Several international rights groups on June 12 demanded the immediate release of over two dozen Kyrgyz activists who could be facing 20 years in prison for protesting a border deal with Uzbekistan, RFE/RL reported. Prosecutors in Kyrgyzstan asked a court in Bishkek on June 10 to hand down lengthy sentences to 27 members of a Kyrgyz group
On June 12, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Kazakhstan and held talks with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The two leaders also took part in the Kazakh-Korean business forum in Astana. During the negotiations, the parties discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation in such areas as energy, infrastructure and industry, mechanical engineering, trade, transport and logistics,
On June 12 in Astana, the European Commission and Kazakhstan launched the Coordination Platform of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, the Coordination Platform will improve the safety and sustainability of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and will turn the corridor into a
A court in Kazakhstan’s northeastern city of Oskemen handed prison terms to two local residents on June 11 on charges of separatism and calls to seize power, RFE/RL reported. The Prosecutor’s Office in the East Kazakhstan region said the two, whose identities were not disclosed, were sentenced to five years in prison each for statements they made
Marat Karabayev, Kazakhstan’s minister of transport, believes that as a bridge between the East and the West, Kazakhstan will continue to play its part in facilitating regional and global trade. In his article published in the Chinese publication, South China Morning Post, Karabayev says that trade between Asia and Europe has faced challenges as a result
The Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, with the support of the World Bank Group, and co-hosted by the Government of Austria, on June 10 convened high-level delegations from Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and international financial institutions and private investors to discuss the future of energy in Central Asia at the Kyrgyz Republic International Energy
Kyrgyz prosecutors on June 10 asked a Bishkek court to convict and hand down lengthy sentences to 27 members of a Kyrgyz group who are on trial for protesting a border deal with Uzbekistan, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. The prosecutors asked for 20 years in prison for each of the defendants along with the confiscation
The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held talks on June 6 in Ankara. The talks focused on the issues of further expansion of Uzbek-Turkish relations of comprehensive strategic partnership, and deepening of multifaceted cooperation, primarily in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. On the eve
An intergovernmental agreement on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was signed on June 6 in Beijing. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is a strategic infrastructure project that will connect China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and create a new land transport corridor between Central and East Asia. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev
The eleventh round of the annual High-Level Political and Security Dialogue between the European Union and the countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) took place in Brussels on June 5. The meeting was held at the level of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the five Central Asian countries
Systema, RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit, said on June 4 that it had discovered the name and details of a person who it believes is Yelizaveta Peskova, the daughter of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in the national taxpayer registry of Kazakhstan. Systema said it found personal data in online sources that aligns with Peskova, adding she most likely
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on June 3 that his country has taken the Taliban off of its terrorist list, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Addressing a session of the parliament speakers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Almaty, Tokayev stressed the move was made to develop trade and economic ties with Taliban-led Afghanistan.
On May 27, Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom and the Uzbek government signed an agreement on the construction of a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. The agreement was signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Uzbekistan. The project involves the construction of a small nuclear power plant in the Jizzakh region of
On May 28, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov held a roundtable meeting with about 30 leading Italian companies in Rome to discuss joint projects in energy, textile, transport, IT, engineering, and other areas. The Uzbek minister underscored the enormous potential of economic and investment cooperation between Uzbekistan and Italy. Speaking at the
Interesting facts from the history of relations between the Central Asian region and Africa, as well as prospects for interaction, were presented during a media seminar on May 27 organized by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Ethiopia together with the African Studies Professionals Association (ASPA) as part of the celebration of Africa Day. The event
Russia and Uzbekistan have signed an agreement to build a small nuclear power plant in the Central Asian country. The agreement was one of several deals signed on May 27 in Tashkent between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reported. The Uzbek leader hailed the project as “vital” in a
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has challenged Central Asian leaders to put aside concerns of angering Russia, which considers the region part of its sphere of influence, and attend a summit in Switzerland next month aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Speaking to Central Asian journalists during a visit on May 24 to
On May 23, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Singapore on a state visit. During his meeting with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Tokayev described Singapore as a time-tested and reliable partner of Astana. Currently, over 140 Singaporean companies and joint ventures operate in Kazakhstan, with total Singaporean investments in the Kazakh economy exceeding $1.7 billion.
The 20th anniversary meeting of the Kazakh-German Intergovernmental Commission for the Affairs of Ethnic Germans in Kazakhstan was held on May 21 in Astana in order to strengthen cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Kazakhstan and Germany and discuss the affairs of the German ethnic group, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry reported. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of
On May 20-21, Astana hosted a regular meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers Council, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu. The meeting began with a minute of silence in honor of the Iranian President and Foreign Minister who died in a plane crash. The
