US and Central Asia closer, Presidential motorcade panic kills pregnant woman – Midweek

Donald Trump may gather Central Asian leaders in Washington. US legislators called on Trump to hold a jubilee summit with Central Asian nations.

The Presidents of the US and Russia postponed the Budapest summit to "not waste time." As expected, they could not agree on the future status of Donetsk.

It is reported that a pregnant woman died after being unable to reach a hospital due to the President’s motorcade. An official reaction to such an incident is unlikely to come from Turkmenistan, which is closed off to the outside world.

After the Louvre, now Denis Diderot. A series of historical robberies have occurred in France.

Details of these and other significant events that occurred around the world by the middle of the week are available on Qalampir.uz’s Midweek program, and we begin.

The US is drawing Central Asia closer

US officials are expressing serious interest in strengthening ties with Central Asia. To define the direction of US–Central Asia relations in the next decade and expand cooperation in various fields between the two sides, Congress members are urging Trump to hold a jubilee C5+1 format summit with the region's countries. US Congress members Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Bill Huizenga sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to host a C5+1 summit in Washington to mark the 10th anniversary of the diplomatic forum.

In the letter, the congress members emphasized that the forum's anniversary is a unique opportunity to strengthen cooperation with Central Asia and advance US strategic interests in the areas of security, economy, "soft power," and governance in the region. The legislators also called on the administration to develop specific summit outcomes and agreements that solidify the long-standing cooperation trends with Central Asia.

For context, the C5+1 format was first established in 2015. It is a multilateral platform for cooperation between the US and the five Central Asian states—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. These meetings, initially held only among Foreign Ministers, took 8 years to reach the Presidential level. The first summit involving heads of state was held on September 19, 2023. The event was attended by US President Joseph Biden, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz leader Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan leader Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Uzbekistan leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

However, the C5+1 meetings with the US have not been as serious as the ties established with the EU, Germany, Japan, or other major countries. This is because, until now, US–Central Asia summits have been held at the UN headquarters in New York on the eve of UN sessions. The first summit in 2015 at the Foreign Ministers' level, and the Presidential summit in 2023, were both organized during the UN session in New York. They were held without separate preparation, as part of or appended to some other international political event.

But this time, if Donald Trump sends a positive response to the congress members' letter, the level of the US–Central Asia summit is highly likely to take on a different form. The reason is that, if this summit is organized, it was also requested to be held in Washington. The most suitable place for such high-level summits in the US capital would, of course, be the White House. Today, there is no need for debates about who among the region's leaders has the best relations with the current US leader. Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to the US this year within the framework of the UN jubilee session clarified all matters. Meanwhile, major changes occurred in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. Rumors circulated that the reason for these widespread changes was the inability to organize a meeting with Trump.

“My time is wasted”

It has become obvious that Donald Trump rushed things again. A few days ago, he announced to the world that he would soon meet with the Russian President in Budapest. However, shortly thereafter, news spread that preparations for the meeting between Trump and Putin had been temporarily halted. White House officials informed the media that this meeting would not happen in the near future. After this news broke, Donald Trump himself confirmed that he would not meet with Putin anytime soon. The US President openly stated that this would be a waste of time. He said he did not want to hold a pointless meeting with Putin and had not yet made a decision on these negotiations.

Russia is again approaching the issue with great caution. On the one hand, various comments are coming from officials, but they seem to hint that the Budapest summit will definitely take place someday, but not in the immediate future. For example, Kirill Dmitriev, who has become a bridge between the US and Russia, blamed the media for the problem regarding the timing. Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov announced that both leaders do not want to waste time and that very thorough preparation is required for the meeting. The prospective host, Viktor Orbán, however, denies the reports that preparation for the Budapest summit has been halted. The Hungarian Prime Minister said that preparations for the meeting are ongoing. However, Orbán also did not hide that he does not know when the summit will take place.

Well, when will the Budapest summit happen? Trump and Putin agreed to meet in Budapest after their phone conversation on October 16. In fact, according to Trump’s remarks while hosting Zelensky at the White House, this meeting should have taken place this or next week. It was said that the foreign affairs offices would hold various meetings and dialogues before the heads of state to prepare for the summit. On October 20, after the phone call between Rubio and Lavrov, the future of the Budapest summit remained uncertain. This is because, according to reports, the US and Russia could not even agree on the initial demands for stopping the invasion of Ukraine. That is, Moscow wants to fully claim Donetsk as its own, while the US insists that all operations should stop along the current front line.

This was the most discussed topic throughout the current week. If you recall, when Trump hosted Zelensky at the White House, it was suggested that he not only refused to provide him with long-range missiles but also urged him to completely abandon Donetsk. In his speeches, Trump constantly talks about 78 percent of the Donetsk lands being occupied by Russia, with only a small portion remaining in Ukraine.

