Tajik Labor Minister Gulnora Hasanzoda said on August 6 that Russia had deported 17,000 Tajik citizens over the past six months, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. According to Hasanzoda, the deportations have been mostly linked to violations of Russian law. Last month, Tajik officials said some 3,400 Tajik migrant workers had been returned to Tajikistan from
President of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso on August 2 visited Kazakhstan and held talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Noting the growing role of African countries in international politics and the global economy, Tokayev said that the development of cooperation with African countries is one of the key areas of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy. “Today, negotiations
Kyrgyz prosecutors asked a Bishkek court to sentence Maya Alieva, who is the mother of late criminal kingpin Kamchy Kolbaev (aka Kamchybek Asanbek), to 10 years in prison on a charge of money laundering, lawyer Baktybek Jumashev told RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service on August 5. Kolbaev, who was killed during a police operation in Bishkek in
On August 1 in Astana, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held talks with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell. The diplomats overviewed a wide range of relations between Astana and Brussels within the framework of
The “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue Summit will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan on August 9 and 10. The event marks the 20th anniversary of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue, which was launched in 2004 at Japan’s initiative to foster cooperation between Japan and five Central Asian countries. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is
On July 30 in Tehran, the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon attended the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian. During their meeting, President Rahmon invited Masoud Pezeshkian to visit Tajikistan. Rahmon expressed confidence that Tajikistan and Iran will continue to develop mutually beneficial cooperation on the
Authorities in Russia have once again proposed sending immigrants who have received Russian citizenship to fight in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry has increased the size of payments for those who sign contracts to join Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. An article published by Radio Azattyk (RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service) reveals how Russia lures Central Asians
Kyrgyz government spokesman Nazirbek Borubaev said on July 30 that 94 percent of the 972-kilometer Kyrgyz-Tajik border had been agreed upon by officials from the two Central Asian nations, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Borubaev added that discussions between Kyrgyz and Tajik officials on defining the remaining sections of the border will be held on August
Uzbekistan’s Central Election Commission announced on July 26 that parliamentary and local elections will be held in the Central Asian nation on October 27, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. Those up for election include 150 members of the parliament’s lower chamber, the Legislative Chamber; 56 members of the upper chamber, the Senate; and 65 members of the Supreme
Russian human rights defender Valentina Chupik says new legislation on migration adopted by Russia’s State Duma this week will dramatically restrict the rights of labor migrants, Current Time reported. Thousands of men and women from Central Asia regularly come to Russia as migrant workers and provide a financial lifeline to those back home. Speaking to
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has agreed with the presidential commission on clemencies to reject a pardon request filed by Karim Masimov, a once-powerful politician who was prime minister twice and is now serving 18 years in prison on charges of high treason and attempting to seize power during unrest in 2022, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported.
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
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
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
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,
A court in Uzbekistan has convicted a 26-year-old man for being a mercenary after he returned to the Central Asian nation following a six-month stint in the ranks of the Wagner group where he was recruited from a Russian prison, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reported. The website Migrant.uz published the July 9 ruling by the Ohangaron City Court,
The boyfriend of a niece of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has been sent to pretrial detention on a charge of production of illegal drugs, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. The decision to hold Aftandil Sabyrbekov in pretrial detention at least until August 3 was made three days earlier, the Birinchi Mai district court in Bishkek said
A caravan of 26 trucks has been transported across the Caspian Sea from the Kazakh port of Kuryk to the port of Baku by a ferry of the Azerbaijani shipping company ASCO. The trucks were loaded onto the ferry in Kuryk on July 3, Eurasia Today reported. The caravan will continue its journey through Georgia
Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Tajikistan from July 4-6. The Chinese president held talks with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, and the two leaders signed a Joint Statement on further deepening of comprehensive strategic relations in a new phase. As reported by Xinhua, Xi said during the talks that China will firmly
Tajikistan-China relations have entered a new historical stage, opening up new prospects for extensive cooperation, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said in an interview with Xinhua on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Tajikistan from July 4-6. According to Rahmon, this visit will inject new and strong momentum into developing and
