meeting was a joint statement welcoming Uzbekistan as a full member. A year later the St. Petersburg summit laid the legal foundation for the SCO as a successor to the Shangai Five as documented in the Declaration by the Heads of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Despite its declaration as not being directed against any country, the group has been viewed in the last few years as trying to constitute an anti-western front. However, since September 11th it seems that the wish to promote a constructive dialogue with the United States in the context of counterterrorism cooperation prevails over anti-western positions. The U.S. military presence in Central Asia had another consequence for the SCO: its role in the fight against terrorism in the region is in danger of becoming secondary. This explains the efforts toward the institutionalization of the SCO. The fight against terrorism was still outlined as a major objective of the SCO in a joint statement at the Beijing Foreign Ministers´ meeting in January 2002 and the joint statement by U.S. President G.W. Bush and Russian President V. Putin on counterterrorism cooperation issued at the U.S.-Russia summit of May 2002. On September 11th, the Foreign Ministers of member states of the SCO emphasized in a statement the potential of the organisation in fighting the "three threats" of terrorism, separatism and extremism. The Moscow Summit of May 28-29th, 2003 resulted in the establishment of a secretariat in Beijing and the adoption of an emblem and flag as documented in the Declaration of the Heads of States Participating in the SCO.

Click here for further documents related to the SCO

3. Bilateral relations

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan reduced its military cooperation with Russia beginning in 1995, despite having been its closest ally in the early 1990´s. All Russian military forces left Uzbek territory. In an attempt to re-establish cooperation, Russia signed an agreement in October 1998 with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on mutual assistance to stem the spread of religious extremism in the region. In autumn 1999, Uzbekistan participated in military exercises under Russian command, together with the three Central Asian members of the Treaty on Collective Security. Following IMU´s attacks in Kyrgyzstan in 1999, Russia and Uzbekistan signed agreements on expanded security and military-technical cooperation in December 1999, May 2000 and May 2001. Click here for a joint statement by the Presidents of Russia and Uzbekistan at their Moscow meeting of May 2001. In April 1999, Uzbekistan withdrew from the Collective Security Treaty over a disagreement with Russian policy in the CIS, and joined the pro-western organization GUUAM. However, it recently decided to suspend its membership in this organization and became a member of the Shangai Cooperation Organization in June 2001. In its Foreign Policy Principles, Uzbekistan outlines its membership in the SCO alongside Russia and China as a major achievement of its foreign policy. 

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan received Russian military assistance to build up its national army after the break up of the Soviet Union, but avoided further CIS military cooperation agreements. It never joined the CST and after the mid-1990’s reduced its military cooperation with Russia. In May 1999, Turkmenistan ended a treaty on border cooperation signed with Russia in 1993, as the Russians had completed their work patrolling the Turkmen-Afghan border.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is strategically important to Russia, as the two states share a border which lacks proper definition and border control. In turn Kazakhstan sees close military cooperation with Russia as central to its national defence. In his Message to the People of Kazakhstan in 2000, the President of Kazakhstan underlined the importance of the Collective Security Treaty and the Shangai Five for the national security of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan participates in the CIS Common Air Defense System, for which small Russian military contingents remain in the country. The Russian troops along the Kazakh-Chinese border are being replaced by national Kazakh border troops. Click here for an overview on the Foreign Policy pursued by Kazakhstan, an extract from a speech on foreign policy issues given by Kazakh President N. Nazarbayev on February 15th, 1995.
 

Click here for an overview on the Conventional Arms Transfers, the Military and Technical Cooperation and the Military-Industrial Complex of Kazakhstan from the Moscow Center for Arms Control, Energy and Environmental Studies (mainly in Russian).


