Week In Review: A Whole Lot Going On...

Orda has compiled a synopsis of last week's news.
What a week!
No More Games...
Uzbekistan authorities released information concerning the attempt on Kamil Allamjonov's life. Seven persons implicated in the crime have been identified, five arrested, and only one name "is known." A week ago, high-ranking officials were sacked against this backdrop.
Notably, according to Ozodilik, Otabek Umarov also lost his position as First Deputy Chair of the Presidential Security Service on the evening of November 25. The dismissal occurred on the same day as the extradition of Javlon Yunusov, one suspect in the attack.
Two days prior, Umarov had flown to South Korea, presumably to participate in Yunusov's extradition and perhaps to display noninvolvement and loyalty. An alleged conflict brewing between Komil Allamjonov, Otabek Umarov, and the State Security Service preceded the October 26 assassination attempt.
On the same day as his dismissal, Umarov later became the Olympic Committee's first deputy chair, while Uzebek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev headed it. Umarov attended the event, likely demonstrating his presence in the country.
Turkmen Journalist
New details also tagged on to well-known Turkmen journalist Soltan Achilova's predicament.
Last week, the 75-year-old journalist was to travel to Geneva for events hosted by the Martin Ennals Foundation, dedicated to her achievements. Before her departure, "doctors" forcibly took her in to be "examined for an infection." This week, information surfaced that she and two family members received medication for treatment... but no diagnosis.
Let Bygones Be Bygones
Neighboring Tajikistan secured an agreement with Afghanistan for electricity supplies. The two countries are ostensibly continuing to hash out their differences for the sake of cooperation, yet long-standing issues could continue to manifest in Kabul and Dushanbe's relations.
Indeed, reports emerged that a Chinese national was killed in a cross-border attack from Afghanistan. It is unclear who is behind the attack, but the incident has prompted security concerns. Like other regional actors, they may have forced Tajikistan to seek to normalize relations with the Taliban to neutralize more concerning threats.
Moscow has also made such efforts demonstrated in peeling off the Taliban's status as a terrorist organization.
With the above concerns growing, CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov announced plans to approve a targeted interstate program to ensure security on the Tajik-Afghan border at the CSTO summit in Astana. The organization members also urged for Afghanistan's reintegration and humanitarian aid provisions.
The summit also served as a platform for signing several other documents.
Moscow utilized the event to demonstrate the growing multi-faceted cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan. One area of said cooperation is the logistic route "North-South Corridor." Astana seeks to double its capacity along with the middle corridor. Turkmenistan is a link in both routes, but news about its railroads' condition raises doubts about whether it can handle the role.
Reports on intentions to increase oil exports bypassing Russia also cropped up in the same weeks as the CSTO summit. Despite diversification remaining a primary task, the lion's share of Kazakhstan's oil will continue to pass through traditional routes for the time being. Plans to bolster exports via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline are also nothing new.
However, due to its high sulfur content, Azerbaijan's reluctance to take on more than 2.2 million tonnes of Kazakhstan's oil a year into its pipeline system, coupled with its higher cost, will undoubtedly be a constraint.
At the same time, Bishkek, another CSTO member, declared it would continue "exporting a working force" to Russia, its strategic partner, amid Moscow's clampdown. Russia needs a migrant workforce, and VTB CEO Andrey Kostin's admission that Russia would "not be able to breathe" without one further solidifies this notion.
It also alludes to a confusing divergence in the discourse surrounding migrant workers, but policies speak for themselves.
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Maybe Next Time
Armenian representatives were notably absent at the Astana CSTO summit; Yerevan gave clear signals it would not participate. At the summit, Putin claimed the strained relations between Armenia and the CSTO are most likely dictated by "domestic political processes."
And of course, all of this is connected with the consequences of the crisis in Karabakh. But I want to emphasize that the CSTO has nothing to do with it. Do you understand? I have already said this many times. Everything that happened has nothing to do with the CSTO because there was no external aggression against Armenia itself, Putin said.
