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,
On April 15, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited Armenia and held negotiations in Yerevan with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Speaking to journalists after the talks, Tokayev said it was his first official visit to Yerevan and emphasized that Armenia is a very important and reliable partner of Kazakhstan in the South Caucasus. “Our
On April 15, the Second Foreign Ministerial Meeting of the Strategic Dialogue “Central Asia – Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf” was held in Tashkent under the chairmanship of the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov. The event was attended by the Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has released its latest Macroeconomic Review for the Bank’s six member states — Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. According to EDB analysts, despite the challenging foreign economic environment, the region where the Bank operates continues to display robust growth. In early 2024, short-term economic activity indicators demonstrated sustained
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin on April 8 held a meeting with the Secretary of Railways of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Syed Ali Shah. During the negotiations, the Pakistani side outlined the ongoing efforts to attract foreign investors for rehabilitation and expansion of the country’s railway networks. Syed Ali Shah expressed
The construction of the Wakhan road connecting Afghanistan and China will soon be completed, the Afghan minister of rural rehabilitation and development announced during a meeting with the Chinese ambassador in Kabul, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported. The Wakhan corridor is a narrow strip of land in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. The corridor stretches eastward,
Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon called the current global situation “a new phase of the Cold War” and called on his compatriots to be politically vigilant amid “growing tensions as the process of the world’s repartitioning is intensifying,” RFE/RL reported. “In these difficult and dangerous circumstances, we should not let our citizens, our children, turn into
Construction of a residential project called Nilabagh was launched in Kabul on April 7. The project will be implemented by a Chinese company that has invested $71 million in the construction of 1,400 residential apartments in 56 blocks, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported. The construction project is planned to be completed within 3 years. “Today, we
