Tariq Saeedi Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor to President Joe Biden has announced that the United States intends to review the Afghan peace deal. The apparent purpose is to check whether the Taliban were living up to the pledges they made. It is a loaded statement. —– Does the ‘review’ include the option to […]
Начались политические консультации между Туркменистаном и США
Сегодня, 15 декабря 2020 года стартовали трехдневные политические консультации между внешнеполитическими ведомствами Туркменистана и Соединенных Штатов Америки в формате видеоконференции. На повестке дня основные векторы двустороннего сотрудничества, в частности вопросы безопасности, торгово-экономические связи, гуманитарный спектр. Открывая заседание, Министр иностранных дел Туркменистана Р.Мередов очертил туркмено-американские связи, которые приобретают позитивную динамику развития. Было отмечено, что Президент Туркменистана […]
Political consultations began between Turkmenistan and the United States
Today, on December 15, 2020, three-day political consultations between the Foreign policy agencies of Turkmenistan and the United States of America in the format of a video conference started. The main vectors of bilateral cooperation are on the agenda, in particular, security issues, trade and economic ties, the humanitarian spectrum. Opening the meeting, Minister of […]
Russia and Central Asia agreed to forge cooperation in strategically important areas
Elvira Kadyrova A joint statement has been signed following the online meeting of foreign ministers of the Central Asia and Russia held on 15 October 2020. Its text is published on the website of the Russian foreign ministry. According to the document, the parties identified several strategically important areas in which Russia and five regional […]
Трехсторонняя встреча руководителей внешнеполитических ведомств Туркменистана, Афганистана и США
8 октября 2020 состоялась первая встреча формата Туркменистан–ИРИ–США на который приняли участие Министр иностранных дел Туркменистана Рашид Мередов, Заместитель Государственного секретаря США по политическим вопросам Дэвид Хейл и исполняющий обязанности Министра иностранных дел Исламской Республики Афганистан Мохаммад Ханиф Атмар в формате видеоконференции. В ходе встречи стороны обсудили ряд важных вопросов политического, торгово-экономического и гуманитарного характера. […]
Trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and the United States
On October 8, 2020, the first meeting of the Turkmenistan-IRA-US format was held, which was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Hanif Atmar in the format of a video […]
China offers a way to rescue Chinese-USA relations from total collapse
Elvira Kadyrova Nowadays history witnesses strong inclemency in relationship of two super powers – China and USA. Trade wars, US every attempts to boil the situation around Chinese home policy, as well as China-demonizing attacks on world arena… It seems, there is no reversal point to peaceful political coexistence of these two giants. Meanwhile, Beijing […]
Role of China in the changing world
Tariq Saeedi The world was changing anyway; the Covid-19 and the policies of Trump administration have just accelerated the process. The Covid-19 has eaten the entrails of economies of most of the countries. Many of those countries will not be able to restart their economies on their own. China with its BRI (Belt and Road […]
Foreign Exchange Students Not Coming to America Due to Covid-19
Child Advocacy Group Encourages Parents To Do Their Homework More than 30,000 high school foreign exchange students who were planning to come to America this fall will instead be staying home due to Covid-19. Director, Danielle Grijalva of the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students says that may be a good thing. “Too many […]
Turkmenistan opposes the politicization of COVID-19
Elvira Kadyrova “Turkmenistan opposes the politicization of epidemics under any circumstances, since such politicization cannot benefit global anti-epidemic cooperation,” foreign minister Rashid Meredov said during a telephone conversation on Sunday (28 Jun) with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. Wang thanked Turkmenistan for its support to China in the fight against COVID-19 and praised Turkmenistan’s response […]
Washington and Tashkent to take up the revival of Afghanistan – more questions than answers
Elvira Kadyrova The United States, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan last week held a video conference, inaugurating the new trilateral format of cooperation. The teleconference linked Uzbek foreign minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, US Under Secretary of State for political affairs David Hale and acting Afghan foreign minister Haneef Atmar. The agenda included issues of peaceful settlement in Afghanistan, […]
Official position of China on some key issues
Dr. Wang Yi, the state councilor and foreign minister of China, conducted a press conference on 24 May 2020 on the sidelines of the third session of the NPC of the 13th convocation. The press conference, which was held in the video format, attracted journalists from the Chinese and foreign media. Dr. Wang Yi, who […]
Macabre dance around peace in Afghanistan
Tariq Saeedi The situation is darkly unique even for Afghanistan, a country where darkly unique situations bubble up almost every day. The hope for peace in Afghanistan was so real a few weeks ago but it is getting smothered by the events that have piled up thick and fast. The peace agreement signed between the […]
Taliban and Central Asia – Part 1
Tariq Saeedi The ink on the peace agreement signed between the USA and the Taliban on 29 February 2020 in Doha had barely dried when the disruptive noises started emerging to defeat the likelihood of peace in Afghanistan. We all know who doesn’t want peace, and why, but for now there is the need to […]
American-Taliban Agreement – Preamble to Peace in Afghanistan
Tariq Saeedi The simplicity of language and the brevity of text show the clarity of mind from both sides. It is a genuine attempt to wrap the longest war of the American history in less than four pages of plainly defined commitments, and the steps that must be taken to rebuild peace in Afghanistan. The […]
Afghanistan – At the threshold of lasting peace, or brink of insane violence?