Backlash soon followed; Armenian experts urged Yerevan to give a concrete position on its future status with the CSTO, while the Armenian Defense Minister met with the Defense Attaché of the Russian Embassy.
And, two days before, Maria Zakharova said the CSTO's doors are always "open" for Armenia. Yerevan has shown virtually no change in its discourse, however.
Regarding domestic politics, Armenia's second President, Robert Kocharyan, saw the charges against him reclassified. Kocharyan now faces accusations of exceeding his official duties and causing severe consequences through negligence. The charges are connected to a violent crackdown on protests in 2008.
Trouble in Kyrgyzstan
Meanwhile, in Kyrgyzstan, the State Committee for National Security detained lawyer Samat Matsakov on 29 November. Matsakov was remanded in custody until December 30 during a questionable court case.
Matsakov has represented defendants in high-profile political cases, such as journalist Askat Zhetigen and former Academy of Sciences employee Zhoomart Karabayev.
Another client of his was an entrepreneur and founder of the construction company KG Group, Imamidin Tashov. Tashov claimed to have been tortured in a pre-trial detention center.
The criminal case against Matsakov is being conducted under the article "Fraud."
On the same day, news came to the fore that the judge who acquitted the defendants in the Kempir-Abad case resigned. Reports indicate that he did this of his own accord. The defendants opposed transferring Kempir-Abad, a water reservoir, to Uzbekistan. Authorities claimed they fermented "mass unrest."
President Sadyr Japarov later rejected the resignation application.
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Who And A What Now?
Earlier in the week, Romania's 24 November presidential elections experienced an unexpected turn of events. Călin Georgescu, a far-right, Moscow-friendly independent, had won it, although he had been polling at barely 5%.
The results have spurred discussions about voting interference.
The nation's constitutional court deferred the decision on whether to annul the results. As it stands, if there is no annulment, there will be a run-off on December 8.
Incidentally, the Georgia opposition's efforts to challenge the country's current course have done anything but subside. The current President, Salome Zurabishvili, declared that she would not step down after boycotting the parliament's first session. The US has effectively halted strategic cooperation with Tbilisi as well.
At the same time, US President Joe Biden made a push for multibillion-dollar aid to Ukraine with uncertainty mounting. Yet, monthly limits and logistics might hamper his endeavors. Trump's choice of Keith Kellogg as the Ukraine envoy has also done nothing to ease anxiety. On the other hand, other allies have seemingly demonstrated that support will not waver.
Nonetheless, the current dilemma likely prompted Zelenskyy to suggest ending the hot phase of the war in exchange for a NATO membership invitation, but Trump's team has previously put forward a 20-year postponement.
Against this backdrop, Russia's Defense Minister Andrei Belousov’ arrived in North Korea on an unannounced visit, and not long after, the North Korean leader stated his country would support Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Another Moscow ally found itself in a precarious situation. Syrian rebels opposed to the regime of Bashar al-Assad made gains in their offensive in Allepo.
Syrian allies, Hezbollah, Iran, and Russia, are preoccupied, complicating their ability to intervene as in the past. The situation is constantly evolving, and reports later emerged that Iranian-backed militias arrived in Syria from Iraq.
There is reason to believe that Turkish security forces may have contributed to planning the offensive that took Assad's forces by surprise. Ankara previously sought to normalize relations with Assad but faced rejection. Future talks should not be ruled out, however.
Such an outcome points to relations between Moscow and Ankara potentially becoming strained, yet no groundbreaking shifts emerged as a result of Türkiye's continuing support of Kyiv. Indeed, Ankara has already initiated talks for sanction waivers on energy imports after Gazprom came under restrictions, while Moscow requires the revenue.
Such necessities also beg the question of whether Moscow will abide by its OPEC commitment to compensate for overproduction.
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