International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) completed its 12-year investigation on Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, which was a precondition for lifting UN, US and EU sanctions on Iran. The IAEA concluded that Iran conducted research related to nuclear weapons until 2003 and to a lesser extent in 2009, but the agency said that the activities…
An EU official told RFE/RL that the EU plans to extend sanctions against Russia when EU ambassadors gather for a meeting slated to take place on December 21. The sanctions to be officially extended until July 31, 2016 target Russia’s financial, oil and military sectors as well as specific individuals. A December 14 meeting of…
Opposition politicians and protesters gathered in Yerevan, claiming that Armenia’s November 7 referendum on constitutional reforms was marked with high rates of corruption. According to Armenia’s Central Election Commission, 63.5% of voters purportedly elected to pass a packet of over 200 changes to the constitution. One of the reforms would curb presidential powers but extend…
Earlier this year we had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Sabit Khakimzhanov, the head of research at Halyk Finance, a leading Kazakh investment bank focused on Central Asia. Khakimzhanov is an authority on the Kazakh economy and investment climate, and has written and spoken widely on Kazakh monetary policy. Dr. Khakimzhanov has a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from…
Turkmenistan’s export options are steadily shrinking despite being one of the world’s largest natural gas reserve holders. Geopolitical conflicts, security and financing issues as well as lack of sufficient infrastructure are acting as constraints for market diversification. According to the U.S. government’s Energy Information Agency, Turkmenistan has natural gas reserves of 265 trillion cubic feet,…
Tajikistan’s government is seeing human rights activists and others leave the country after it passed a law on NGOs similar to those of Russia and Azerbaijan. The amendments to an existing law on non-governmental organizations stipulate that NGOs must report the sources and amounts of their funding to the central government, and expanded the powers…
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree enforcing economic sanctions against Turkey in retaliation for the downing of a Russian military jet near the Syrian-Turkish border. The statement posted on the Kremlin’s website cites national security, listing a ban on chartered flights between Russia and Turkey, and ordered tour operators to refrain from offering trips…
Central Asian states are believed to be walking a diplomatic tightrope after Turkey’s downing of the Russian fighter jet. Being allies and trade partners with Russia but having close partnership with Turkey at the same time puts Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Turkmen and Uzbeks in a difficult situation to hold a clear position. These are Turkic people…
Stratfor forecasts on potential changes in military order in the Caspian Sea amidst the recent developments in the littoral states. Currently, Russia holds the strongest navy and military activities in the Caspian waters among the five bordering states including Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Russia has a stake in every military drill and operation in…
The now-infamous Paris attacks are believed to be pushing Russia and the West closer as first signs of rapprochement appeared during the G20 summit in Turkey on 15-16 November. Unlike last year’s summit when Vladimir Putin left early due to the frosty atmosphere, this year the Russian president huddled for private chats with American and…
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