Recently, a number of official sources have published the information confirming that the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan has purchased a multi-channel VARAN complex from Seven Hills LLP. The VARAN system is mainly known for wiretapping phones, intercepting and jamming any radio signals. Nothing could seem extraordinary at first glance, given the deal value at modest 340K tenge (800 USD).
However, regardless the most possible scenario that the supply is going to be on a regular basis, it is not the prices that draws attention to the deal, but the sides involved in it. The manufacturer and chief executor of the contract is the Ukrainian company Ualeks (www.ualeks.com) that produces similar equipment for the Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
One may wonder why such important and needed equipment in the war-torn country is being sold abroad, and why do the Ukrainian authorities allow it? Needless to say, that Ukraine has been fighting desperately with almost no resources of its own. The aid from the Western countries that was generous at first months of the special military operation is now very limited, as the United States may no longer support Kyiv due to many other strategic operations it is pursuing in the Middle East.
Ukraine is better to tight up the belts and concentrate on its national tasks rather than search for blur profit and support by former CIS countries in return of technologies. At the moment, Ukraine needs them more. Unless the country’s government is only interested in getting quick money and short-term profit.
“The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad.”
This is stated by the mentioned Commission on its “Annual Report of The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom”. This means that the Commission is independent of any outside influence.
Is it?
We’ll see…
Recently The Commission has announced its 2023 report where Azerbaijan among other several Turkic and Muslim countries is accused of “suppressing the religious freedoms”. All Turkic countries – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Türkiye and Turkmenistan – except Kyrgyzstan are those which is seen by this very Commission as “a perpetrator of religious freedoms”.
According to this report’s Azerbaijan chapter (just 2 pages) this country is in a very disturbing position and must be included “on the State Department’s Special Watch List” for violating religious freedoms…
Now let’s see some citations from the Report:
1. “This report provides an update on religious freedom conditions in Azerbaijan in 2023. It describes the legislative framework that facilitates the official regulation of religious practice, concerns for religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ongoing repression of Shi’a Muslim religious activists, and the impact of the government’s refusal to allow conscientious objection.”
“Concerns for religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh”. One must think that the Report is overseeing the destruction of more than 60 Mosques in Karabakh during its occupation by Armenia. Yes, even all Mosques in Karabakh and other occupied lands of Azerbaijan were wiped off by Armenia. But no single word about this in the Report!
Plus, we must add that there is no territorial entity within Azerbaijan called “Nagorno-Karabakh”. Seems the compliers of the Report are using occupant Armenia’s terminology while talking about Azerbaijan…
While talking about “the ongoing repression of Shi’a Muslim religious activists” The Commission forgets about the realities of our region. Those so-called “repressed Shi’a Muslims”, who are defended by the US Government are mostly the followers of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. This General was eliminated on Jan 3, 2020, by the US drones in Baghdad, Iraq as a terrorist. And those so-called Shi’a Muslims “repressed by Azerbaijan” are mostly the supporters and followers of this very terrorist! So, the U.S. must decide and rethink if this very country has killed Qasem Soleimani by mistake…
2. “The law also prohibits non-Azerbaijani citizens from engaging in “religious propaganda” or missionary activity without explicit state permission.”
What is strange here? Why Azerbaijan must be accused of preventing its citizens from the religious propaganda? People, even foreigners are free to practice their religion. But religious propaganda by foreigners is and must be prevented!
3. “In May 2023, the chairman of the SCWRA Mubariz Gurbanli explicitly called for Armenian priests to abandon the Dadivank Monastery in the Kalbajar region as he falsely claimed that they had no connection to the site. While a United Nations mission to Nagorno-Karabakh completed in October 2023 reported that it “saw no damage…to cultural or religious structures”, human rights organizations continued to urge the government to ensure protections for religious and cultural sites and rights.”
I would say that No Comment! But The Commission needs a bit explanation and enlightenment. The Monastery which they claim to be called as “Dadivank” is Khudaveng Monastery and has nothing to do with Armenians. It was built by Albanian Christians and is under state protection of Azerbaijan. But as other religious sites it was occupied by Armenia and then renovated a bit to prove that it is “an ancient Armenian Monastery”. Even the UN mission also stated that no damage “to cultural and religious structures”.
4. “The government has particularly targeted the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement (Müsəlman Birliyi Hərəkatı) or MUM, a group that has criticized the government’s repressive policies toward religion and whose persecution many human rights defenders believe to be politically motivated.”
This so-called Muslim Movement is that very organization which supports Qasem Soleimani and Iran’s clerical regime. These people hate the U.S. and other major Western democracies and want to overthrow the government in Azerbaijan… in order to establish a new one which would support such terrorist organizations like HAMAS, Hezbollah…
5. “The United States should pressure Azerbaijan to address its severe violations of religious freedom and place the country on the State Department’s Special Watch List until the Azerbaijani government amends its 2009 law “On Freedom of Religious Beliefs” in line with international human rights standards and ceases other policies and practices that routinely infringe upon its citizens’ freedom of religion or belief.”
I’d ask, are you serious? Do you really think that Azerbaijan must be included in this List just only for preventing the country and its people from the so-called religious interference of the terror-sponsor state – Iran? What is the connection between Iran and The U.S. Commission which compiles such reports?
Maybe there is someone in The Commission who has the ties with Iran or its close allies?
Yes, there is someone called Danielle Saroyan Ashbahian, who is a Chief of Public Affairs at The Commission. If review her social media accounts, one easily can see that she is an active member of Armenian propaganda against Turks – Azerbaijan and Türkiye! But she must be neutral person, isn’t it?
