Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov says he plans to revise the country’s national anthem to adequately represent the “evolving” identity of the nation, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Japarov said in an interview with the Kabar news outlet on October 30 that he believes the current anthem, adopted 33 years ago, fails to inspire patriotism and unity, and does not
Kazakhstan’s national soccer team coach Stanislav Cherchesov, a Russian national, has been fined by the national federation for making an insensitive comment regarding the Kazakh language, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. The incident occurred earlier this month, when Cherchesov responded to a reporter’s question in Kazakh with a joke comparing the language to French, sparking public outrage.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid a state visit to Mongolia from October 28 to 29. Tokayev held talks with President of Mongolia Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, after which the two leaders signed a Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between their countries. Kazakhstan and Mongolia decided to deepen their cooperation in the following five main areas: 1.
On October 27, Uzbekistan held elections of the Legislative Chamber, the lower house of the country’s parliament. On October 28, the Central Election Commission announced preliminary results of the vote, saying that the voter turnout was 74.72%, or 15,027,529 people. Five political parties registered in Uzbekistan participated in the elections: the Liberal Democratic Party, the
A court in Dushanbe has sentenced the leader of an opposition group that has been sharply critical of the government and another group member to lengthy prison sentences for “extremism,” RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. Suhrob Zafar, the leader of Group 24, and Nasimjon Sharifov were sentenced to 30 years and 20 years in prison, respectively. The sentences
As the world becomes increasingly polarized and the authority of multilateral international institutions weakens, the role of middle powers is increasingly growing, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on October 17 at the plenary session of the Astana Think Tank Forum, entitled “Middle Powers in a Changing Global Order”. “While major powers are consumed by rivalry
Kazakhstan has no plans to join BRICS in the foreseeable future, Berik Uali, Advisor and Press Secretary of Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, told Tengrinews.kz. Founded in 2006, BRICS is an informal group of states originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have joined BRICS
On October 11, Ashgabat hosted an international conference, entitled “Interconnection of Times and Civilizations – the Basis of Peace and Development,” celebrating the 300th anniversary of the great Turkmen poet and thinker Magtymguly Pyragy (1724-1807). The high-level forum was attended by President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian,
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Turkmenistan on an official visit on October 10. At the International Airport of Ashgabat, the Kazakh leader was welcomed by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. President Tokayev held talks with his Turkmen counterpart, Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Tokayev emphasized
The Turkish Ministry of National Education has announced changes to the history curriculum — the term “Central Asia” will be replaced with “Turkestan”. This was reported by the official website of Turkey’s TRT television and radio company. The report cites Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who emphasized the importance of the unity of the Turkic
A court in Bishkek has ruled in the case of the Kyrgyz anti-corruption investigative group Temirov Live, sentencing two journalists to prison terms after finding them guilty of charges that their supporters and media watchdogs say are politically motivated, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports. Makhabat Tajibek-kyzy was sentenced to six years in prison and Azamat Ishenbekov was
The European Union and Turkmenistan held a high-level event on October 3 in Ashgabat that launched the Coordination Platform of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor. This Corridor aims to strengthen connectivity by developing transport routes between Central Asia and the European Union. The event brought together the European Union, representatives of the countries along the Trans
Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission has announced preliminary results of a nationwide referendum to decide whether Kazakhstan should build its first nuclear power plant. In the October 6 referendum, more than 5.5 million eligible voters (71.12%) said yes to the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan. The Commission said voter turnout was 63.6%, surpassing
On October 3, 15 years ago, the Agreement on the Establishment of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States was signed in the city of Nakhchivan, which later evolved into the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). The Organization of Turkic States currently comprising Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, with Hungary and the Turkish Republic
A teacher in Tashkent was fined 6.8 million soms ($534) for hitting a sixth-grade student who asked why she did not speak Russian during a Russian-language class, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. A video of the incident оn September 23 went viral, leading to the dismissal of the school principal. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on
A recent incident at a school in Uzbekistan between a teacher and a sixth-grader who asked her why she didn’t speak Russian in a Russian class has led to heated statements between Russian and Uzbek officials, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. The incident took place at a school in the capital, Tashkent, on September 23. A female teacher in
The 2nd summit of Central Asian countries and Germany was held on September 17 in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. Chaired by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the meeting was attended by Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat
On September 16 in Astana, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held talks with Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who arrived in Kazakhstan on an official visit. Tokayev emphasized that Germany is one of the main trading partners of Kazakhstan and a leading investor in its economy. “Last year, bilateral trade turnover increased almost 1.5-fold and reached almost
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on September 15 and met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Following the talks, the Uzbek and German governments signed a migration agreement that would allow skilled workers from Uzbekistan to travel to Germany, with a focus on the health-care sector, RFE/RL reported. It is also
The Tajik Embassy in Moscow on September 10 warned citizens against traveling to Russia for the time being, citing beefed-up security measures and increased document checks by Russian border guards, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. Last week, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry put out a similar statement to its citizens citing the same reasons. Central Asian migrant
