The Shanghai Summit went off without a bang or even a fizzling noise of the Central Asian republics frying under the massive heat of their fellow members from Russia and China. Putin is an honest man according to many here. When pressed, people don’t have a good reason for how honest he is other than the “lack of corruption in Russia.” I’ll leave that out with no comment, this ain’t no political blog!, writes James, the another Peace Corps volunteer in Kyrgyzstan.

I see my blog is also specified on linking the posts of foreighners, live or came to Kyrgyzstan by travel. For today, I’ve found another interesting post of Lauren and Martin, Peace Corps Volunteers in Bishkek, about “konoks” (quests). They are here from July 2007. In the Kyrgyz Republic, Lauren will be serving as a secondary school English teacher. Martin will be working as a sustainable NGO developer.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of Kyrgyz societies is the tradition of konok, or guesting. Konok (gosti in Russian) is the process in which you go over and visit a neighbor. It generally involves tea and a lot of food. Usually, the person hosting offers their best food and sits the guests in the seat of honor, which is usually a raised seat at the end of the table. For Lauren, it is a little similar to the once tradition in Chile, except there is a lot more pressure to eat. Families invite others for konok for special occasions or just to make someone feel welcome in the neighborhood. So far, Lauren and I have gone on konok three times each and they are the times that we feel most welcome within our neighberhood.

One funny news I’ve found at 24.kg news agency. That is our MPs will be taught how to work with new labtops by European Union’s and UNDP’ parliament program.

So, there is planning to be a little modernization in the Jogorku Kengesh (Kyrgyz Parliament). Project experts are sure that labtops will improve voting procedure and avoid voting errors, as it was before. There will be a network of law database and MPs can easily find any legal and reference help :).

The ceremony of handing the equipment will be held in September, after the start of renewed parliament session.

Ben Maritz, who is travelling in Central Asia now, has written another post about the Water Policy of Kyrgyzstan and aggrevated relations of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on this issue:

Kyrgyzstan’s greatest natural resource is its water, which flows down from its Tian Shan and Pamir mountains into the Syr Darya and Amu Darya (also known as the Oxus) rivers that lead to its neighbors. During the soviet era, this water was used mainly for the thirsty production of cotton in the valleys of Uzbekistan. Since independance in 1991, as the various central asian countries struggled to make the transition to market-based economies, each has been trying to monetize whatever assets the Stalin era gerrymandering left them with. For most countries, this is mostly natural gas. Kyrgyzstan, however, has no gas, and so has taken to trying to sell their water to their neighbors: threatening to dam up the rivers for power production if Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan do not provide cut-rate shipments of natural gas.

The predictable result of this has been a very tense relationship between the two countries, which has led to occasional border skirmishes and vastly restricted regioal commerce, hobbling Kyrgyztans economy, and making border crossings very difficult. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the regional politicial club, has made resolving water disputes a top priority, and some progress has been made, but still the main borders between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are closed — the two countries’ capitals are can be passed only thorugh Khazakstan.

I was telling you about the idea of pro-western vector of Kyrgyzstan’s development. Nargiza Yuldasheva, 24.KG reporter who also came to our meeting on creating a Liberal Club in Bishkek, wrote an interesting article “Where to go, whom to join”. You can read it below: Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve read an article at the BusinessNewEurope written by Katya Malofeeva and Tim Brenton. The article was telling about Putin’s international legacy. And there was also a case about Russia’s influence in the region of Central Asia.

In Central Asia, Russia has had more success in building relations with the former republics, but a new great game has emerged in the region, largely focused on control of the area’s wealth of natural resource. The Russians remain on top of this struggle for influence, but are being forced to compete on a more level playing field with the US and China.

Most recently, the new theme of energy emerged in Russia’s dealings with other countries in the former Soviet Union. Russia is trying to defend its monopoly in distributing gas to world markets from Central Asia, and was a major opponent of the construction of the BTC pipeline, which bypasses Russia…

Russia is really beeing a major State in the world due to its own energy potential and the resources from Central Asia, especially Turkmenistan. As Russia has the greatest influence and role within Central Asian countries, former USSR republics.

Interesting post is written by Neweurasia contributor from Uzbekistan Jamiyat, and points you made we can see in other CA countries, particularly in Tajikistan and the south part of Kyrgyzstan that borders with Uzbekistan and TJ.

I think the one decision of making different the situation is just decreasing the role of the State in business and other spheres of life, excluding citizens security and a little social care. That’s the one only problem-solving mechanism, I think. That’s called as “Laissez Fair”…

Once I had a conversation with an old man in a village near Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He spoke about the Soviet times, about the social welfare system, salaries, and about his years-long money savings in the Soviet Sberbank, which he never got back after the independence, and many other things, which soon got me bored and I did not listen to him anymore.

