By empty (2/10/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Kazakh Prosecutor-General Rashid Tusupbekov has asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Ustinov to consider charges against Russian State Duma Deputy Vladimir Zhirinovskii for disparaging comments the latter made about Kazakhstan in a 17 January interview with Ekho Moskvy. In the interview, Zhirinovskii denied the existence of a Kazakh language and cast doubts on the validity of Kazakh statehood. Tusupbekov noted that such comments are actionable under Article 282 of Russia\'s Criminal Code, which covers the incitement of interethnic, racial, and religious animosity.

By empty (2/11/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov met with Shavkat Mirziyoev, his Uzbek counterpart, in Tashkent on 10 February. They signed two agreements, one on settling accounts for cargo transport and Tajikistan\'s sovereign debt in 2005, and another on cooperation in the use of water and energy resources. The talks focused on trade, with the participants noting that trade volume between the two countries registered a 27 percent year-on-year increase in 2004.

By empty (2/10/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Nurlan Sadykov, a lawyer representing former Foreign Minister Roza Otunbaeva, told RFE/RL\'s Kyrgyz Service on 9 February that the country\'s Constitutional Court has confirmed that his client cannot take part in the 27 February parliamentary elections. Otunbaeva, co-chairwoman of the Ota-Jurt opposition movement, was earlier denied registration for failing to meet the five-year in-country residency requirement, which she argues should not apply to former diplomats. Having exhausted legal appeals in Kyrgyzstan, Otunbaeva now plans to appeal to international bodies.