Kyrgyzstan

Like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan sees close cooperation with Russia as essential to its national security. Thus, it too participates in the CIS Common Air Defense System and hosts a small Russian military contingent. By the end of 1999, Kyrgyz national border troops had replaced Russian border troops. Click here for a Factsheet on Russian-Kyrgyz relations from the Russian Foreign Ministry from July 2000. Russia is recently taking initiatives to deepen relations with Kyrgyzstan including an energy agreement, agricultural assistance and the increase of arms trade between the two countries. An agreement on security cooperation was signed during a visit by Russian President V. Putin to Kyrgyzstan in December 2002, following the establishment of a Russian air base near the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. The Russian military aircraft deployed in Kyrgyzstan are to form part of the future regional Rapid Deployment Force under the Collective Security Treaty.

Tajikistan

In contrast to the other states, Russian cooperation with Tajikistan increased in the 1990’s, becoming Russia’s major regional ally. Russian troops were deployed in the country in 1993 as a peacekeeping force. However, following the 1997 peace agreement and the end of the CIS peacekeeping mandate in 2000, Russia agreed on a treaty (still unratified) in April 1999 with Tajikistan to maintain its presence by reorganizing its peacekeeping force into a Russian military base. Russia sees Tajikistan as important to its security and national interests, citing the following as reasons to maintain troops there: the need to guarantee stability, the danger of the spread of Islamic fundamentalism, and Tajikistans borders being open for the transit of drugs and weapons. Click here for a factsheet from the Russian Foreign Ministry on the legislative activities of the State Duma in the field of military security in March 2001 detailing military cooperation with Tajikistan. Click here for a factsheet from December 2002 on the results of the cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of Russia and Tajikistan in combating illicit drug trafficking. 
 


III. NATO and Central Asia

1. Cooperation between the Central Asian states and NATO

The five Central Asian states cooperate with NATO within the EAPC (Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council). The Partnership for Peace (PfP) Framework Document was signed in 1994 by Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and later on by Tajikistan on February 20th, 2002. Click here for statements by the Ministers of Defence of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan at the EAPC Defence Ministers´ Meeting of December 2001.
Practical cooperation with Central Asian and Caucasus partner countries and the development of their participation in EAPC/PfP activities were outlined by the EAPC in its Action Plan 2002-2004. In a statement from February 28th, 2002, U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs M. Grossman affirms the need to expand cooperation between NATO and the Central Asian states. 

2. U.S. policy in Central Asia

Following the events of September 11th and its military involvement in Afghanistan, the United States initiated bilateral cooperation with the Central Asian states, viewing them as key partners in the coalition against terrorism.

Cooperation with the Central Asian states focuses on the following areas: 

  • Military cooperation: During the war in Afghanistan, the United States reached agreements on military cooperation with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgystan. The deployment of US troops in Central Asia, former known as Russia´s "Near Abroad", raised speculation about a permanent western military presence, despite a declaration to the contrary in a joint statement by the U.S.-Russia Working Group on Afghanistan on February 8th, 2002 and a following joint statement on April 26th, 2002. 
  • Counterterrorism: The Central Asian states were designated as close allies of the United States in the fight against terrorism. An overwiew of terrorist activities and counterterrorist measures in the Caucasus and Central Asia in 2001 is to be found in the report Patterns of Global Terrorism 2001 - Eurasia Overview issued by the U.S. Department of State on May 24th, 2002. In a joint statement on counterterrorism cooperation at the U.S.-Russia summit of May 2002, U.S. President G.W. Bush and Russian President V. Putin committed themselves to the improvement of the security environment of the region through the eradication of terrorist activities.
  • Development of Caspian energy: The development of the production and transportation of Caspian oil and gas reserves is a major goal of the Bush Administration. U.S. President G.W. Bush welcomed the opening of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium oil pipeline in a statement on November 28th, 2001.
  • Economic and political reforms: The United States offered assistance to the Central Asian states on economic issues. Click here for the amount of the U.S. assistance to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgystan and Turkmenistan for the fiscal year 2002. Respect for human rights in Central Asia is a subject of concern for the United States, as can be seen in the critique formulated against the policy of Uzbekistan released in the Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2001 by the U.S. Department of State on March 4th, 2002. Click here for a factsheet of the U.S. Department of State listing the achievements of the U.S. Government in Central Asia for the last year and another factsheet on the results of its assistance program for promoting long-term stability in Central Asia. 
Click here for statements and testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Subcommittee on Central Asia and the South Caucasus, and other documents detailing U.S. policy in Central Asia:
3. Bilateral relations

