Global Voices Online

With the Azerbaijani Constitution prohibiting referendums unless held nationally, Kornelij Glas [RU] argues that the regions surrounding the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh should not be negotiated away by the Armenian side in peace talks. The blog looks at the issue from a military point of view.

Recent Links also in Central Asia & Caucasus

Musafirbek says that the president of Uzbekistan officially thanked the cotton-growers for gathering the harvest of this strategic product for Uzbekistan. However, those who sweat away, collecting this cotton (including children) were not mentioned in the president’s address.

Alexander Visotzky writes about the opening of a monument in Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan, where the authorities uncovered a 15-foot high bronze statue of incumbent president Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Dafydd reports that the EU has lifted the arms embargo on Uzbekistan. Reasons given are abolishment of the death penalty and release of political prisoners.