First and foremost a very happy New Year to everyone.

I must apologise for the lack of activity on this blog for the last month - a combination of internet problems, scheduling issues and illness here in Bishkek have continued to thwart my good intentions to post a news catch-up for the last few weeks.

I’m heading back to the UK for a couple of months next week, so hopefully these issues will resolve themselves to at least some extent and posting on my part will be more regular until the end of March.

If you’re reading this and would like to contribute to this or any other of the New Eurasia Blogs, don’t hesitate to drop us a line and we’ll welcome you with open arms - or at least, some login details