Uzbekistan after Karimov

LONDON (TCA) — Will the death of Uzbekistan’s longstanding ruler cause an “Uzbek Spring” with room for more public input and a less oppressive state apparatus, without hollowing out the state itself? As things look, the disappearance of one of the last remaining “Soviet heirs” and his replacement is an affair to be settled within a very narrow circle of men-behind-the-throne. That does not mean, however, that things on a slightly longer term could not change for the better. Continue reading

OSCE supports project to improve municipal services delivery in Balykchy, Kyrgyzstan

ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan (TCA) — The OSCE Centre in Bishkek, the Mayor’s Office of Balykchy and the International Republican Institute on August 23 signed a memorandum of understanding to support a pilot project on improving municipal services delivery in the town of Balykchy, northern Kyrgyzstan, through a so-called “single window model”, the OSCE Centre in Bishkek said. Continue reading