DUSHANBE (TCA) — President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon on September 20 participated in the solemn ceremony of inauguration of the Educational Institution of general non-state education Cambridge Worldwide Academy Tajikistan, in Dushanbe, the president’s press service reported.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — Eduard Auer has been appointed as a new Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic. On September 20 he met Minister of Foreign Affairs Erlan Abdyldaev to present the copies of credentials and commenced his duties, the Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic said.

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DUSHANBE (TCA) — The recent government reshuffle and strengthening of military presence in Tajikistan’s remote Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region indicate that President Rahmon’s government is extending its control of this potentially restive area. We are republishing this article on the issue, originally published by Eurasianet:

For around a week, reports have been trickling out of Tajikistan’s remote eastern Pamir region of a looming security crackdown by government forces.

The first public hints that not all was well emerged on September 15, when President Emomali Rahmon stated during a visit to Khorog, the capital of the mountainous Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, or GBAO, that he was growing fed up with lawlessness in the province. Addressing leading public figures in GBAO and top national security officials, Rahmon delivered a furious tirade and set a one-month deadline by which to resolve outstanding issues.

“There are 2,000 government employees in Khorog, and you cannot even deal with five or six criminals? I will take responsibility for this myself – if you need, use live arms,” Rahmon told an ashen-faced row of security chiefs in televised remarks.

GBAO has a storied past of resistance against Dushanbe, most notably in the years of the civil war of the 1990s, but more recently during bloody clashes in 2012 that sowed a sense of abiding distrust and ill-will that endures to this day. The total size of the population stands around 200,000, although by territory, GBAO accounts for just under half the whole country.

The specific source of unhappiness for Dushanbe, as in 2012, is the role said to be played by local informal leaders – the “five or six criminals” alluded to by Rahmon – whose authority is believed to often outweigh even that of the government. Officials have let the central leadership down by playing a “double game” and dealing directly with these figures while assuring the government in Dushanbe that the situation was under control, Rahmon claimed. By most accounts, these informal leaders are engaged in an array of illegal practices, including smuggling, but they nonetheless enjoy considerable local support; indeed, they are often seen as protection from the central government.

A series of high-level personnel reshuffles were carried out following Rahmon’s angry speech. GBAO governor Shodihon Jamshedov appointed three new deputies and a head of the regional court. The man appointed first deputy governor was Alisher Mirzonabotov, who had been deputy head of the regional branch of the State Committee for National Security, or GKNB, since last September. Also, an outgoing deputy Interior Minister has been made head of police for GBAO. Khorog mayor Arambegim Mahtobshozoda, who had been in his post for two years, was fired on September 19.

There are clues that what is happening is both a long-term bolstering of central government forces in GBAO and a possible preparation for unrest in the immediate future.

On September 14, Rahmon officially inaugurated a GKNB border guard training center in Khorog. The garrison can accommodate up to 480 people. He also opened a new building for the military prosecutor’s office and laid the foundation stone for living quarters for military officers.

A newly commissioned border guard recruits training center in Khorog can accommodate 800 troops. Training there will focus, among other things, on the use of electronic equipment.

The account laying out all these details, as compiled by the president’s official website, was to convey the sheer volume of resources being devoted to the security presence being installed in GBAO. This even included a reminder that the canteen for border troops could accommodate 500 people and that troops were provided three square meals daily.

After touring the new facilities, Rahmon attended a military parade involving 3,500 troops, including many brought in from other regions.

“Those forces that are here now, let them stay. May they enforce order, and then they can leave,” Rahmon said, setting October 15 as a deadline for bringing the region to heel.

The most immediate visible result of this demand for enhanced security has seen police ordering drivers in GBAO to remove tinted films off the windows of their cars. Local residents have also reported that police have been appealing to owners of light weapons to hand them over to the authorities. It is not known that anybody has acquiesced to these requests.

On September 19, footage surfaced online purporting to show troops and military equipment being transferred to GBAO. It is not known when the footage was filmed and it is possible that it was dated to before the military parade.

A military source told Asia-Plus newspaper on September 19 that there are no plans to dispatch additional troops to GBAO as part of measures to implement Rahmon’s demands. The current security presence will be sufficient, the source said.

The genesis of this situation dates back to 2012, when government troops engaged in bitter battles against armed groups loyal to local power brokers. Accounts of that episode are mired in uncertainty as the government does not tolerate unfettered reporting by media or rights groups in the area, but a credible account describes its origins in the killing that July of provincial GKNB chief Abdullo Nazarov. That murder was pinned on associates of Tolib Ayombekov, one of the informal leaders almost certainly being referred to by Rahmon.

Within days, government forces launched an assault on the bastions of the informal leaders, who were also said to include Imomnazar Imomnazarov, who was killed in a blast at his house the following month, and Makhmadbokir Makhmadbokirov in their ranks.

A lengthy gun battle ended in a stalemate that compelled the government to agree to grant security guarantees to anybody that handed over their weapons.

Crucially, those negotiations were brokered by representatives of the Agha Khan, the wealthy Europe-based philanthropist deemed by the Shia Ismailis of the Pamirs to be a spiritual leader. It is clear that the face-reddening climbdown has rankled with Dushanbe ever since and that Rahmon’s remarks indicate he intends sooner rather than later to finish off the job.

