Prague, 20 April 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The United States is denying the authenticity of a document being circulated in Tajik media that purports to be proof of a U.S. plot to overthrow former Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev.
Neighboring states don't want to see a repeat of Kyrgyzstan's protests in their own countries In the wake of last month's popular revolt in Kyrgyzstan, neighboring governments are taking measures to prevent the same thing from happening in their own countries. The abrupt ouster of Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev resonated throughout the region -- and no doubt raised anxiety among his fellow heads of state, all of whom have been in power since the early 1990s. Kyrgyzstan's neighbors have been quick to pass new laws in order to avert their own homegrown revolutions.
19 April 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is due in Tajikistan today, the latest stop of a three-nation tour of Central Asia.
UNICEF says in a new report that while more girls worldwide are going to school, the gender gap in many regions still remains wide. The report was officially released today in Geneva by UNICEF's executive director Carol Bellamy.
President Rakhmonov (file photo) 16 April 2005 -- In his annual address today, Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov said strategic partnership with Russia has reached a "fundamentally new level."
Expectations are high in Kyrgyzstan for achieving swift and comprehensive reforms. By Christopher Walker
CIS leaders at the Astana summit in September 2004 Reports issued by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) ahead of their spring meetings on 16-17 April show continued strong growth in some of the poorest states of the former Soviet Union. These economies were bolstered in part by high prices for oil, metals, and other commodities they possess. But experts at the World Bank and IMF stress that countries in the region must enact institutional reforms in order to sustain this growth.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in Bishkek today, backed Kyrgyzstan's new leadership and received assurances that U.S. forces will be able to continue using the Ganci air base for supporting U.S. operations in Afghanistan. Rumsfeld is the first high-ranking U.S. official to visit Kyrgyzstan since the overthrow of the government last month.
Dushanbe has been strongly critical of Moscow following a decision by Russian authorities to release Tajik opposition figure Mahmadruzi Iskandarov. Tajikistan sought Iskandarov's extradition to face trial at home on charges of embezzlement and ties to a terrorist group. The Democratic Party of Tajikistan head was arrested in Moscow in December, at Dushanbe's request. So what does Iskandarov's release mean for Russian-Tajik relations?
Young Tajiks have been following recent events in Kyrgyzstan with interest. However, many of those who grew up during the country's civil war of the 1990s are well aware that street demonstrations can lead to confrontation and bloodshed. Several of them told RFE/RL they prefer political disputes to be settled through legal means. With 40 percent of Tajikistan's population under the age of 30, the authorities might well have to start listening to the country's young people. RFE/RL correspondents Salimjon Aioubov and Golnaz Esfandiari report. For more on the rise of political youth groups, see RFE/RL's special website "The Power of Youth." --> /specials/youth/
8 April 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The opposition Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT) today said that its leader, Mahmadruzi Iskandarov, intends to run in next year's presidential elections.
Central Asia is home to many species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Hunting species threatened with extinction, like the Bukharan deer, is prohibited. But many foreign tourists come to the region to hunt other species, such as the Marco Polo sheep, whose populations are protected but still open to limited hunting. Hunting has raised worries among wildlife activists. But hunting and conservation can be compatible, under certain conditions.
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