By Gideon Remez (4/12/2000 issue of the CACI Analyst)

While Kyrgyzstan's President Askar Akayev was coming under international criticism for disqualification and harassment of his adversaries in parliamentary elections, First Lady Mairam Akayeva was engaged in positive and successful cultural diplomacy in Israel. At the President's House in Jerusalem, Professor Akayeva and her Israeli counterpart Reuma Weizmann introduced their joint project: a selection from the Manas epic translated in Hebrew, offering most Israelis their first encounter with the Kyrgyz national epic.

The two First Ladies met at a conference three years ago, soon after UNESCO declared "Year of the Manas Epic" to honor the 1000th anniversary of the epic, whose million or so lines form the longest such poem in the world.

By Marat Yermukanov (4/26/2000 issue of the CACI Analyst)

According to the Regional Statistics Board, 23% of the economically active population of the Northern Kazakhstan Region is involved in small business. On the other hand, the private business sector is widely believed to be an easy target for local government officials and a host of inspecting bodies who often misuse their power to extort money. The Northern Kazakhstan Police Department reported that 29 cases of bribery were committed in 1999.

By Anonymous, Tashkent (4/26/2000 issue of the CACI Analyst)

It cannot be said that the visit of US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was a matter of great concern to the Uzbekistani people. But the matter was on almost everoyone’s mind:

Jamsheed, 26 years old, Uzbek, manager at a multi-national corporation stated:   "Top officials from the United States are rare guests to our country. And after each time one visits we expect an improvement in our two countries’ relations.