Defense Ministers from SCO states adopt two-year security agreement; CSTO says NATO pull out will destabilizing Central Asia; Uzbekistan opposes CASA-1000 project; Pakistan Prime Minister visits Bishkek; President Nazarbayev meets Russian President; Kyrgy
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print
  • Defense ministers from the Kazakh, Tajik, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Chinese and Russian of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) adopted a two-year security cooperation plan 2012-2013 during a Defence Ministers’ of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana on March 17. Fighting terrorism and raising trust between member states’ security forces were among top security matters under discussion apart from strengthening security and stability among member states, to combat extremism, separatism, and drug trafficking, and to develop economic and energy cooperation, along with boosting scientific and cultural dialogue.1 An agreement was reached between Kazakh Defense Minister Adilbek Dzhaksybekov and Kyrgyz Defense Minister Abibilla Kudaiberdiyev during this meeting in Astana wherein Kazakhstan would provide free military training and technical support to Kyrgyzstan.2

    Meanwhile, Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary-General Nikolai Bordyuzha was in Tajikistan on March 14 for a week’s meetings on regional security and discussion on security concerns in Afghanistan. During this time, he stressed that CSTO must take concerted measures to counteract the flow of drugs and militants from Afghanistan to ensure stability in Central Asian nations.3 Bordyuzha told senior envoys of the group’s member nations meeting in Dushanbe that withdrawing NATO troops from Afghanistan will risk destabilizing the Central Asian republics. Afghanistan and Central Asian security, drug trafficking and terrorism, topped the agenda of the CSTO’s two-day conference.4

    However, in a letter obtained by the Dawn news agency in Pakistan, the Uzbek ambassador to Pakistan expressed his displeasure over the Tajik plan to build a 466-mile transmission line to Pakistan to provide it with much-needed electricity and said it violates international agreements. Uzbekistan’s opposition to the electricity deal is rooted in its opposition to Tajikistan’s planned completion of its massive Roghun dam. The electricity Tajikistan would send to Pakistan and Afghanistan under what is known as the CASA-1000 project would be drawn from the Roghun dam’s hydropower plant.5 While dismissing Uzbekistan’s criticism of the project, Kyrgyzstan intends to uphold its end of the CASA-1000 project to supply energy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, but acknowledges the obstacles to completing the project.6

    Meanwhile, on March 16, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Atambaev agreed with his visiting Pakistani counterpart Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani to revive a four-country transit trade pact and authorize a bilateral military training plan. The Pakistani premier promised Atambaev to remove all obstacles standing in the way of the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA), agreed between Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and China in 2004. The agreement, signed by the Defense Secretaries of both countries, authorized their defense ministries to set up training programs of Kyrgyz military personnel by Pakistani trainers. Both agreed to establish a Joint Business Council to smooth interaction between their Chambers of Commerce and Industries; to exchange parliamentary delegations at regular intervals; to boost cooperation in trade, communication and infrastructure; to press for direct air links between their capital cities; and other agreements were on renewable energy, cargo transit, terrorism and arms and drugs trafficking. 7

    In other developments in the region, Kazakh President Nazarbayev met with his Russian counterpart on March 17 to discuss and review the prospects for economic cooperation between the two states, particularly in the energy sector, as well as current issues on the regional and international agenda. Separately the two leaders discussed issues related to the development of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus and the next steps towards shaping a common economic space of the three countries.8 The Kazakh leader also announced that Russia and Kazakhstan will discontinue customs checks at their border crossings starting on July 1. They discussed a wide range of issues: the status of several joint projects ranging from space exploration to international highway construction; Russia’s use of the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan; joint venture to build Russia’s own space complex Baiterek; negotiated the creation and launch of a KazSat-2 telecoms satellite; joint use of the GLONASS global navigation satellite system; on activities of the bilateral venture fund set up for the development of projects in the field of nanotechnology; and on plans to build an international highway linking Europe with China via Central Asia.9 In the meanwhile Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss eliminating fuel taxes and enhancing economic cooperation on 18th March in Moscow. The agreement wherein Russia had earlier agreed to lift excise taxes on gas exported to Kyrgyzstan was to come into effect on February 15 has been delayed. Kyrgyzstan’s debt to Russia was also discussed by the prime ministers.10

    Top