Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Kazakhstan

Uzbekistan Joins Eurasian Economic Community

EES leaders at Konstantinovsky Palace outside St. Petersburg on 25 January (epa)

25 January 2006 -- Uzbekistan today became the sixth member of the Eurasian Economic Community (EES) at a summit in St. Petersburg of that Russian-led grouping.

Central Asia: The Mechanics Of Russian Influence

TEXT SIZE - +

January 25, 2006

The EES is one of a number of overlapping regional blocs formed since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

In addition to Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan -- which along with Ukraine are members of the so-called Common Economic Space -- the EES brings together Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and now Uzbekistan.

Summit participants were expected to discuss plans to merge the EES with another regional forum, the Central Asian Cooperation Organization, which is made of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

Addressing today's summit, Uzbek President Islam Karimov said the merger of the two organizations would boost regional integration processes.

The West has strongly criticized Karimov's government in the wake of a bloody crackdown against a May demonstration in the eastern city of Andijon. Uzbekistan has since curtailed its military cooperation with the United States and seemingly sought to enhance ties with Moscow.

(ITAR-TASS, AP)

Attack Of The Cloned Websites...This Time In Uzbekistan

A website has been set up to mirror the site of RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, in what could be a phishing scheme to harvest user information. More

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

Production and distribution of rap music is not officially banned, but it

Yo! Turkmen Rappers Flip The Script On Repression

For a growing number of Turkmen youth, rap music has become a way to express their daily struggles and inspire political change in one of the world's most oppressive countries. More