Author: Akiner Balbay

In more evidence of the hollowing out of judicial independence in Kyrgyzstan, lawmakers voted by a sweeping majority on September 28 to permit the president to overturn Constitutional Court rulings deemed to contradict “moral values.” Consideration of the legislation had not been planned, but the vote was placed on the agenda as a matter of urgent business by Almazbek Abytov, the presidential envoy to the Jogorku Kenesh, as the one-chamber legislature is known. The surprise move wrongfooted any activists or lawmakers who might have been inclined to mobilize opposition to the provision. Abytov was abetted in this feint by members of the…

In the latest edition of the EurasiaChat podcast, resident co-presenter Alisher Khamidov opened with some questions about a visit that Peter Leonard, Eurasianet’s Central Asia editor, recently paid to Tajikistan. The standard narrative is that the country is in a perennial economic slump. And there is more than enough data to support that idea. Hundreds of thousands of people have to go abroad for work. The government is mired in debt that it will struggle to pay off. Basic services are often lacking. But as Peter noted, the capital, Dushanbe, can somewhat, albeit misleadingly, confound these impressions. The city, like capitals…

A Hamas official said Tuesday that a ceasefire agreement with Israel will be announced in the coming hours in Qatar. The official, who requested to remain anonymous, told Xinhua, “We are close to reaching an agreement in the coming hours, and the movement has delivered its response to the mediators.” Another Hamas source said, “The agreement will be announced in Qatar, and it may be soon, and its success is linked to the commitment of the Israeli side.” The ceasefire deal, said the sources, will last for five days and includes the release of 50 civilians and foreign nationals held…

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) submitted a letter of intent (LOI) on Monday and signed a declaration to FIFA to bid for the 2034 World Cup. Saudi Arabia first announced its intention to bid for the 2034 edition of the football tournament last Wednesday, and the letter of intent – signed by SAFF President Yasser Al Misehal – officially confirms the Kingdom’s commitment to embark on the bid process set out by FIFA, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The SAFF said that Saudi Arabia’s intention to bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup is a historic first and reflects…

London, Dublin (1/11 – 66) Hamas is sheltered in a sea of civilians. Ostensibly a Palestinian political and military organization established in 1987, Hamas “governs” on the basis of having won a majority in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections – defeating Fatah, another Islamist terror combine – before forming a government in the Gaza Strip, described as “…the world’s largest open-air prison” for its Palestinian inhabitants. So why don’t the Palestinians, having been robbed of their ancient lands, simply up and move somewhere else? It is telling that none of the Islamic nations surrounding Israel care to admit any more…

The authorities in Kazakhstan have for many years been toying with the idea of building a nuclear power plant, but they have lacked the nerve to take a decision in the face of strong public opposition. In September, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev opted to punt his way out of the predicament by announcing a referendum on the question. While Tokayev is evidently in favor of nuclear power, he is eager not to be seen as acting in defiance of broader sentiment. “On one hand, Kazakhstan, as the largest uranium producer in the world, should have its own nuclear power generation [capability],” he said…

Turkmenistan’s president is scheduled to travel to Turkey this week for talks expected to focus on natural gas transportation. For decades, thoughts about how to send Turkmen gas westward have centered around the need to build a trans-Caspian pipeline to Azerbaijan. Presumed resistance from Russia has long been the main perceived stumbling block. But that is only one part of the equation. For buyers in Europe to be able to import useful amounts of Turkmen gas, the capacity of the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline, or TANAP, which crosses the length of Turkey, will also have to expand substantially. Happily for that notion, Azerbaijan…

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday the country is exploring the possibility of removing visa requirements with a number of states, including Saudi Arabia. He made the remarks in an address to a weekly press conference in the Iranian capital Tehran. Kanaani said the issue is being examined by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, adding there are a number of plans and ideas in this area and meetings have been held with relevant institutions. He added that after examining all the political and security aspects, a conclusion would be presented to the cabinet. In March, Saudi Arabia and…

Prominent Russian media outlets chose Kazakhstan’s holiday of national sovereignty to widely disseminate a false news item about the opening of a supposed NATO facility in the country. Well-established titles such as Moskovsky Komsomolets and Argumenty i Fakty were among several publications that reported on October 23 that a would-be “NATO peacekeeping center” had opened in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. For pictorial evidence, they ran an image of U.S. ambassador Daniel N. Rosenblum cutting a ceremonial ribbon. The original source for the alleged facility opening appears to have been a Telegram channel best known for its eager cheerleading of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The…

Israel’s tourism minister traveled to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the first public visit by an Israeli minister to the kingdom, said Israel’s Ministry of Tourism in a statement. Haim Katz “is the first Israeli minister to head an official delegation in Saudi Arabia,” the statement reads. The visit also came amid talks between the two countries to normalize relations. Katz will attend a conference sponsored by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in the kingdom during his two-day trip, it added. “Tourism is a bridge between nations,” Katz was quoted as saying in the statement. “Cooperation in the field…