Tariq Saeedi After more than 18 months of off-again, on-again negotiations, the Taliban and the USA could possibly sign the peace accord on 29 February 2020. Although the terms of the deal have not been made public officially, it is possible to guess some of the details based on the information from the various Taliban […]
American policies creating new stress points – Neutrality is the only viable option Central Asia
Tariq Saeedi Central Asia is simultaneously blessed and cursed by its geography. Except for the soviet period, Central Asia has traditionally seen endless streams of people and cargo moving in all directions. The transit potential has been a dependable source of its prosperity. The region is at the heart of the Eurasian landmass. — The […]
If this is a rules-based world, what are the rules?
Tariq Saeedi US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday (15 February 2020) at the Munich Security Conference that Russia and China were ‘destabilizing the rules-based international system.’ Speaking immediately after him, the US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper decried the ‘Chinese manipulation of the long-standing international rules-based order.’ Rules-based international system? Rules-based order? […]
US Strategy for Central Asia – A cart without horse
Tariq Saeedi They are trying to bring in a cart and they hope to use someone else’s horse. — This is the simple, short, and correct description of the newly unveiled US Strategy for Central Asia for the period 2019-2025. This reminds us of a short fable of Mulla Nasrudin, the great Central Asian wit, […]
New American sanctions – Punishment for people of Iran?
Tariq Saeedi Notwithstanding the showcase rhetoric, the new American sanctions announced on 10 January 2020 are clearly meant to punish the people of Iran for their failure to overthrow the regime. Here is the summary of the press release issued by the US Department of Treasury on 10 January 2020 The new sanctions apply to: […]
Iran-US spat – resizing of situation and a word of caution for Central Asia
Tariq Saeedi Iran fired some missiles at two US bases in Iraq on Tuesday and declared it as ‘proportionate response’ to the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani. Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday and hinted at increasing the pressure on Iran without going for further military action. Both sides desire de-escalation although the tussle through […]
Ирано-американский раздор – перемасштабирование ситуации и предупреждение для Центральной Азии
Тарик Саиди Иран выпустил несколько ракет по двум американским базам в Ираке во вторник и объявил это “пропорциональным ответом” на убийство генерала Кассема Солеймани. Трамп обратился к нации в среду и намекнул на усиление давления на Иран без дальнейших военных действий. Обе стороны стремятся к деэскалации, хотя борьба с помощью побочных средств, безусловно, будет продолжаться. […]
Iran situation – some words for Iran, some for the west, and a few for Central Asia – Part 1
Tariq Saeedi The gasoline prices in Iran were jacked up by 50% recently. This led to riots that caused damage to the public and private property, and a number of casualties occurred when the authorities dealt with the rioters with a heavy hand. The riots have subsided though they may smolder for a while. President […]
The Ghost of Brzezinski haunts Trump Administration – Part 1
Tariq Saeedi The very vocal desire to maintain the global supremacy is perhaps the main feature of the ‘American exceptionalism.’ The American exceptionalism is composed of three related ideas: The history of the United States is inherently different from that of any other nation The USA has a unique mission to transform the world The […]
Pompeo offers new areas of cooperation with Central Asia
Elvira Kadyrova On 22 September, a regular ministerial meeting of Central Asia+USA (C5+1) was held in New York. The gathering was attended by the U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, foreign minister of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Tleuberdi, foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan, Chingiz Aidarbekov, foreign minister of Tajikistan, Sirodjidin Mohiddin, foreign minister of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov and […]
Kazakhstan hosted a meeting of foreign ministers of Central Asian countries + USA
Elvira Kadyrova The chief foreign policy makers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and USA gathered in Nur-Sultan on 21 August 2019 for the next round of the high-level meeting in format “C5+1”. The meeting was attended by: Minister of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan, Beybut Atamkulov Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, minister of […]
