Presidential election campaign begins in Kazakhstan; Kazakhstan awards deal to South Korean consortium; OSCE chair to maintain December Summit momentum, raises concern over southern Kyrgyzstan stability; Kyrgyz President appeals French support for UNSC bi
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    • Presidential election campaigning began as registration of presidential candidates ended late on 2nd March with the Central Election Committee (CEC) of Kazakhstan announcing that Nazarbayev, nominated by the ruling Nur Otan party, would run against Communist People’s Party secretary Zhambyl Akhmetbekov, Party of Patriots senator Gani Kasymov and an independent environmentalist Mels Yeleusizov.1 According to reports, President Nazarbayev is expected to win the April 3rd Presidential elections as he enjoys popularity as per the polls.

    Meanwhile, Government of Kazakhstan has awarded a $46 million contract to a consortium of South Korean enterprises to lay power cables in Central Asia’s largest republic. South Korea’s national power company Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) will construct 200 miles of 220-kilovolt power cables by October 2012.2

    Reports noted that Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis told Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Monday that Lithuanian hopes to maintain the momentum achieved at December's OSCE 2010 summit in Astana.3 He pledged to continue Kazakhstan’s emphasis on the Eurasian dimension of the OSCE. However, he expressed his non-optimism about stability in southern Kyrgyzstan. Azubalis urged Kyrgyzstan to continue to work on inter-ethnic dialogue to improve the security situation in the south which includes reforming the police, judiciary and ensuring policies to promote economic stability and respect for the rights of all members of society.4

    Meanwhile, Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva has made appeal during a visit to France’s National Assembly for support in Kyrgyzstan’s quest to join the United Nation’s Security Council as a non-permanent member. In her speech to the French assembly, Otunbayeva described the democratic transition underway in Kyrgyzstan and the opposition of some members of the former regime. “But much has been done to ensure the system works. The opposition has been provided with broad powers, and two key committees in parliament have been reserved for it,” she said, while adding, “We implemented many other checks and balances to ensure transparency of state power.” 5

    However, Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev connected the recovery of Kyrgyz economy to its joining the customs union with Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus. Atambayev, confident of joining the union, warned that the transition into the union might be initially painful, but said the benefits will ultimately outweigh the challenges.6 A long-negotiated deal which started in 2008, that fell through due to high price for the Kyrgyzgaz shares, is nearing completion wherein the Russian energy giant Gazprom will acquire 75% stake of Kyrgyz national energy company Kyrgyzgaz. Kyrgyzstan’s estimated gas reserves are believed to be only 5.7 billion cubic meters in which Gazprom is eager to obtain majority shares of the company to expand its presence in Kyrgyzstan.7

    According to reports, Tajik and Pakistani officials on March 3rd ended the fourth Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) with a signed agreement to expand bilateral trade and cooperate in agriculture and energy. The conference, held in Dushanbe, was attended by Pakistani Federal Minister for Privatization Syed Naveed Qamar and Tajik Energy Minister Gul Sherali, along with Pakistan’s Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs and Statistics Suheil Reihan.8

    Reports noted that Turkmenistan reaffirmed its commitment to expand bilateral relations with China in gas and other sectors during a visit by Turkmenistan’s vice premier Baymyrat Hojamuhammedov on 1st March. He along with his counterpart Wang Qishan signed an agreement that will see the China Development Bank provide a loan to the Turkmen state-owned gas company Turkmengaz. Qishan also said he hopes to build on Turkmen-Chinese cooperation in other spheres, including transportation, infrastructure construction and telecommunication. 9

    In other developments in the region, fifty Turkish-owned businesses in Uzbekistan were closed this week by the Uzbek government and confiscated approximately $238,000 in assets for allegedly providing support to underground Islamist groups. It was suspected that these businesses were engaged in distributing literature that promotes the activity of a religious movement Nurchilar, banned in Turkey.10 However, Uzbekistan’s lower house of parliament has passed a law to limit the powers of president while increasing those of the country’s prime minister. The law also changes the structure of accountability within Uzbek government, wherein the prime minister would be accountable to the parliament as opposed to the president. The bill is expected to become law as the changes were proposed by President Karimov whose party controls both houses of parliament.11

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