Artificial intelligence (AI) was behind deepfakes, originated in China, about the existence of US laboratories allegedly developing biological weapons in Kazakhstan. Reuters reported citing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 2024 homeland threat assessment that last year, a Chinese government-controlled news site using a generative AI platform pushed a previously circulated false claim that
On May 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan gathered in Moscow for a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, the governing body of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). This year marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the Russian-led economic integration
Armenia said on May 8 that it has stopped making financial contributions to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) after effectively suspending its membership in the Russian-led military alliance, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reported. “Armenia will refrain from signing up to the November 23, 2023, decision on the CSTO budget for 2024 and, thereby, from participating
All five Central Asian presidents are scheduled to attend a parade on Red Square in Moscow on May 9 to commemorate the victory in the Second World War in 1945, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Yury Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, on May 7 said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajik President
Amid Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and geopolitical confrontation with the West, the Kremlin is taking efforts to strengthen its influence in Kazakhstan, Moldova, other countries of Central Asia, and in the South Caucasus. For this purpose, Russia has launched information campaigns using various news agencies and Internet platforms to disseminate Moscow’s narrative in
Kazakhstan’s national railways company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) has announced that the issues of organizing the launch of an international tourist passenger train from China’s Xi’an to Almaty were discussed during a working meeting of the heads of NC KTZ JSC, Passenger Transportation JSC and a delegation of the government of Xi’an (PRC). The tourist
Azerbaijan and Armenia are expected to hold negotiations in Almaty at the suggestion of the Kazakh side, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced on May 1. “I welcome the agreement between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia to hold talks at the Foreign Ministers’ level on the preparation of a peace treaty between
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on April 30 approved a $84 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA) for the Afghanistan Community Resilience and Livelihoods Project, which complements $70 million in additional financing from the Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund (ARTF). The project started in 2022 with a grant of $265 million from the
The first meeting of the Business Council of Kazakhstan and Croatia was held in Zagreb on April 25 as part of a joint business forum with the support of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Croatia. During the event, Ulbosyn Sarybayeva, the representative of National Company Kazakh Invest, told Croatian businessmen about measures of state support for investments and
Thirty aspiring tourism business owners from universities in Osh, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will participate in the two-day “Youth Empowerment in Tourism” workshop to hone their skills in digital literacy, hotel service, business development, and social media marketing. The workshop features experts from the Kyrgyz Republic, the United States, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, and included session on
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office said on April 24 that it had charged seven men from Central Asia — five from Tajikistan, one from Turkmenistan, and one from Kyrgyzstan — with the creation of a domestic terrorist group and taking part in its activities, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Six of the men are also suspected of
On April 24, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov arrived in Azerbaijan for a state visit. In Baku, Japarov and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev chaired the 2nd meeting of the Interstate Council of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan. Following the talks and the Interstate Council meeting, President Aliyev said that Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan actively cooperate in the trade and
On April 24, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held talks with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who was in Astana with an official visit. The ministers signed the historic Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the UK that is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations in key
The President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon on April 23 in Rome met with the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, to discuss issues of expanding bilateral ties in the political, economic, trade, cultural, humanitarian, and security spheres. Both sides expressed interest in expanding cooperation in the fields of hydropower, light, food,
On April 23, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu paid an official visit to Thailand upon the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara. During the talks, the sides discussed the current state and prospects for the development of Kazakh-Thai relations in
On April 22, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron arrived in Tajikistan as part of his visit to Central Asia. In Dushanbe, Cameron met with the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and the parties discussed attraction of British investments to the mining, metallurgical, light, food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural sectors of Tajikistan, the Tajik president’s press service
At the initiative of the Embassy of Kazakhstan and the Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan in Plovdiv, the official opening of the thematic photo exhibition “Unexplored Kazakhstan” dedicated to the country’s nature and tourism potential took place on the Central Square of the city on April 18. The event was attended by the leadership of the
Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on April 17 opened a section of the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat high-speed highway linking the cities of Tejen and Mary in southeastern Turkmenistan. According to the State News Agency of Turkmenistan, the construction of the 600-kilometers-long Ashgabat-Turkmenabat highway started in January 2019. The highway will consist of three sections: Ashgabat-Tejen (203 kilometers), Tejen-Mary
Russia continues to recruit foreign citizens for military service to participate in the war against Ukraine. For joining the Russian army, foreigners are offered a monthly salary of $2,200, a one-time payment of $2,000, a Russian passport, free medical care and training, Deutsche Welle reported with reference to information from the UK Ministry of Defense.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Gender Issues Programme with the financial support of the European Union and in close cooperation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the OSCE Academy has launched the Young Women for Peace Initiative for Central Asia. The opening event, held on 15 April in Bishkek,