Google distancing from Huawei could be blessing in disguise – no immediate impact on users in Central Asia
nCa Analysis The ever-widening trade rift between the USA and China has taken an ugly turn. The US chip manufacturers and Google have been forced to comply with the US government’s ban on the supply of technologies to the Chinese telecommunications leader Huawei. The ban is applicable on the hardware and the software including the […]
Trump Unveils “Warsaw Plan”
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former COAS Pakistan friendscolumn@hotmail.com President Trump is building-up his strategic naval forces, in the Gulf Region, NOT to fight the ‘naval superiority battle’ of the deep seas, but to apply “Shock and Awe” therapy on the Iranians, suffering from decades of “Monetary Terrorism” and “Social Engineering” – an act of war, imposed […]
Central Asian countries discussed cooperation to combat drug trafficking
Elvira Kadyrova On 3 May 2019, Tashkent hosted 11thministerial meeting of the States Parties to the Memorandum of Understanding on Sub-regional drug control cooperation in Central Asia. The following key speakers attended the gathering: Sergey Lavrov, minister of foreign affairs of the Russian Federation Sirozhiddin Muhriddin, minister of foreign affairs of Tajikistan Mukhtar Tleuberdi, 1st […]
Туркменистан: встреча со спецпредставителем США по Афганистану
11 декабря 2018 года Министр иностранных дел Туркменистана Р. Мередов провел переговоры с делегацией CоединенныхШтатов Америки во главе со Спецпредставителем США по Афганистану Залмаем Халилзадом. В ходе встречи, отметив положительные результаты совместного сотрудничества в деле активизации двусторонних связей между Туркменистаном и Соединенными Штатами Америки, стороны выразили интерес в их дальнейшей диверсификации. Обменявшись мнениями по вопросам […]
Turkmenistan: Meeting with US Special Representative for Afghanistan
On December11, 2018, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov, held talks with the delegation of the United States of America led by the US Special Representative for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad. During the meeting, noting the positive results of joint cooperation in enhancing bilateral relations between Turkmenistan and the United States of America, […]
Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan Summit Meeting – The Beginning of Regional Concord – Part 1
Tariq Saeedi The visit of President Berdymuhamedov to Uzbekistan, 23-24 April 2018, marks the start of a new era of regional harmony in Central Asia. The media has picked the announcement of Uzbekistan to participate in TAPI as the lead news, and it certainly is, because TAPI is not just a gas pipeline; it is […]
The Meaning of Operation Olive Branch
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Turkey The gloomy portrait of the Middle East today should not obscure that peace is achievable. The basic premise for any such peace must be to preserve the territorial integrity of states. This means countering all forces that exist only to pursue their dystopias at the expense of others […]
Syria: Trump folly, Turkish reminder, and how it connects with Central Asia
Tariq Saeedi Against all wisdom and commonsense, Trump has turned around and started partnering with terrorists in Syria. This is certainly bad for Syria but it would also be catastrophic for many parts of the world including Central Asia. And, USA under Trump would definitely be among the losers. * * * Trump is acting […]
Kazakhstan – Highlighting Central Asia on World Stage
Kazakhstan has always followed a balanced policy that highlights the Central Asian region in a positive light on the world stage. An ongoing tenure and a recently concluded event are the case in point. — President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan met President Trump of USA on 16 January 2018, and Kazakhstan is the current chair of […]
Pak-US Relations at A Tipping Point
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former COAS Pakistan — friendscolumn@hotmail.com “Trump is a man-baby, a failed businessman who lurches from tantrum to tweet storm and back again, who shows no impulse control, who won’t take responsibility for his actions, and who whines – a lot – when things don’t go his way.” —— Susan Campbell – American […]
ISIS – Part 2
Tariq Saeedi The old hunters are back with new traps — an eastern proverb * * * In the first part of this series, (published in our subscription-based publication on 12 June 2017) I quoted some verses from the Quran to point out that: 1. It is not God’s will to eliminate all the religions […]
ISIS – Part 1
