The official opening ceremony of the Astana Genetic Center laboratory of the Chinese company BGI Group took place on July 19 at the National Center of Biotechnology in Astana. Kunsulu Zakariya, advisor to the President of Kazakhstan on Science and Innovation; Akmaral Alnazarova, Minister of Health; and Saule Sabyr, First Secretary of the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan
At a government meeting last week, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed the country’s economic results in the first half of this year. In the first half of 2024, Uzbekistan’s gross domestic product increased by 6.4 percent. Industry grew by 7.8%, construction by 10.1%, services by 12.9%, and agriculture by 3.8%. State budget revenues increased by
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC) have signed a financing deal worth 58.2 billion tenge (around $123 million) to expand the high-voltage transmission network in the southern region of Kazakhstan. This expansion will allow the integration of large-scale renewable power generation into the grid, reinforce and stabilize power
A ceremony of laying the capsule for the future production of solar modules by the domestic investor Altyn Group LLP under the TGS-Solar brand took place in the Alatau SEZ in Almaty on July 17, Kazakh Invest national company reported. The founder of Altyn Group, Jomart Mominbayev, thanked the Government of Kazakhstan for its assistance in the implementation of the project and
More than 60 faculty from across Uzbekistan gathered on July 15 to share experiences and lessons learned from their semester long visits to universities in the United States. These exchanges were funded as part of the Faculty Enrichment Program, a joint initiative of the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science,
The European Union and Tajikistan held their eleventh annual Cooperation Committee meeting on 16 July in Dushanbe. As reported by the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan, the two sides reviewed their bilateral relations, exchanged views on the most topical political and socio-economic developments, and discussed cooperation in a vast array of areas, including water, environment, energy, trade, and
On July 15, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF International) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on a tiger reintroduction program in Kazakhstan. According to the ministry, the memorandum is a continuation of successful cooperation which has already led to significant achievements in the restoration
The Birinchi Mai district court in Bishkek said on July 17 that a relative of President Sadyr Japarov has been placed under arrest on fraud charges, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. According to the court’s press service, Ulan Japarov, who is a son of President Sadyr Japarov’s cousin, Rakymjan Japarov, was sent to pretrial detention until
A regional office of Euronews will be opened in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, the Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, Aida Balayeva, announced on her Facebook page. Minister Balayeva met with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Euronews, Pedro Vargas David, and the parties signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Euronews.
As part of the operational-tactical command and staff military exercise Birlestik-2024, military sports competitions in terrain orienteering were held at the Oymasha training ground in Kazakhstan. As reported by the Kazakh Defense Ministry, military personnel from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan participated, while the team of the host country, Kazakhstan, performed outside the competition. The
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $100 million concessional loan to help the Government of Uzbekistan improve perinatal health services for pregnant women and their newborns. “ADB supports the government’s commitment to ensure high-quality perinatal health services in Uzbekistan to protect the health of women and children and reduce maternal and neonatal mortality
Tajikistan’s economy has shown remarkable growth in recent years, with an impressive expansion of 8.3% in 2023 and 8.2% in early 2024, according to the World Bank’s latest Tajikistan Economic Update released on July 16. According to the report, the growth was driven by increased revenues from gold exports and substantial public infrastructure spending. Robust worker remittances
The government of Kazakhstan said on July 16 that it had settled a longtime legal battle with Moldovan businessman Anatol Stati over energy-related assets, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. “The parties are pleased to have reached an agreement on favorable terms, which will bring an end to all legal proceedings and the suspension of any ongoing claims across
A Memorandum of Understanding for the Development of Islamic Finance in Central Asia was signed between the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and the Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) on June 27 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, as part of the Eurasian Development Bank’s Annual Meeting and Business Forum. The document was signed by Nikolai Podguzov, Chairman of the EDB
Late in June, the largest delegation in the U.S.-Tajikistan Business Council’s history visited Tajikistan. During the two-day mission, over thirty representatives of U.S. medical, financial, mining equipment, franchising services, and digitalization firms met with leading Tajik businesses and government officials to identify opportunities, create partnerships, and increase trade and investment between the United States and
The Chinese Embassy in Dushanbe on July 15 denied media reports that Beijing is building a military base in Tajikistan, calling the reports “groundless,” RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. The embassy responded to a story in The Daily Telegraph showing satellite photos of buildings and what the report claimed is a shelter for helicopters in the
Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakh Invest national company, Yerzhan Yelekeyev on July 15 held a meeting with representatives of the Chinese corporation WEIGAO, during which the parties discussed the possibility of localizing the production of medical equipment in Kazakhstan. Zhang Yong, General Director of WEIGAO, told Kazakhstani representatives about the corporation’s work in the production of
Authorities in Kyrgyzstan’s southern city of Osh have declared a state of emergency after mudslides and flooding caused by heavy rains killed at least four people on July 14, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. As of July 15, the deaths of a 44-year-old woman and her three daughters, as well as the death of another woman,
Since 2021, the U.S. government-sponsored Successful Aimak 2 project has improved the lives of 290,000 individuals across 42 partner municipalities across Kyrgyzstan. This initiative introduced 95 upgraded and new services, ranging from essential services like clean water supply and waste removal to enriching extracurricular activities such as English language classes, music clubs, and sports programs
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on July 11 approved $13.6 million in additional financing to supplement the ongoing $5 million Technical Assistance for Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant (HPP) Project for the Kyrgyz Republic. The project aims to support the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in the preparation of the Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant (HPP) project in a