Analysts have long been predicting a potential resurgence of unrest. In a report published in March, the International Crisis Group warned that GBAO’s informal leaders, which it said are known locally as the Authorities, are well prepared for such a likelihood.

“If clashes erupt, the Authorities can muster dozens of unemployed youth from Khorog and its environs, in addition to their regular gunmen,” the report said.

The timing for this potential renewed attempt by the government to consolidate power is explained by a couple of factors.

One theory is that Dushanbe is incensed by genuine cases of brazenness among the informal leaders. RFE/RL’s Tajik service, Radio Ozodi, reported on September 19 that Ayombekov was forced to deny claims he physically assaulted the GBAO governor, Jamshedov.

“There was no slap. We went to the head of the region to discuss the situation with prisoners. In the pretrial jail they beat up our guys, our relatives. We just demanded that the authorities take measures and monitor how people are being detained,” Ayombekov told Radio Ozodi.

The other line of reasoning, advanced in the ICG report, is that Rahmon is bent on extending his control over the whole nation in advance of a possible transition at the top in 2020.

“Rahmon is expected to hand over power to a younger family member. A rocky transition could lead Gorno-Badakhshan powerbrokers to seek a more influential role in the new dispensation. Their track record suggests they may be willing to use force to achieve their ends,” the ICG report noted.

KABUL (TCA) — India and China will jointly train Afghan diplomats starting from October this year. A high-level official in the Indian government has said that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was highly appreciative of the Sino-Indian cooperation in the war-torn country, Sputnik news agency reported.

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ASTANA (TCA) — In their joint statement the Government of Kazakhstan and the National Bank recently proposed a package of measures to support agricultural producers and the agrarian sector as a whole. As part of this work, on September 19, the Government of Kazakhstan and the National Bank approved a mechanism for the purchase of a portfolio of agricultural loans from Kazakhstan’s Tsesnabank JSC for 450 billion tenge, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported.

Within the next few days, the mechanism will be implemented, which will improve the conditions for agricultural producers, as well as increase the sustainability of Tsesnabank due to a fundamental improvement in the quality of its loan portfolio. Also, the amount and exact schedule of additional capitalization of Tsesnabank by its shareholders were determined.

Tsesnabank JSC jointly with JSC KazAgro NMH approved the mechanism for converting foreign currency loans granted to Kazakh agricultural producers to tenge loans with an extension of the lending terms. This will reduce the debt burden of agricultural enterprises and reduce the dependence on exchange rate fluctuations caused by external factors.

As part of the measures taken, the State provides support to the country’s agricultural sector, as well as the sustainability of Tsesnabank, which holds leading positions in lending to agricultural producers and is of systemic importance for the financial sector of the country.

TASHKENT (TCA) — Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice-President Mr. Wencai Zhang reiterated ADB’s support for the Uzbek government’s development and reform agenda, and expressed confidence in the country’s economic prospects during his 4-day visit to Uzbekistan from 19 to 22 September. Mr. Zhang met with the Prime Minister Mr. Abdulla Aripov, First Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Achilbay Ramatov, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the State Committee for Investments, and ADB Governor Mr. Sukhrob Kholmuradov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Mr. Djamshid Kuchkarov, and other government officials. He congratulated the government on its bold and far-reaching reforms to strengthen macroeconomic stability and resilience, and promote inclusive and sustainable development.

“This is an important stage in Uzbekistan’s history,” said Mr. Zhang. “ADB values our long-standing partnership with Uzbekistan and shares the government’s vision of bringing prosperity to the people of Uzbekistan.”

ADB is preparing a new 5-year Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Uzbekistan to establish a stronger foundation for inclusive, diversified, and sustainable economic growth, improving governance and institutional capacity, and promoting regional cooperation and connectivity. The 2019–2023 CPS supports the government’s development strategy and priorities for Uzbekistan. ADB plans to mobilize more than $1 billion a year in the next three years to improve water supply and sanitation, transport infrastructure, energy generation and distribution, and youth employment to create jobs in rural areas; broaden access to modern healthcare; and support the government’s reform program in economic management and social protection improvement.

During the visit, Mr. Zhang spoke at an international transport conference organized by the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan. He underlined Uzbekistan’s support for regional cooperation and ADB’s commitment to improve transport networks in Central and West Asia. Mr. Zhang also gave a guest lecture on the economic benefits of regional cooperation to students and professors at the Westminster International University in Tashkent.

During his visit, Mr. Zhang will also visit ADB-supported projects and meet with local government and project beneficiaries, including horticultural and other small businesses that received SME financing jointly provided by ADB and the Uzbek government through local commercial banks.

Since joining ADB in 1995, Uzbekistan has committed 67 loans totaling $7.0 billion, including two private sector loans totaling $225 million. ADB also provided $6 million in equity investment, $218 million in guarantees, and $83.6 million in technical assistance grants. Until now in 2018, ADB committed two loans totaling $750 million to improve power generation efficiency and support ongoing reforms through better economic management in the country.