By Azer Kerimov (9/5/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On August 28, a 16-story building collapsed in the center of Baku, capital of Azerbaijan. The building was about to be completed, and several families had even moved into apartments on the first and second floors. According to official data, fifteen persons who had been working in the building as laborers died, and three more were wounded.
By Sergey Medrea (9/5/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have hardly been friendly and constructive since the 1990s, but now, with Tajikistan seeking to become a leading power exporter and Russia agreeing to finish the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric station (represented by RAO EES instead of the privately owned Rusal), energy politics may cause even further tensions with Uzbekistan.
During the proceedings of the Shangai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Bishkek, Uzbek president Islam Karimov expressed worries over transnational water issues. Consequently, he asked for guarantees that the construction of new hydroelectric stations will not disrupt established water-sharing practices – and that the interests of the downstream states (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) will be taken into consideration.
By Erkin Akhmadov (9/5/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit that took place in Bishkek on August 15-16, 2007, the leaders of the five member states discussed issues of energy, security and cooperation. The speech of Uzbekistan’s President emphasized the importance of regional security in light of the situation in Afghanistan and environmental issues with stress on the water resources.
Many issues of regional and organizational concern were raised at the summit.
By Haroutiun Khachatrian (7/11/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The recent visit of the joint delegation of intellectuals of Azerbaijan and Armenia to the capitals of both countries and to the unrecognized Nagorno Karabakh Republic may mark a turn in Azerbaijan’s tactics into a more flexible approach. If this policy is continued, it may have good impact for decreasing tension among the participants of the conflict and make the search for compromises easier.
On July 28, a joint delegation including five Armenians and five Azerbaijanis, led by the ambassadors of Armenia and Azerbaijan to Russia, Armen Smbatian and Polad Bul-bul Oglu, made a joint trip to Stepanakert, Yerevan and Baku to meet, respectively, the president of the unrecognized Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Arkady Ghukasian, the presidents of Armenia Robert Kocharian and of Azerbaiajn, Ilham Aliyev.
The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst is a biweekly publication of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, a Joint Transatlantic Research and Policy Center affiliated with the American Foreign Policy Council, Washington DC., and the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Stockholm. For 15 years, the Analyst has brought cutting edge analysis of the region geared toward a practitioner audience.
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