Uzbekistan

Bilateral cooperation with Uzbekistan for American use of its airspace in the war in Afghanistan was agreed in October 2001 and announced in a joint statement following the terrorist attacks of September 11th. In a statement to representatives of the mass media in October 2001, President of Uzbekistan I. Karimov detailed the experience of Uzbekistan with counter-terrorism on its territory, while affirming its support for the U.S.-led fight against terrorism. A joint U.S.-Uzbekistan statement on consultations issued on November 30th, 2001 underlined the common fight against terrorism. Beyond military security, the United States-Uzbekistan Declaration on the Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Framework (Factsheet) of March 2002 stresses the commitment of Uzbekistan to actively engage in political and economic liberalization. Click here for a joint statement by the United States and Uzbekistan at the conclusion of the Joint Security Cooperation Consultations in Washington on April 14-15th, 2003.

Kazakhstan

The long-term strategic partnership with Kazakhstan, established by the Bush administration during the visit of the Kazakh President in Washington in December 2001, aims at strengthening cooperation in the fields of security, democratic reforms, energy, investment and the promotion of a free market economy, as expressed in a joint statement by U.S. President G.W. Bush and President of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev. Security cooperation with Kazakhstan focuses particularly on the areas of nuclear non-proliferation and energy development. The U.S.-Kazakhstan Energy Partnership Declaration (Factsheet) stresses the security of oil production and transportation. The U.S.-Kazakhstan Secure Link Agreement (Factsheet) creates a legal basis for arms control information exchange. In August 2002, the U.S. Department of State expressed its concern over the respect for political freedom by criticizing the conviction of opposition leader G. Zhakiyanov for abuse of power in a press statement. 

Kyrgyzstan

With the U.S. military presence in Kyrgyzstan during the war in Afghanistan, bilateral cooperation between the two countries was initiated. The U.S.-Kyrgyz Republic Memorandum on Bilateral Cooperation signed on February 15th, 2002 focuses primarily on economic cooperation with the United States committing itself to actively supporting the Kyrgyz republic in the area of economic reforms. In a joint statement issued during a visit by Kyrgyz President A. Akaev to the United States in September 2002, the Kyrgyz President and U.S. President G.W. Bush declare the establishment of a long-term strategic partnership and security cooperation between their countries based on the promotion of democratic political and economic reforms and military assistance. On November 20th, 2002, a joint statement on U.S.-Kyrgyz Republic Economic Consultations was issued during the visit of a Kyrgyz delegation to Washington. Click here for a factsheet from the U.S. Department of State from September 2002 on the development of the U.S.-Kyrgyzstan Partnership. 

Tajikistan

As with Kyrgyzstan, cooperation between the United States and Tajikistan is mainly based on assistance in the implementation of economic reforms. A joint statement of the United States and the Republic of Tajikistan was issued during the visit of the Tajik Foreign Minister in Washington on April 18th, 2002. Click here for a statement on Tajikistan by the Deputy Chief of Mission to the OSCE Permanent Council D. Davidson from April 25th, 2002. A joint statement was issued during a visit by Tajik President E. Rahmonov to the United States in December 2002 on the deepening relationship between the United States and the Republic of Tajikistan.
 


B. Speeches

1. Regional Organisations

2. Bilateral Relations

C. Research Studies

      1.  Central Asia

      2.  Regional Organisations

      3.  Central Asian States
 


1. Central Asia 2. Regional Organisations 3. Central Asian states  


D. Parliamentary Reports

E. Links
 
 
EurasiaNet http://www.eurasianet.org/
EurasiaNet provides information and analysis about political, economic, environmental and social developments in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as in Russia, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. 


 
Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?centasia_index.html
Reporting Central Asia is a news analysis service from the region.


 
Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) http://www.iwpr.net/rus.html
The Russian-language site contains news reports and analyses from Central Asia.