This very Danielle worked for the Armenian Assembly of America before joining The Commission dealing with the religious issues throughout the world…
“Danielle Saroyan Ashbahian is the Chief of Public Affairs at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, overseeing the Communications and Congressional Relations. Before joining USCIRF, she was the Director of Communications at the Armenian Assembly of America. Prior to that, she was the Layout Editor at the Public Diplomacy Magazine and worked at the Los Angeles Consular Corps. She has had previous experience at the office of former U.S. Congresswoman Janice Hahn, the United Nations Department of Public Information in Armenia, the Lebanese Consulate in Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Ethics Commission” reads The Commission’s web site…
One more important point: The Commission is trying to support its claims against Azerbaijan siting so-called “Caucasus Heritage Watch”, a pro-Armenian entity launched in 2020 by Armenians, supported by Armenian organizations…
Just again, No Comment!
BTW, there is no report on Armenia at all! We’ll remind The Commission that for example the Jewish Synagogue was set to fire in Yerevan in 2023. Or all Muslims are religiously cleansed from Armenia! And Armenia is one of the very few countries of the world denying multiculturalism and having even 98 percent of population of Armenian ethnic background…
İstanbul’daki İngiliz Konsolosluğu kolları olmayan Kazak sanatçı’ya parmak izi bırakmadığı için vize vermedi!
Karipbek Kuyukov says he is disappointed he could not enter the UK
A Kazakh artist who was born without arms says he could not get permission to enter the UK last month because he could not give fingerprints.
Karipbek Kuyukov planned to attend an anti-nuclear conference in Edinburgh.
But he got a letter from the British Consulate in Istanbul saying his “biometrics were of poor quality” and asking him to resubmit his application.
The UK Home Office said his visa was not refused and it may have been the result of a “miscommunication”.
Mr Kuyukov, 44, who was forced to cancel his attendance at the conference, spoke of his disappointment.
‘Did not understand’
“Maybe they did not understand that I am disabled or check the information provided,” said the artist.
“But in my online visa application it was written that I am an artist and that I don’t have hands. I paint by holding a brush in my mouth and between my toes.”
Mr Kuyukov was born in the region of Semipalatinsk, the former Soviet Union’s main nuclear testing ground.
Many thousands of children were born with disabilities during the nuclear test programme.
Mr Kuyukov has used his painting to campaign for nuclear disarmament for the past 20 years.
Turkey’s PM Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during the Global Alcohol Policy Symposium in Istanbul (MURAD SEZER, REUTERS / April 26, 2013)
ALMATY (Reuters) – NATO member Turkey signed up on Friday to became a “dialogue partner” of a security bloc dominated by China and Russia, and declared that its destiny is in Asia.
“This is really a historic day for us,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in Kazakhstan’s commercial capital Almaty after signing a memorandum of understanding with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretary General Dmitry Mezentsev.
“Now, with this choice, Turkey is declaring that our destiny is the same as the destiny of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries.”
China, Russia and four Central Asian nations – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – formed the SCO in 2001 as a regional security bloc to fight threats posed by radical Islam and drug trafficking from neighboring Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan, Astana, 26 April / Trend, D. Mukhtarov /
The 3rd Ministerial Conference of the ‘Istanbul Process held in Almaty on Friday ended with a declaration in which the parties confirmed their willingness to give full support to Afghanistan in order to involve it in the economic and political life of the region, the Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan reported.
“The participants of the Conference noted the importance of these measures in the context of the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Forces from Afghanistan. Specific action plans on six confidence measures packages of Istanbul Process were approved,” the report says.
The forum was attended by more than 50 delegations, headed by the foreign ministers of participating countries, supporting countries and heads of international organizations. The parties fully supported plans for regional cooperation in Afghanistan, confirmed their willingness to purposefully expand and deepen regional cooperation based on the principles of friendship, respect and mutual benefit.
Several associated events in the context of regional cooperation in Afghanistan took place within the scope of the conference: A Presentation of the Capacities of Almaty as a Regional Hub of Multilateral Diplomacy Held by the Akim of the City Ahmetzhan Yesimov; a workshop of experts of the involved authorities of the participants of the Istanbul process with the presentation of capabilities of Kazakhstan as a transit corridor; an exhibition of goods and products of Kazakhstan for export to Afghanistan.
According to the Declaration adopted on the results of the forum, the next Conference of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Istanbul Process on Afghanistan is scheduled to be held in the People’s Republic of China in 2014.
President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed bilateral cooperation issues with the participants of the Ministerial Conference of Istanbul Process on Afghanistan held in Almaty on Friday, the Press Service of the President of Kazakhstan reported.
In particular, Nazarbayev met with US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and discussed the key aspects of enhancing and deepening the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the Unite States.
“The parties paid attention to the prospects of economic and investment cooperation between the two countries,” the Press Service reported.
Kazakh President also held a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
“During the negotiations the parties touched on the main spheres of the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Turkey and noted the role of Turkey as one of the most important economic partners of Kazakhstan,” the report says.
Moreover, Nazarbayev and Davutoglu discussed topical issues of the international agenda.
During the conference Nursultan Nazarbayev also met with the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Zalmai Rassoul. The parties discussed the role of Istanbul Process in the sustainable economic development of Afghanistan and the key spheres of Kazakhstan’s participation in the socio-economic reconstruction of Afghanistan. Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the cooperation with Afghanistan in bilateral and multilateral formats, Kazakh President said.
Moreover, Nursultan Nazarbayev met with Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid. The parties exchanged views on topical issues of the international agenda, discussed the bilateral cooperation. Kazakhstan is interested in enhancing cooperation with India in various areas, including investments and innovations, as well as oil and gas industry.
