NATO’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia: NATO will remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014; Uzbekistan’s Birlik opposition party demands fair treatment for Uzbek minorities in Kyrgyzstan; Uzbek dictator Islam Karimov blames West for fund
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    • James Appathurai, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia commented that the NATO will remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014 to ensure continued security. The envoy said, “NATO will maintain its presence in this country, though in another capacity. We will act as a support for the changes that take place there. The most important thing is that we will not leave behind a security vacuum.” He met the Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Konstantin Zhigalov in Astana and also met with leaders of both houses of Parliament and top officials at the Foreign and Defense ministries in Uzbekistan as part of the a two-day visit to Central Asia.1 Kyrgyzstan President Roza Otunbayeva appealed to the NATO’s envoy for military help in protecting the republic’s porous frontiers and assistance in overhauling rocket and artillery storage facilities. 2

    Uzbekistan’s Birlik (Unity) opposition party, unregistered party, gave a call that minority ethnic Uzbeks residing in Kyrgyzstan should receive “fair treatment” from Kyrgyz authorities at a conference held in the Uzbek capital Tashkent to mark the group’s 22nd anniversary of existence, despite persecution by governing authorities. The conference participants discussed the findings by the Kyrgyzstan Inquiry Commission (KIC) into ethnic violence of June 2010 between the majority Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities in south Kyrgyzstan that left 470 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks. The group’s exiled leader Abdurahim Polatov participated in the conference via phone from the United States. Four ethnic Uzbeks leaders of the ethnic Uzbek political party Votan-Rodina fled Kyrgyzstan after the violence and have not returned because they are facing charges related to the June events.3 In a broadcast on the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov accused the West of funding this year's Arab uprisings to gain access to oil, gas and mineral reserves. Mr Karimov used the Victory Day celebrations to issue a warning to his people not to follow the Arab example, urging his people "to be always vigilant in the current turbulent and challenging times, and to appreciate the peaceful life."4

    In another development, Kazakh state-owned energy giant KazMunaiGas (KMG) has pulled out of the Akkas natural gas deposit development in Iraq as it was unable to reach agreement on the Akkas natural gas deposit in the western Iraqi province on Al Anbar following months of negotiations between Iraq and South Korean state company Korea Gas Corp (Kogas). The talks failed to resolve all issues which emerged at a late stage and it has not been possible to develop a consensus document that would fully meet the interests of all parties. KazMunaiGas and Kogas won a gas auction to develop the field in October 2010 and had initially agreed a 50-50 venture to produce 400 million cubic feet of gas a day at Akkas which holds 5.6 trillion cubic feet of gas. 5

    In other developments in the region, Tajikistan’s central bank has taken action to shore up the weakening national currency, the somoni, in the foreign exchange market by setting aside $1 million. The currency fell to 4.68 against the US dollar from 4.53 in the past week alone. Nuriddin Qyumov, an economist attributes the steady fall of the currency as an outcome of a slew of national financial and economic woes. He says it is a result of the weak economy and reduced exports wherein Tajiks are hoarding dollars and other currencies in an attempt to protect their wealth in the face of inflation and uncertainties. 6

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