A round table was held in Tashkent on January 19 to discuss the findings of four expeditions conducted by the Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Coordination Water Commission of Central Asia (SIC ICWC) on the dried bed of the Aral Sea. These expeditions, supported by the UN Development Programme from 2019 to 2023, aimed
A meeting of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO was held on January 20. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, who chaired the meeting, summed up the activities of the Interdepartmental Commission for UNESCO for 2023 and outlined the priority areas for its further work, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry reported. It
Both of the Kazakh parliament’s chambers, the Mazhilis and the Senate, approved on January 19 a presidential proposal to send 430 Kazakh peacekeepers to the Middle East and Africa, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Defense Minister Ruslan Zhaqsylyqov said the troops will join the UN Disengagement Observer Force on the Golan Heights, the UN Truce Supervision
A Moscow court on January 19 sent a leader of the Uzbek diaspora in Russia, Usman Baratov, to pretrial detention for at least two months on a charge of inciting hatred with his online posts, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reported. Baratov pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stemmed from a post last month related to
On January 18, in Rome, Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas company KazMunayGas and Italy’s Eni S.p.A. signed the Joint Confirmation Agreement on initiation of the Zhanaozen hybrid power plant construction project. The document was signed by Magzum Mirzagaliyev, Chair of the Management Board, KMG and Eni Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi. The signing took place
On January 18, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid an official visit to Italy. Tokayev held talks with the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni. During the talks, Tokayev said that Kazakhstan and Italy have established close economic cooperation, as well as fruitful cultural and humanitarian ties. “We are proud to be
A Kyrgyz court official said on January 18 that a member of the opposition Butun (United) Kyrgyzstan party, Chynygul Sherkulova, was sentenced to three years in prison last month on a charge of distributing false information online but allowed to start serving her prison term later, as she has three young children, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service
The United States and European Union have expressed their deep concern about recent actions against independent media in Kyrgyzstan. This comes after 11 journalists were arrested earlier this week in a move international media watchdogs said was aimed at “intimidating and harassing” journalists to keep them from carrying out their work. On January 16, Kyrgyz
On January 17, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov held a meeting with the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas in Ashgabat. The parties discussed key aspects of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the EU and prospects for its further development. Special attention was paid to the areas of security, digitalization, water
Turkmenistan’s first TESOL conference, co-organized by the U.S. Embassy and the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan, was held last week in Ashgabat. 250 English language teachers from across Turkmenistan and American experts from the International TESOL Association gathered for the event at the International University of Humanities and Development. Over the course of five days,
Eight international human rights groups have called on the Kyrgyz government to stop its crackdown on independent media after 11 journalists were detained in a move the watchdogs said was aimed at “intimidating and harassing” journalists to keep them from carrying out their work, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. In a statement dated January 16, Civil Rights Defenders,
Today, Russia and Kazakhstan have no problems either at the political level or in the economic dimension. But it seems that not everyone likes it. And then provocations begin to sound for completely far-fetched reasons, independent expert Nurlan Alniyazov wrote in the following article. A deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Alexey
The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan organized the launch in Tashkent of a digital platform developed by the social start-up Coozin, aimed to further develop women’s entrepreneurship and increase their self-employment skills by using advanced digital technologies. The Coozin start-up was launched in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it has
Türkiye says people from Turkmenistan and Russia are the two largest groups of foreigners living in the country as they seek better living conditions, Current Time reported. According to a report from the Migration Directorate of Türkiye, among the 1.1 million foreign nationals residing in the country with residence permits, 109,000 are Turkmens and 100,000 are Russian
A day after searching the offices of the news website 24.kg, law enforcement officers in the Kyrgyz capital detained for questioning eight current and former members of the Temirov Live investigative group and the Ait Ait Dese project, as the government continues to pressure independent media, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Temirov Live’s founder, prominent investigative
As Western governments are intensifying their relations with Central Asian countries against the backdrop of Russia’s war on Ukraine, this offers an opportunity to achieve specific advances for human rights in the region, Human Rights Watch said on January 11 in its World Report 2024. “Central Asia’s authoritarian governments severely restrict freedoms of speech, assembly, and
On January 15, seven U.S. Peace Corps Response Eco-Tourism Volunteers arrived in Bishkek to help promote sustainable tourism in partnership with local non-profit Kyrgyz Community Based Tourism Association (KCBTA). After completing training, Response Volunteers will work with CBT partners to develop nature-based tours, assist in creating effective marketing strategies to attract domestic and international tourists,
On January 15 in Astana, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Alikhan Smailov and Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas discussed further steps to strengthen trade and economic relations between Kazakhstan and the European Union. The parties considered issues of increasing trade turnover, attracting investment, strengthening cooperation in the transport and logistics sector, easing the
I love finding connections between places I know and love, wether it be an unexpected meeting with the Uzbek landlady of a local bar, a neighbour who went to a wedding in Bishkek or a familiar name. In Kenya these connections can be more difficult to seek unless they literally fly across the road in
In 2024, Central Asian countries are poised to experience a series of significant events and global influences that will shape their political, economic, and social landscapes. Building on recent developments, these nations are likely to navigate a complex geopolitical environment with both challenges and opportunities. One key factor influencing Central Asia is the evolving relationship