Editor’s note: Initially, I planned to write a short series to expose the fallacies in the narrative of ISIS (also called ID, Daesh) to throw the light on the nature of the organization that claims to be rooted in Islam but is doing everything imaginable to harm Islam and Muslims. This first part was initially […]
Helping Uncle Sam fade away peacefully – Part 1
Tariq Saeedi 26 September 2017 (nCa) — What could have taken at least half a century would likely be achieved in a couple of decades —– Trump is deftly putting the United States of America on fast track to early retirement. Here are some of the admirably imaginative things he has done since coming to […]
آج کی خبر
جنرل مرزا اسلم بیگ سابق چیف آف آرمی سٹاف پاکستان Email: friendscolumn@hotmail.com آج کے ایک اردو اخبار کی مندجہ ذیل خبر آپ کے پیش نظر ہے جس کی افادیت14 اپریل 2017ء کو ماسکو میں ہونے والی بارہ ملکی کانفرنس میں ثابت ہوگی اور ہمارا موقف درست ثابت ہوگا کہ طالبان ہی وہ واحدقوت ہیں جو […]
Unraveling of TPP augers well for Central Asia
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 25 January 2017 (nCa) — Trump has kept his promise — TPP is adrift. The TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership), more than eight years in the making, was undone by just one signature this week. It was designed to be a trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, […]
Rumour-mill and Putin
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 8 December 2016 (nCa) — Brandolini’s law: ‘The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.’ This is attributed to Alberto Brandolini, an Italian independent software development consultant and that is why it is called Brandolini’s Law though Alberto himself prefers to call […]
“Good Taliban” Sajna Group Blows-Up Army Centerpiece School In Tiarza Right After Gen. Abbasi Visit
Peter Chamberlin Two weeks after the latest Pentagon/CIA assault upon a tribal jirga, and attempt to kill Sajna Mehsud, his group blows-up a highly symbolic, Pak Army-built girls school in S. Waziristan. Why would one of Pakistan’s “good Taliban” stage such an assault upon progress in his own area, especially just one month after the […]
…of Airplanes, Terrorists and Trade Deals
The Recalcitrant Hippy As the analysts begin to consider the attacks on Paris this weekend, many questions are being raised. Among them, what exactly did Daesh have to gain. The terrorist group is renowned for its surgical strikes in which it gains something big and to everyone’s great surprise. Revenge is emotional, not strategic and […]
Kerry Go Round
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 4 November 2015 (nCa) — It was a few days of Kerry Go Round, with Ignorance Made in USA stamped all over it. The lack of focus and substance left the region scratching its head in wonderment. The visit of John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, to Central Asia was built […]
Керри объезжает регион
Тарик Саиди Ашхабад, 4 ноября 2015 (nCa) — Это были несколько дней турне Керри, на которых стоит штамп «Невежество. Сделано в США». Недостаток внимания и реального содержания визита оставили регион в состоянии почесывания головы в изумление. Визит госсекретаря США Джона Керри в Центральную Азию был построен на формуле под экзотическим названием «формат C5+1». Встреча Керри […]
A New Option to Terrorism, Quagmire in Middle East?
Ben Tanosborn Vladimir Putin should not be pegged as a master strategist nor as a superb tactician; not when he is proving to be both. But perhaps the most miraculous thing: his success is being carved while presiding over a nation still not fully evolved into a market economy after the dissolution of the Soviet […]
Countdown to WWIII?
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 12 October 2015 (nCa) — Syria, in the centre of the brutal geopolitical jostling, could be the trigger point for WWII. With each passing day, new elements are adding to uncertainty, which may ultimately push everyone to the point of no return. Anton Chekhov, the celebrated Russian playwright and author: “If you […]
Обратный отсчет до третей мировой воны?
Тарик Саиди Ашхабад, 12 октября 2015 (nCa) — Сирия, находящаяся сейчас в центре жестокого геополитического столкновения, может стать спусковым крючком для разворачивания третей мировой войны. С каждым уходящим днем, к неопределенности добавляются новые элементы, которые могут отбросить каждого к точке невозврата. Известный российский классик Антон Чехов писал: «Если в первом акте пьесы на стене висит […]
French proposal regarding the use of veto in the Security Council
Ashgabat, 22 September 2015 — The blocking of the United Nations Security Council in case of mass atrocities is unacceptable. It is a question of humanity and of defense of the principles that are at the heart of the United Nations Charter. It is also a determinant question for the maintenance of peace and international […]