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Kyrgyzstan Taliban Military Uzbekistan Afghanistan Islamic State Security Terrorism Central Asia Tajikistan

Afghanistan: Taliban spring offensive and increasing threat to Central Asia

OSH, Kyrgyzstan (TCA) — In Afghanistan, the Taliban has regained a foothold and launched the spring offensive codenamed “operation Omari,” after the name of its late leader Mullah Muhammad Omar. This will certainly nullify the peace efforts of the quadrilateral coordination group of China, the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan for reaching a direct dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban. The spring offensive will certainly escalate violence and further destabilize the country. Such development on the ground, with the Afghan government’s role in state management reduced by ever intensive fighting, may turn foreign intervention from a last option into the only option. With Afghanistan falling again into chaos, terrorism may spread to neighboring countries of Central Asia and probably China’s western Xinjiang region. Continue reading

10 years ago

Gold Mining Kumtor Investments Kyrgyzstan

Gold mining in Kyrgyzstan: too many licenses, little performance

BISHKEK (TCA) — Looking at figures, it can be concluded that Kyrgyzstan’s largest gold mine and champion moneymaker Kumtor is bound to be depleted within not too many years and the annual gold production can be more or less kept up only with the opening of new deposits. Continue reading

10 years ago

Terrorism China Central Asia Tajikistan Russia Security Taliban India Military Afghanistan

Afghanistan: terrorism or war all moving closer to Central Asia

OSH, Kyrgyzstan (TCA) — Right across the Tajik border and under the very noses of Russian and Indian military based near the frontier, it is all-out war again in the northeast of Afghanistan and there is a pretty good chance that Afghan government troops will bite the dust in the absence of American, or eventually Russian, Indian and/or Chinese air support. Only days after the Taliban announced its “spring offensive” throughout Afghanistan, the much-feared extremists already keep the initiative both in the southwest and the northeast. Only resumed infighting between extremist forces could bring some relief for a disenchanted population in the region. Continue reading

10 years ago

Kyrgyzstan Opposition Politics Kumtor Economy Investments

Kyrgyzstan: new prime minister, old economic challenges

BISHKEK (TCA) — The latest row leading to the Kyrgyz Government’s resignation has been a perfect example of the negligence with which the outgoing cabinet treated the country’s urgent economic problems. Since the outgoing PM was a technocrat from outside of the three-party parliamentary coalition, the partnership remains intact with no outlook on so-called snap elections. But the problems faced by the new team need a much better approach than till now. Continue reading

10 years ago

Fergana Valley Crime Border Uzbekistan Economy Security Central Asia Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan’s border trouble between crime and economics

OSH, Kyrgyzstan (TCA) — In the southwest of Kyrgyzstan, with its important Uzbek minority and arguable borders there is a potential cause for confrontation with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. At stake are precious irrigation water and mineral resources. Continue reading

10 years ago

Trade Currency Industry Economy Kyrgyzstan Finance

Kyrgyzstan’s economy in figures

BISHKEK (TCA) — There is something about economic forecasts proclaimed by institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank: in cases they are mildly positive, realities that follow them tend to be better, and in cases they are mildly negative, realities turn out to be worse. Forecasts and subsequent realities concerning Central Asia in this context appear not just unexceptional, but even exemplary. Continue reading

10 years ago

Uzbekistan Trade Railway Transit China Central Asia Kazakhstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Kyrgyzstan

Central Asia: China’s railway takes detours

LONDON (TCA) — The dream of operating a railways system from China to Europe via Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan seems to have taken a detour since the present situation shows that with the exception of Kazakhstan, the other Central-Asian post-Soviet republics find themselves on the losing end of China’s rail expansion scheme – due to various “realities”. Continue reading

10 years ago

Currency Central Asia Banking Kazakhstan Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan Finance Uzbekistan Azerbaijan

Central Asia banks: some bankrupt, others near collapse

ALMATY (TCA) — Today in Central Asia several banks bearing fancy names and based in fancy offices have multiplied in places like minor-size former Soviet republics with no economic achievement to speak of — all over among local banks from Dushanbe to Baku in the former USSR’s “soft belly” stretching from the Pamir to the Caucasus. In this regard, only Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have kept aloof from cash trouble up till now. Continue reading

10 years ago

Mining Uranium Nuclear Central Asia Kazakhstan Investments

Kazakhstan and Central Asia and the production sharing system in natural resources: the uranium industry

ALMATY (TCA) — With income on oil sales down to a fraction of what they used to be until just two years ago, Kazakhstan seems desperate to fill the gap with increased income on other commodities it has in great quantities. This seems to be leading to a fresh wave of “resource nationalism” as the tendency to re-nationalise upstream assets is dubbed by western industrialists. In Kazakhstan, it was oil, in Kyrgyzstan gold – and now uranium is waiting for its turn. True: “commitments” have not been kept – but by whom? Continue reading

10 years ago

Refugees Syria Islamic State Security Terrorism Central Asia European Union

A terrorism virus spreading from Asia to Western Europe

LONDON (TCA) — Bomb attack wreckage in Europe, the plight of Syrian war refugees, the fight against Daesh on the ground and Turkey’s ambivalent role in it and Central Asia’s brewing hotbeds – where do they all come together? The question looks obvious, but it seems amidst the political whirlwinds that everybody somehow involved has a different answer to it – often a contradictory and seldom a convincing one. Continue reading

10 years ago

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