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
Azerbaijan considers as “acceptable” Kazakhstan’s proposal to hold talks between Baku and Yerevan on a peace treaty in Astana, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said during telephone talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Aliyev’s press service said on September 9, RFE/RL reported. Earlier in May, the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers met in Astana to discuss the peace
On September 8, the opening ceremony of the 5th World Nomad Games was held in Astana. The Games, which will last until September 13, gathered competitors from 89 countries. Originated in Kyrgyzstan in 2014, the World Nomad Games have since been held three times in the Kyrgyz city of Cholpon-Ata on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government has praised the removal of the Taliban from Kyrgyzstan’s list of banned groups, TOLOnews reported. The Afghan news agency cited Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as saying that Kyrgyzstan’s decision reflects the establishment of political understanding in relations with the
A Deputy Speaker of the Uzbek Parliament, Alisher Kadyrov proposes banning the “approval and propaganda of Soviet ideology”. In his opinion, the Soviet regime brought only misfortune to the Uzbek people, and also discriminated against them. Kadyrov commented on the verdict handed down by the Samarkand Regional Court in a case of propaganda for the
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned a parole-like sentence handed to an Uzbek woman in April over her sharing of a 1991 video showing the late President Islam Karimov speaking to Islamists, RFE/RL reported. The move on September 4 comes two weeks after the Tashkent regional court upheld Sevara Shaidullaeva’s 30-month parole-like sentence, which she
A court in the southeastern Uzbek city of Samarkand on September 3 handed a parole-like sentence to a local resident for his activities promoting the restoration of the Soviet Union, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. The 74-year-old man, whose identity was not disclosed, was found guilty of calling to disrupt the constitutional order in Uzbekistan. The
The chairwoman of Kazakhstan’s Central Commission on Referendums (ORK), Sabila Mustafina, said on September 3 that 15.5 billion tenges (more than $32 million) has been requested for a nationwide referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan next month, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. The announcement came a day after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the
A new checkpoint, Bedel, opened on the Kyrgyz-Chinese border on September 3. The new crossing is located at a mountain pass in a remote southeastern corner of Kyrgyzstan, situated roughly equidistantly from the Kyrgyz city of Karakol at Lake Issyk-Kul and Aksu Prefecture of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The Bedel checkpoint was opened under
On September 2, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered his annual state-of-the-nation address titled “Just Kazakhstan: Law and Order, Economic Growth, Public Optimism.” In his speech, President Tokayev outlined the key goals for the nation’s development, focusing on sustainable socio-economic progress. With a focus on new tasks and priorities, the President emphasized the need to address imbalances between monetary
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has pardoned hundreds of convicts to mark the country’s Independence Day, which was celebrated on September 1, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. State media reported that 159 prisoners were released outright, while 303 individuals were released on parole and the prison terms of 60 convicts were shortened. Among those affected were 19
Kazakhstan will hold a referendum on whether to build a nuclear power plant on October 6, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced on September 2. Speaking at a meeting of both chambers of parliament with an annual address to the people of Kazakhstan, Tokayev argued the project is needed to diversify energy sources in Kazakhstan, which has abundant oil
The Specialized Inter-District Court in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, on August 29 sentenced the already imprisoned ex-wife of a convicted nephew of the country’s former President, Nursultan Nazarbaev, to 12 years in prison, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Gulmira Satybaldy was found guilty of forcibly holding her relative and former business partner Abai Zhunusov in isolation against his
