U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick presented 50 CT-40 inspection tool kits valued at over $700,000 to the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan. Chairman Akmalhoja Mavlonov accepted the equipment on behalf of the Committee. The equipment purchased by the Department of State’s Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund, with support from the Export Control and Border Security (EXBS)
The English Speaking Nation (ESN) program has successfully trained more than 18,000 English teachers across Uzbekistan, boosting the language skills of and ensuring high quality English instruction for the nation’s secondary school students. The four-year, $7 million program culminated in a festive closing ceremony in Tashkent on April 20, the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan reported. Launched
Over 7 million KGS of U.S.-provided equipment supported Kyrgyz company SFN International LLC’s ability to open a modern cold storage facility in Jalal-Abad region. With a 1,100 metric ton storage capacity, the facility will improve food security and the livelihoods of farmers in rural regions of Kyrgyzstan, the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek reported. “Having established such
The European Union, an EU Consortium under the leadership of GIZ, UNDP Uzbekistan and the Anti-corruption agency of Uzbekistan have launched the Action “Improving Governance in Uzbekistan”, aimed at bolstering the nation’s anti-corruption efforts, the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan reported. Funded by the European Union, the Action will be carried out by
The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has launched a new initiative that will support long-term economic opportunities in Tajikistan. USAID’s new five-year, $18 million Employment and Enterprise Development Activity (EEDA) will catalyze sustainable development and inclusive economic opportunities in Tajikistan. EEDA will partner with firms to improve the productivity
On April 17, the Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Almasadam Satkaliev and the Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Nikolay Shulginov signed an agreement on the construction of coal-fired thermal power plants in the cities of Kokshetau, Semey, and Ust-Kamenogorsk in Kazakhstan. According to Minister Satkaliev, the construction of three new thermal power plants
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Gender Issues Programme with the financial support of the European Union and in close cooperation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the OSCE Academy has launched the Young Women for Peace Initiative for Central Asia. The opening event, held on 15 April in Bishkek,
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy has announced that the draft Agreement between the governments of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan on the joint implementation of the project for the construction and operation of Kambarata hydroelectric power plant (HPP)-1 has been posted on Kazakhstan’s official Internet portal, Open Legal Acts, for public discussion. The Agreement determines the terms
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) inaugurated a new water system in Rohati village of Rudaki District in Tajikistan. The new system provides more than 3,000 people (455 households) with safe drinking water. This is one of 12 communities that USAID is supporting with rehabilitated water supply systems through public-private partnerships, ensuring systems
Tajikistan’s foreign minister on April 12 condemned the treatment of the mostly Tajik suspects in last month’s terrorist attack on a Moscow-area concert hall that killed more than 140 people, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, speaking in Minsk at a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), also criticized what he said was
A Kazakh-Finnish roundtable was held in Astana on April 11 with the participation of the Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, Mansur Oshurbayev, and the Minister of International Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Finland, Ville Tavio. The event, organized by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan and national company Kazakh Invest,
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin on April 8 held a meeting with the Secretary of Railways of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Syed Ali Shah. During the negotiations, the Pakistani side outlined the ongoing efforts to attract foreign investors for rehabilitation and expansion of the country’s railway networks. Syed Ali Shah expressed
The construction of the Wakhan road connecting Afghanistan and China will soon be completed, the Afghan minister of rural rehabilitation and development announced during a meeting with the Chinese ambassador in Kabul, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported. The Wakhan corridor is a narrow strip of land in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. The corridor stretches eastward,
Construction of a residential project called Nilabagh was launched in Kabul on April 7. The project will be implemented by a Chinese company that has invested $71 million in the construction of 1,400 residential apartments in 56 blocks, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported. The construction project is planned to be completed within 3 years. “Today, we
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin held a meeting last week with the Secretary of the Ministry of Communications of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Ali Sher Mehsud. During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects for cooperation in the transport and logistics sector taking into account the North-South corridor being established, for
Turkey has cancelled visa-free travel for Tajik nationals, the office of the Turkish president said on April 6, without giving any reason behind the decision, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry later said that Ankara had not officially notified Dushanbe about its plan to scrap the visa-exemption rule, which had been in place since
The Tajik Foreign Ministry on April 6 rejected a statement by the director of Russia’s Security Council that Ukraine has recruited mercenaries in Tajikistan, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. Nikolai Patrushev earlier last week accused officials of the Ukrainian Embassy in Dushanbe of recruiting mercenaries to participate in military operations, including against Russia. He made the
The Uzbek Culture Ministry said on April 5 that the Artdocfest/Asia film festival was blocked because its organizers “did not obtain permission” to hold a public event and failed to comply with regulations, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. The international documentary film festival began on April 2 in the capital, Tashkent, but was suddenly stopped by
National experts from the Government of Kazakhstan convened at the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General’s Office near Astana on 27 and 28 March for an interactive national workshop on the protection of vulnerable targets from terrorist attacks. The event marked the second activity under the OSCE’s new initiative – Project PROTECT, which is aimed
Dauren Rakhimzhanov, Managing Director of the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Directorate of Digital Initiatives, participated in the United Nations International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Regional Development Forum for CIS, organized in Astana late in March with support from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry. During the forum, the EDB Fund for Digital Initiatives,