But what is the reality? Yes, it must be acknowledged, Trump is not far off the mark on this. According to the current situation, only a third of this region remains under Ukrainian control. The remaining 67–70 percent has come under Russian control. The battles in Donetsk are getting quite serious. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to this day.

President's motorcade “takes the life” of a woman

When speaking of dictators, the current leaders of Turkmenistan command special attention on this topic. For example, strange awards, musical albums, sports achievements, and other similar recreational activities were dear to the former leader of Turkmenistan. At one time, some people even questioned when and at what point Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov would engage in politics. Now, there is no need for excessive description of Turkmenistan. The country's biggest "achievement" since gaining independence has been recording "the best positive indicators" during the pandemic.

It was known from the beginning that human rights in this state, hermetically sealed on all sides, only worked for the Berdimuhamedov family. When Serdar came to power, a glimmer of hope appeared in the world community. But nothing changed. Everything remained as it was. However, in recent days, news has spread about a very regrettable death directly related to him. Media outside Turkmenistan reported that on October 15 of this year, a seven-month pregnant woman died in the city of Turkmenabat, Lebap region, after being unable to reach the hospital due to roads being blocked by security forces because of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov's motorcade.

On that day, Berdimuhamedov attended the foundation-laying ceremony for a mineral fertilizer production complex at the Saparmurat Niyazov Chemical Plant in Turkmenabat. On this occasion, streets and roads in the city were closed, and security and police personnel restricted the movement of vehicles and pedestrians for several hours. As the pregnant woman’s husband was taking her to the hospital, security personnel stopped him and did not allow him to pass. It is said that the husband pleaded on his knees, but they told him to "go through the alley." When they finally reached the hospital, the doctors said they could no longer do anything—the woman died in her husband's arms.

According to some reports, security officers went to the man and demanded that he "keep the truth a secret." Local residents report that the family's house is being guarded by security forces, and the man has been subjected to threats. As the doctors said, even ambulances were unable to move that day.

The deceased woman's husband stated that he would complain to President Berdimuhamedov, seek justice, and inform the media and the UN about the incident. However, according to Radio Free Europe's Turkmen Service, security officers visited his house after that day and gave him a threatening "advice" to "think about your son's future and health." As expected, Turkmen officials did not comment on the incident.

Historical looting in France – The Louvre and Diderot robbed within hours

Before the world could fully digest the robbery at the Louvre Museum, another shocking looting occurred in France. Let's first look at the list of historical and very expensive exhibits stolen from the Louvre on October 19. That day, the stolen items included necklaces and earrings from Marie-Louise, Napoleon's second wife's collection; a necklace, earrings, and a tiara from the collections of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense de Beauharnais of the Netherlands; as well as a bow for a dress ornament and a tiara from the collection of Empress Eugenie, Napoleon III’s wife. The thieves abandoned Eugenie's crown and one other ornamental item near the Louvre wall while fleeing.

The initial estimated value of the damage caused by the robbery at the Louvre Museum in France was revealed to be 88 million euros. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccu called this amount "truly staggering" but emphasized that this was only the economic damage, which could not be compared to the historical damage.

According to the prosecutor, the thieves cannot simply melt the stolen jewelry and gain 88 million euros. She dismissed this idea as "nonsensical" and expressed hope that this crime would not destroy the museum's values.

French Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak announced that the malicious individuals managed to take the jewelry out in just four minutes. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the looting lasted seven minutes. According to Corinne Chartrelle, a former officer in the French unit for combating the illegal trade of cultural property, it is highly likely that the stolen items will be delivered to international diamond trade centers like Antwerp.

Christopher Marinello, founder of Art Recovery International, stressed that the diamonds and gold could be separated and melted down, which would hide their origin and make their return to the museum virtually impossible. While everyone was preoccupied with the sensational robbery, Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who has been under investigation in France for 1 year, linked the Louvre robbery to the country's decline and said he intended to buy the stolen items and place them in a museum in Abu Dhabi.

Before the dust settled on the Louvre robbery, just a few hours later, it was announced that unique exhibits were also stolen from the "Denis Diderot House of Enlightenment" museum located in the city of Langres. According to "France Info" radio, the incident occurred on the night of October 20. Museum staff discovered the missing exhibits and signs of forced entry on the morning of October 20. The police arrived at the scene. It was reported that the robbers stole several gold and silver coins dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. It turned out that the remaining exhibits were untouched. Consequently, the museum, like the Louvre, was temporarily closed.

Police speculate that the robbers planned the incident in advance and took advantage of the sensation at the Louvre. The Langres city administration hired private guards to implement additional surveillance at the building until the museum's security system is completely updated.