Kyrgyzstan and German companies have signed an investment agreement on a project to build and operate two floating solar power plants on the surface of the reservoir of Kyrgyzstan’s largest Toktogul hydroelectric power plant. The agreement was signed on November 26 between the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers and Sonnenenergie, a.s., AB Progressio GmbH, and LTI
On November 27, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting to discuss the current state of attracting foreign investment and plans for the next year. It was stated at the meeting that over the past 10 months, Uzbekistan has attracted more than $26 billion in foreign investment, a 1.7-fold increase compared to last year. These
On November 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a state visit to Kazakhstan. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called Putin’s visit a historic event that marks an important milestone in the development of Kazakh-Russian relations. “For Kazakhstan, Russia is a strategic partner and a reliable ally. We are united by unbreakable bonds of friendship, centuries-old good
On November 27, over 40 representatives from Central Asia, OSCE executive structures, UN entities and civil society organizations gathered for the Second Meeting of the Central Asia Regional Expert Council (REC) on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Returnees. The REC was inaugurated in Tashkent in May 2024 upon President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s initiative. The
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says it is launching three Women’s Creative Labs in At-Bashy, Kochkor, and Kyzart villages in Kyrgyzstan’s Naryn region. These Labs will be run by the Public Foundation “Alliance of Trainers and Consultants – PF ATiK” and the Public Association “Naryn Center for Economic Development”. The Women’s Creative Lab is
Kazakhstan’s national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) has announced that the first return container train along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) departed on November 24 from Baku, Azerbaijan to Xi’an, China via Kazakhstan. The train, consisting of 62 containers with petroleum coke, will travel along the TITR after reverse loading and will return
Air Products, a world-leading industrial gases company, and the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a state-of-the-art Makerspace in Qarshi, Uzbekistan. On November 26, U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick and Air Products Vice President for Central Europe and Central Asia Vaclav Harant officially signed the
The Days of European Culture commenced in Ashgabat on November 18, organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Turkmenistan in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan, European Union Member States, including the Embassy of Germany and the Embassy of France in Turkmenistan, and the French Institute in Turkmenistan. From 18 to
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is helping one of Uzbekistan’s first digital financial institutions, TBC Bank Uzbekistan (TBC UZ), to expand its services and provide lending to micro and youth-led or owned businesses as well as women entrepreneurs across the country. A senior loan of up to US$10 million (€9.1 million equivalent)
The U.S. Government’s Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the Public Organization Ilmhona, and other international and private donors, on November 23 hosted the Regional Tech Jam Forum 2024 in Dushanbe. Since its inception in 2021, Tech Jam has become an important platform for young professionals, IT experts, and industry leaders to connect
On November 22, Tashkent hosted the opening of the regional office of the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank). The ceremony was attended by Yang Dongning, Vice President of China Exim Bank; Yu Jun, Ambassador of China to Uzbekistan; Ilzat Kasimov, Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan; and representatives from the business
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has fired several top officials in the State Security Service (SSS) and Interior Ministry in a sweeping reshuffle following an assassination attempt last month on a close ally of his eldest daughter, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. Abdusalom Azizov, the head of the State Security Service (SSS) and Alijon Ashurov, the head
Soltan Achilova, a veteran journalist and former RFE/RL correspondent in Turkmenistan, was forcibly hospitalized in Ashgabat on November 20 in what appears to be a move by the government to prevent her from flying to Geneva to receive an international award, RFE/RL’s Current Time reported. According to the Chronicle of Turkmenistan website, four men in medical gowns
Chairman of the Management Board of JSC National Company Kazakh Invest Yerzhan Yelekeyev held a meeting with Li Yantao, the founder of Qingdao Wanlin Food Co., Ltd, to discuss the company’s plans to build a plant for the production of dehydrated onions in Kazakhstan. Wanlin specializes in the production of food products, particularly deep processing of agricultural products. Wanlin representatives
The Embassy of Kazakhstan in the U.S. on November 19 hosted an event on Capitol Hill to discuss the prospects of repealing the Jackson-Vanik Amendment in relation to Kazakhstan. The discussions involved members of Congress, U.S. State Department officials, diplomats, business and expert community, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported. Opening the event, Ambassador of Kazakhstan
The Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan in partnership with the European Union (EU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Korea’s Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), and the UNDP Seoul Policy Center on November 15 held an event to present the results of the impact assessment of reporting on corruption cases and a draft law to
On November 20, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid a state visit to Hungary and held talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Emphasizing that Hungary is a reliable strategic partner of Kazakhstan in the European Union, Tokayev said that the main goal of his visit was to “give new impetus to our cooperation”. Tokayev noted
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on November 19 handed over laboratory equipment valued at $205,000 to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Agency (PPQA) of Uzbekistan in a ceremony held in Tashkent. This donation is part of USAID’s ongoing support to strengthen Uzbekistan’s agricultural health infrastructure. The new equipment, featuring advanced technology for secure
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic have pledged to strengthen economic cooperation between their countries during Tokayev’s first visit to Serbia as the Central Asian country’s president, RFE/RL’s Balkan Service reported. At a joint press conference on November 19, Tokayev highlighted the commitment of both nations to expand their bilateral relations, focusing
To create a Horse Breeding Institute in Kazakhstan in the shortest possible time was a task set by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the first forum of agricultural workers, held on November 15 in Astana. Fulfilling the task, the Kazakh Research Institute of Horse Breeding and Forage Production has been established in Aktobe, the Ministry of
