The Week Ahead: March 31 - April 6

Supporters of presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah wait for the start of an election rally in Parwan Province.

The Week Ahead is a detailed listing of key events of the coming week affecting RFE/RL's broadcast region.

Now on Twitter! Daily updates at @The_Week_Ahead.



MONDAY, March 31:

Belgium: Brussels hosts an international conference on genocide prevention (to April 1).

Kazakhstan: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal visits Astana and Almaty (to April 2).

Kyrgyzstan: Pakistani writer and journalist Ahmed Rashid holds lectures in Bishkek on security issues in Central Asia.

Moldova/Canada: Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird makes an official visit to Chisinau.

Moldova/Romania: Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean makes a working visit to Chisinau on the occasion of the second session of the Moldovan-Romanian Intergovernmental Commission for European Integration.

Serbia/Kosovo: Brussels hosts another meeting between Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

Tajikistan/China: Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan visits Dushanbe (to April 1).

Ukraine: Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev is scheduled to speak at a UN Security Council meeting in New York.

World: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) publishes its report on climate change.


TUESDAY, April 1:

Azerbaijan: The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) holds a meeting in Geneva to review Azerbaijan (to April 2).

Iran: The 35th anniversary of the official affirmation of Iran as an Islamic republic.

NATO: Brussels hosts the NATO Foreign Ministerial meetings (to April 2).

NATO/Ukraine: Brussels hosts a NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting (to April 2).

Tajikistan: Dushanbe hosts a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Defense Ministers meeting (to April 3).

Turkmenistan: Ashgabat hosts a regional meeting on the legal status of the Caspian Sea (to April 2).

World: The 10th anniversary of Google's Gmail free email service.


WEDNESDAY, Aprl 2:

Kyrgyzstan: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal visits Bishkek (to April 4).

UN: World Autism Awareness Day.


THURSDAY, April 3:

Azerbaijan: An annual international travel and tourism fair opens in Baku (to April 5).

Czech Republic: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits Prague (to April 4).

Russia: Moscow hosts a Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.

U.S./Eastern Europe: Atlantic Council in Washington hosts a discussion with Anne Applebaum titled "Between East and West."


FRIDAY, April 4:

EU: Athens hosts an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Union member states, known as the “Gymnich” (to April 5).

NATO: The 65th anniversary of the foundation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Russia: Moscow hosts a CIS Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.

Ukraine: The deadline for registration of candidates for the May 25 presidential election.

UN: Mine Awareness Day.


SATURDAY, April 5:

Afghanistan: Presidential election.