Kyrgyzstan: Long Holiday Season Comes to Close
A PHOTO SLIDESHOW BY DAVID TRILLING
This year, Bishkek’s holiday season stretched for an entire month, extending from the December 8 Muslim festival of Kurbon Ait -- the Feast of the Sacrifice, known as Eid al-Adha in Arabic -- through the Russian Orthodox Christmas on January 7.

Turkmenistan: Is Ashgabat’s Interest in Nabucco Rising?
The head of Germany’s second largest electricity and gas company, RWE AG, hailed Turkmenistan’s "promising" market and expressed a readiness for "constructive interaction in the energy sphere" during a visit to Ashgabat, news agencies report. This visit is raising speculation about Turkmen intentions to participate in the long-planned trans-Caspian and Nabucco pipeline projects.

Kyrgyzstan: Presidential Chief-of-Staff Submits Resignation
Kyrgyzstan is experiencing political turnover at the top. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s chief of staff, Medet Sadyrkulov, unexpectedly announced his resignation on January 8. The departing presidential aide claimed that his departure had been planned, but some political analysts in Bishkek suggest that Bakiyev may be reshuffling his team in response to the recent revival of opposition political protests.

Caspian Basin: Russia-Ukraine Spat Likely to Spur Construction of Alternate Pipelines
BY SVETLA MARINOVA
The ongoing dispute between Russia and Ukraine over natural gas exports is likely to end up spurring efforts to establish alternate, more reliable export routes to serve the European Union, experts and officials predict.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Opts to Back Ahmadinejad’s Re-Election
BY KAMAL NAZER YASIN
For the first time since the early days of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the country’s supreme spiritual leader has plunged into partisan politics. The development, some experts speculate, could be an indicator that the time for compromise with the international community on Iran’s nuclear program has passed.

Kazakhstan: GDP Growth Slows Dramatically
Preliminary estimates indicate Kazakhstan’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2008 has slowed to around 3 percent, the CA-news.org news website reported January 7.

Turkmenistan: Niyazov’s Image Disappears from Bank Notes
The minimum wage and state pensions in Turkmenistan have increased by 10 percent as of January 1.

Tajikistan: Remittances Take a Dive
Remittances to Tajikistan’s remote eastern autonomous region of Gorno-Badakhshan have fallen by 50 percent in just three months, an official from the Tajik National Bank revealed.

Uzbekistan: Entrepreneurs May Enjoy Tax Holiday
Small business owners in Uzbekistan could be exempt from paying income tax for five years, UzReport.com reported January 7.

Cartoon Dispatches from Central Asia Political cartoonist and columnist Ted Rall has travelled extensively in Central Asia. Here, EurasiaNet features his irreverent take on the region.

Tajikistan: Tajik Officials Hope They Don’t Receive a Shock in Tashkent
Tajik and Uzbek officials are trying to work out a deal to allow the resumption of Turkmen electricity supplies to beleaguered Tajikistan.

Turkmenistan: UAE Eyes Investment Opportunities
A delegation from the United Arab Emirates is aiming to boost bilateral trade and investment ties during a visit to Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan: Drama Envelops Operations of New Television Channel
A row has broken out at Turkmenistan’s newest television channel concerning lip-synching and a purported dress-code for female performers.

Turkmenistan: Inaction in the Fields
Some Turkmen farmers are voicing complaints that agricultural productivity is being impaired by official interference and ineptitude.

Turkey: Taking a Go-Slow Approach in the Caucasus and Central Asia
BY JOSHUA KUCERA
Turkey is pursuing a go-slow diplomatic line in the Caucasus and Central Asia, stressing a "complementary" policy, in which Ankara strives to retain its strong strategic relationship with the United States and European Union while at the same time cultivating wider ties with Russia.

Kazakhstan: Bank Reports Upbeat News, But No Word on Last Quarter of 2008
One of Kazakhstan’s leading banks, Kazkommertsbank, is claiming that it weathered the crisis which ravaged the country’s financial sector in late 2008.

Uzbekistan: Tashkent Tells Dushanbe to Cough Up More Transit Fees
Uzbekistan’s penchant for charging transit fees on anything that moves in or out of Tajikistan has been extended to trucks and buses.

Turkmenistan: Authorities Intimidate RFE/RL Correspondent
A correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty working in Turkmenistan has been warned that he will face retribution, if he continues reporting for the broadcaster’s Turkmen service.

Tajikistan: Agricultural Reforms Urgently Needed -- Expert
A leading Tajik political analyst is calling on the government to carry out urgent reforms in the Central Asian nation’s beleaguered agricultural sector. A collectivized approach is no longer viable, the expert contends.