Kazakhstan’s Culture and Information Ministry said it has blocked the Selftanu.kz website, which focuses on LGBT relations, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. The ministry said the move was made “to protect children’s rights” while taking into account “the culture and traditions of Kazakhstan’s society and culture.” Although homosexual relations were decriminalized in Kazakhstan in the 1990s,
On February 12, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) signed the Letter of Intent during the high-level plenary session, “Nature Knows No Borders: Working Together for Migratory Species and Sustainable Development
The opening ceremony of the Central Asian University of Environmental and Climate Change Studies (Green University) took place in Uzbekistan’s Tashkent region on February 10 with the participation of the Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Grethel Aguilar, the Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan, Aziz
The government of China’s Xinjiang will provide humanitarian financial assistance in the amount of 100 thousand US dollars to help Kyrgyzstan overcome the consequences of the recent accident at the Bishkek thermal electric power plant. This was announced during a February 12 meeting between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, Aibek Moldogaziev
The European Union’s special representative for Afghanistan said that Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek will host a meeting on Afghanistan in the near future, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported. Speaking at a press conference in Kabul, Tomas Niklasson said the meeting will be held between the EU and Central Asian countries. “Next week I look forward to meeting
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Egypt, Official Representative of Kazakhstan to the League of Arab States (LAS), Kairat Lama Sharif on February 6 met with the Secretary General of the Arab International Tourism Organization under LAS Dr. Sherif Fathi Attia. The parties shared views on cooperation in the field of tourism, participation in international tourism exhibitions
Ambassador of Kazakhstan Viktor Temirbayev on February 6 visited the largest city of Northeastern Bulgaria and the “maritime capital” of the country – Varna. During the meeting with the Mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev, the parties noted the important role of interregional cooperation in the progressive development of trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties, and also
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has reaffirmed its dedication to advancing women’s empowerment in the information technology (IT) sector in Central Asia. On February 5, USAID partners gathered at the IT Park in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to celebrate the achievements of women in technology and the impact of the Tumaris.Tech and FoundHer initiatives,
A joint briefing by the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the International Organizations, Mukhtar Tleuberdi, and the Permanent Representative of Australia, Ian Biggs, on the preparation of the International Conference on Nuclear Safety (ICONS-2024) under the auspices of the IAEA was held in the United Nations Office in Vienna on February 5. The ICONS-2024 International Conference
Kazakhstan increased the supply of electricity from its Zhambyl power plant to neighboring Kyrgyzstan following an explosion at the Bishkek thermal power plant on February 2. Three workers of the power plant were seriously injured in the explosion, which caused the plant’s breakdown and left parts of the capital city without hot water and heat.
On February 2 in Astana, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) hosted a joint Investment Forum aimed to explore proposals for enhancements to Kazakhstan’s investment legislation and to highlight important achievement supported by the USAID Kazakhstan Rule of Law Program, implemented by the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI). The
The first SCO Digital Forum was held on February 1 in Almaty, gathering the heads of ministries and agencies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states responsible for the development of information and communication technologies. The SCO includes China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In his welcoming remarks at the forum,
On February 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan hosted a presentation of ongoing and planned US grants in the area of economic development. The event, organized together with the US Embassy in Tashkent, was attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Muzaffar Madrakhimov, Director of the US Agency for International Development
Afghanistan’s acting Minister of Defense, Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, met with Abdulsalam Azizov, the head of Intelligence and Border Services of Uzbekistan, to discuss border issues, strengthening bilateral relations, and economic and transit cooperation, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported on February 1. At the meeting, the Afghan minister said that the Islamic Emirate’s security forces are
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on January 31 approved $25 million for the Higher Education Quality and Innovation Project for the Kyrgyz Republic to help improve the quality of research and strengthen labor market alignment of higher education programs. “The Higher Education Quality and Innovation Project is fully aligned with the National Development Strategy of
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Health, the National Scientific Center of Phtiziopulmonolgy (NTP), healthcare professionals, international donors, community leaders and medical representatives, on January 30 in Almaty held a capstone event to celebrate the achievements of its regional Eliminating Tuberculosis in Central Asia (ETICA) activity in Kazakhstan. The
On January 27, a meeting was held between the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the managing director of the consulting company Goetzpartners Emerging Markets GmbH Vladimir Mathias and the senior advisor of this company Hans Gerd Prödel. The parties discussed construction of industrial facilities
The Board of Directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved a new strategy for Uzbekistan, setting out the Bank’s priorities in the country until 2029. The Bank’s strategic approach to operations in Central Asia’s most populous state will be based on activities in three areas: supporting decarbonisation, greater water efficiency and cleaner energy; developing
The official opening ceremony of the new fire and rescue station was held on January 26 in Osh city in southern Kyrgyzstan. The construction of the new facility became possible within the framework of trilateral cooperation between the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Government of Korea through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and
Residents of Kyrgyzstan’s capital city of Bishkek will have access to greener public transport and better services thanks to new buses financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The project is part of the Green Cities programme designed to address environmental challenges and invest in sustainable municipal infrastructure, the EBRD said. Bishkek on January