But there was one thing he told me, which I still remember. He complained that so many people are leaving his village for Russia in spring and summer that there is usually no men in the village to bring the coffin of a deceased person to the cemetery. The elderly can not do that, women are not allowed, so families of the deceased are forced to ask soldiers from a nearby military garrison to help them carry the corpse. “This is a real Hereafter”-he called it then. One can hear similar stories all around the country nowadays…

A lot of Uzbeks (like many other Central Asians) are leaving their homes, families and children for a better payment, opportunity and simply a better life. Some are lucky and successful find a seasonal job with good payment and honest employers. Some are subject to a real slavery, humiliating living and working conditions, bullying of policemen and attacks of neo-fascists….

The first step towards solving a problem is accepting it, but it seems in Uzbekistan it is preferred to close eyes on that or hide it. Instead Uzbeks are promised a great future, just like in the old Soviet times. All know, though, what happened to Communists in the end.

Whole text can be reached at: uzbekistan.neweurasia.net

The last three days Kyrgyz bloggers were active on issue of SCO summit. Some of them provided their readers with beautiful photoes of summit participants, others were discussing these theme quoting to Mainstream Media sources. So, I’ll make round-up for the last three days. i hope it’ll be interesting and useful for you, if yes, just let me know.

morrire has just published photoes from today’s meeting of the Central Asian Countries presidents, and their counterparts from Russia, Cina, Iran and Afghanistan. She has over 25 photoes, which include just everything from today’s event.

azzzik also took part at SCO summit as a reporter. He publishes a photo, where all presidents are sitting, and he’s shot from behind. He says, that before he had the same photo, but with Condolise Rise.

Another Bishkek-based photo-blogger, antipodean_wor, posts a small article with photoes, which says about the “extraordinary security measures in Bishkek”. He writes “Because of the summit our provincial Bishkek has been a subject of extraordinary security measures it has never seen in his 150 -year history. The streets are closed along the routes of the presidential cars… each one is accompanied by two helicopters…”.

zigeunerin_kgz and azzzik, photobloggers and journalists of AkiPRESS News agency, presented a photoreport of Aircrafts, came for participation at SCO summit in Bishkek. There are aircrafts of Presidents of China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mongoly, Iran, Afghanistan, Ministers from India and Pakistan.

zigeunerin_kgz and azzzik also presented photoreport of August 14-15 meetings of SCO summit participants. There are photos of delegations from China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mongoly, Iran, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Today, zigeunerin_kgz was making news from her office from russian TV RTR. At the another post zigeunerin_kgz says about the problem of translation of the China Leader’s speech. She says because of it noone has quoted him among the Kyrgyz News agencies.

markgrigorian made a report for central_asia LJ community about the preparation of Bishkek to the SCO Summit 2007. In his post he says that Kyrgyzstan has never seen so many Presidents in it’s own territory, and because of it the main International Airport in Bishkek was closed.

A day before the summit, abellans was thinking over a new surprizes.

antipodean_wor reported about the “Traffic deadlock on the streets of Bishkek: the main roads had been periodically closed for both traffic and pedestrians. The reason - there is a summit of 6 presidents (Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tadjikistan)”. He had included some photoes of the street.

The another issue bloggers were interested at was the travel within Kyrgyzstan. For instance, talve went to Naryn and after coming made a beautiful photoreport of the place. antipodean_wor reports about the salty lake near issyk-Kul. somurzakov posts pictures of summer Issyk-Kul. nurba, another Kyrgyzstani blogger, who is currently working in Singapore, is going to the Philippines soon and trying to get a visa for it. he publishes photoes of his pilipino counterparts.
That is all. I’m to have met you once again.

Emil Umetaliev, Kyrgyz Concept travel company President - is one of the most respectable person for me in Kyrgyzstan. The reason of my respect is not only based on perfect service of the “Kyrgyz Concept” company, the main thing is he knows a real situation in Kyrgyzstan, and understands the way of decision. He thinks as usual liberal person, and I found out at his office quote of von Hayek, person who did a lot for developing of Liberal ideas in the world. He also tries to support some ideas from Civil Society Organizations, particularly of youth… So, today I’ve read his interview at 24.kg News Agency, and his thoughts were really interesting, and close to mine.

E.Umetaliev: Talks about free travel visa regime for USA and Western Europe are on for many years. Everybody understands that visa regime is outdated and needs to be entirely changed. However, it has only been simplified. Just like you can not be a little pregnant, the visa regime can not be simplified.

 

Even the most closed states try to attract tourists, especially from Europe, Japan and USA. We offer our services when we invite people to visit our country. If we invite tourists we should cancel visa regime. Visa is always a restriction. It is an instrument of foreign policy used for those countries which tourists are not welcomed. If to cancel the visa regime, tourists from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan China will visit Kyrgyzstan which is on the way, only because it is visa free. Even the most conservative predictions say that the influx of tourists will grow at least by 20-30 percent.