Chronicle of the month: July, 2012
July 1 – Mr. Andrew Bower Mitchell, UK Secretary of State for International Development, paid a working visit to Tajikistan. During stay in Tajikistan, he held talks with a number of high-ranking Tajik state officials and visited the Vakhsh district in Khatlon province to review the DFID (Department for International Development) programs.
July 1-2 – Tajik President Emomali Rahmon paid a visit to Ukraine. While in Kyiv, he met with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and some other high-ranking Ukrainian state officials to discuss issues related to bilateral cooperation between their countries.
July 2-3 – Indian External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna visited Tajikistan. During his stay in Tajikistan, Indian minister held talks with President Emomali Rahmon and Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi to discuss state and prospects of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and India in sectors like energy and security as well as issues related to the current situation in the region will be the focus of the talks.
July 2-4 – Prince Hussain Aga Khan, son of His Highness the Aga Khan, visited Tajikistan. During his three-day visit, Prince Hussain reviewed the progress of current and planned activities of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in the country.
July 3-10 – A large-scale operational and tactical exercise, dubbed Hifz-2012 (Protection 2012), was conducted at the Tem training ground on the outskirts of the city of Khorog, the administrative center of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO or Gorno Badakhshan). The exercise comprising servicemen from the Khorog garrison, sub-units of the power-wielding structures deployed in Gorno Badakhshan and local law enforcement agencies included simulated combat maneuvers in mountainous terrain. The First Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant-General Ramil Nadyrov, who is also Head of the MoD General Staff, was in overall command of the war game that involved infantry units along with armored vehicles and ground-attack aircraft.
July 5 – A Tajik delegation, led by Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi, attended the 6th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum that took place in Seoul, South Korea. According to the Tajik MFA information department, issues related to further strengthening of interaction in various spheres were discussed at the forum, which was attended by the ministers of foreign affairs of the participant countries;
– The Supreme Court sentenced Jourabek Okhounov top manager of “Movarounnahr,” which is Tajikistan’s largest real estate development company, to 14 years. The sentence followed his conviction on charges of a large-scale fraud, illegal entrepreneurship, and causing property loss by deception or abuse of confidence and misappropriation.
July 5-6 – A U.S. bipartisan Congressional delegation led by Representative Dan Burton (Republican from Indiana) and Representative Greg Meeks (Democrat from New York) visited Tajikistan. The delegation also visited Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan as part of a tour of Central Asia to examine regional trade, democracy, rule of law, security, and development issues. While in Tajikistan, the delegation met with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to discuss U.S.-Tajik bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.
July 11-12 – Tajik President Emomali Rahmon paid an official visit to Azerbaijan. Negotiations between Tajik and Azeri government delegations that took place in Baku, Azerbaijan on July 12 resulted in signing of ten bilateral cooperation documents.
July 14 – Police officers reportedly detained the alleged killer of President Emomali Rahmon”s brother-in-law. We will recall that Kholmumin Safarov, 57, was found dead after being shot in the head several times by unknown assailants on June 13. Police say Safarov was shot in the head, chest, and stomach. The shooting is reported to have occurred as he was returning to his home after evening prayers at a nearby mosque.
July 15-18 – A group of members of the European Parliament (MEPs), led by Struan Stevenson, visited Tajikistan. During their stay in Tajikistan, MEPs held talks with President Emomali Rahmon and heads of a number of relevant ministries and agencies as well as visited the Norak hydroelectric power plant (HPP) and the site for construction of the Roghun HPP.
July 17-18 – Alice Wells, Senior Director for Russia and Eurasia at the United States National Security Council, visited Tajikistan. While in Tajikistan, Senior Director Wells met with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi to discuss U.S.-Tajik bilateral relations. She also had a roundtable discussion with leaders of Tajikistan”s political parties. Tajikistan was the first stop in Senior Director Wells” tour of Central Asia, with onward stops in Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
July 18 – French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian paid visit to Tajikistan. During his stay in Tajikistan, French minister met with his Tajik counterpart Sherali Khairulloyev. Issues related to providing regional security in Central Asia after withdrawal of international antiterrorist coalition forces from Afghanistan in 2014 were a major topic of the meeting.
July 20 – Tajik President Emomali Rahmon received Mr. Urban Rusnak, Secretary-General of the Energy Charter, the president’s official website reports. In the course of the talks, the two reportedly discussed a broad range of issues related to bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and the Energy Charter;
– Islamic holy month of Ramadan began
July 21 – Major-General Abdullo Nazarov, chief of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS)’s office in Gorno Badakhshan, was stabbed to death. The authorities blamed Tolib Ayombekov, a former field commander of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) and current commander of the border unit in the Ishkashim district, for Nazarov”s murder, charges Ayombekov denied.
July 23 – Two suspects were arrested in Khorog, the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region in connection with the murder of Abdullo Nazarov;
– Tajik President Emomali Rahmon received Ambassador Patricia Flor, the European Union (EU) Special Representative for Central Asia. In the course of the talks, the sides reportedly expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation between Tajikistan and the European Union and assessed positively the process of implementation of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the European Union and Tajikistan and EU’s strategy for Central Asia designed for 2007-2013;
– Internet access to leading private Tajik news agency, Asia-Plus, was cut off.
July 24 – Government forces launched an operation in Khorog targeting a group, suspected of involvement in the killing of General Abdullo Nazarov; Tajik officials say 12 government troops and 30 militants have been killed as government troops, backed by helicopters, launched the operation in Khorog;
– Communication lines to Gorno Badakhshan were cut off.
July 25 – A group of nationals of Tajikistan staying in the United States staged protests at the UN Headquarters in News York against the military operation in Khorog. Tajik nationals who are currently living in New York, Washington and New Jersey participated in that action. In all, some 30 people gathered outside the UN Headquarters in New York. The demonstrators adopted an appeal to international community, in particular to the representative offices of the United Nations, the OSCE, the European Commission as well as diplomatic missions of democratic countries accredited in Tajikistan, expressing concern over the ongoing military operation and asking to provide assistance with settlement of the situation.
July 26 – Tajik President Emomali Rahmon met here with Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, Interior Minister of Afghanistan, and Rahmatullah Nabila, Director of the National Security Agency of Afghanistan. In the course of the talks, the sides reportedly considered issues related to military and security cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, including strengthening of border control and border management, prevention of the threat of spread of terrorism, extremis and trafficking in drugs and weapons. A special attention was paid to the Badakhshan stretch of Tajikistan’s common border with Afghanistan;
– Internet providers in Tajikistan blocked access to video sharing website YouTube following instruction from the communications service agency;
– About 20 Tajik-Americans picketed Tajik Embassy in Washington, calling for peace in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region. The protesters also demanded an international inquiry into the recent violence and restored lines of communication with the region.
– Sabzali Mamadrizoyev, the head of the Islamic Revival Party (IRP)’s organization for Gorno Badakhshan, was found dead in Khorog after being shot from the assault rifle Kalashnikov.
July 27 – The authorities unblocked Internet access to the news agency, Asia-Plus.
July 29 – The process of laying down weapons began in Khorog, the capital of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region.
July 30 – The Tajik authorities reportedly blocked Internet access to BBC and Russian TV Channel Vesti.
July 31 – The Tajik authorities unblocked the BBC website.
