CIS Daily Bulletin, May 25

Below is a summary of events in the Commonwealth of Independent States on May 25:

Azerbaijan:

* Azerbaijan's trade with CIS states dropped 19.6% in January-April to $891 million year-on-year, the country's local customs committee said

Kyrgyzstan:

* Two more candidates have withdrawn from the election campaign ahead of Kyrgyzstan's July 23 presidential polls, election authorities said

Uzbekistan:

* Uzbekistan's Ministry of Emergency Situations has delivered 20 wagons of humanitarian aid to its Central Asian neighbor Tajikistan, a ministry spokesman said

Ukraine:

* Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko left for Libya on a two-day official visit, Ukrainian media reported

* Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has called on the country's president to dismiss Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov, the UNIAN news agency said

* Some 1,000 casino workers began protests in the center of Ukraine's capital against parliament's decision to temporarily shut down gambling establishments last week

* Ukraine's security service has launched criminal proceedings in connection with a Soviet-era famine that killed millions of people, the agency said on its website