In 2024, new conflicts may occur in the Middle East and Central Asia, says Vladimir Prokhvatilov, a military analyst at the Russian Academy of Military Sciences. He believes that the West may be planning a coup in Kazakhstan. “I am concerned about the situation in Central Asia, where the United States and Great Britain have
In the 2024 Military Strength Ranking released by the Global Firepower, Kazakhstan ranked 58th among the 145 countries listed — the best position compared to other Central Asian countries. In the ranking, Uzbekistan is 65th, Turkmenistan 83rd, Kyrgyzstan 100th, and Tajikistan 107th. In the 2023 Ranking, Kazakhstan was in 63rd place. The Global Firepower ranks
The World Road Transport Organization (IRU) said the first Chinese TIR truck loaded with electronic products departed from China’s southern city of Shenzhen to reach its final destination, the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, via a new 6,500-kilometer transportation corridor that runs through Kyrgyzstan, RFE/RL reported. According to the IRU, the new route, a sign of China’s
On January 10, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) handed over $1.4 million worth of modern energy sector management equipment and software to the Coordinating Dispatch Center (CDC) Energia in Tashkent. The official handover ceremony showcased cutting-edge technology which will allow CDC Energia’s dispatchers to display relevant information for maintaining the region’s energy
A new city, Alatau, has been created in Kazakhstan in line with a presidential decree dated January 9. According to the decree, the village of Zhetygen, Ili district, Almaty region, has been classified as a city of regional significance and renamed to the city of Alatau. The new city is located 15 km from Almaty and
Kazakhstan is at a crossroads in its energy sector. With a growing emphasis on sustainability and a need to align with global decarbonization efforts, the country is embarking on a transformative initiative that aims to ensure the security and reliability of its energy supply. At the heart of this endeavor is a comprehensive energy subsidy
A court in Kyrgyzstan has sentenced another Kyrgyz citizen to a prison term for his participation in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Naryn regional court sentenced Beknazar Borugul uulu to five years in prison for participating in the war in Ukraine as part of the Russian private military company Wagner. The court announced on January
The suspension of broadcasting of some Russian TV channels in Kazakhstan, including Channel One, is due to economic reasons, as the contract for 2024 was not concluded due to the local TV operator’s debt, the official representative of Channel One. Worldwide Network in Kazakhstan, Irina Kalashnikova said, as reported by TASS information agency on January
Eccentric Kyrgyz opposition politician Arstanbek Abdyldaev has died while in a pretrial detention facility. Abdyldaev’s lawyer announced the news on January 5, after which prison authorities said Abdyldaev was found hanged in a jail cell. The State Penitentiary Service later said that Arstanbek Abdyldaev committed suicide. Abdyldaev was detained on December 15 on suspicion of
The year 2023 was full of significant events for Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in an interview with the Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper. The country completed major political reforms, including the establishment of the Constitutional Court, holding elections of the Mazhilis (parliament) and maslikhats (local councils) of all levels according to the new rules, and the
2023 was a year of great achievements and difficult challenges for Kazakhstan. In the departing year, the population of Kazakhstan reached 20 million, and the population growth is the key to the power and prosperity of the state, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in his New Year address. He said that in 2023, Kazakhstan’s economy grew
The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on December 27 took part in the ceremony of commissioning and connecting to the power grid of five solar and one wind power plants in six regions of the country. These important investment projects have been implemented with the UAE-based company Masdar and several Chinese companies — China Energy
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Qatar, Arman Issagaliyev on December 26 met with the Group Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways, Badr Mohammed Al Meer. The Kazakh diplomat noted the strengthening political, trade and economic ties between the two countries, as well as the expanding flow of tourists in both directions. The CEO of Qatar
An informal meeting of the leaders of the CIS member countries took place on December 26 in St Petersburg, Russia. The meeting was attended by President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Before the informal summit, the leaders visited the Pavlovsk, Tsarskoye Selo,
The Uzbek Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Oleg Malginov on December 22 and told him that statements by ultranationalist pro-Kremlin writer Zakhar Prilepin a day earlier are “provocative and may have a negative impact” on Uzbek-Russian relations, RFE/RL reported. Prilepin on December 21 spoke publicly about “the necessity to join Uzbekistan’s territory with Russia.” Russian
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov signed a bill amending the national flag on December 22, two days after lawmakers approved it in a final reading. The lawmakers have said the wavy yellow rays of a sun on a red field of the old flag resembled a sunflower. The Kyrgyz word for sunflower is “kunkarama,” but it
Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to open direct flights on the route Almaty-Riyadh. The agreement was reached on December 20 during the visit of the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu to Saudi Arabia to participate in the 6th meeting of the Kazakh-Saudi Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic,
