Twenty-two U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer Trainees arrived in Kyrgyzstan earlier this month to support English language education in secondary schools in Chuy, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Talas, Osh, and Jalal-Abad regions. The Trainees have come to Kyrgyzstan at the invitation of the Kyrgyz Republic’s Ministry of Education and Science. According to the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, the
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Association of Businesswomen “Tadbirkor Ayol” last week hosted the Central Asian Conference on “Women of Central Asia in the Hospitality Business: Current Challenges and Opportunities” in Tashkent. The event gathered approximately 200 women entrepreneurs, professionals, and industry experts from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic
A court in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, has acquitted all members of a group facing 20 years in prison for protesting a border deal with Uzbekistan, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. The judge ruled on June 14 that there was insufficient evidence to convict the 27 activists. Earlier this week, prosecutors asked for lengthy sentences for
Since 2019, the U.S. government’s Jigerduu Jarandar project – through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) – has positively impacted communities across 19 municipalities in the Kyrgyz Republic. With a commitment to fostering active citizenship, the project has benefited over 62,000 residents with new parks, safer sidewalks, improved street lighting, and inclusive playgrounds. The
Several international rights groups on June 12 demanded the immediate release of over two dozen Kyrgyz activists who could be facing 20 years in prison for protesting a border deal with Uzbekistan, RFE/RL reported. Prosecutors in Kyrgyzstan asked a court in Bishkek on June 10 to hand down lengthy sentences to 27 members of a Kyrgyz group
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on June 11 said it is pledging new funds to boost the efficiency of electricity supply in the Kyrgyz Republic by providing a financial package of up to €14 million to the government to be on-lent to the National Electric Grid of the Kyrgyz Republic, a majority state-owned electricity transmission
The Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, with the support of the World Bank Group, and co-hosted by the Government of Austria, on June 10 convened high-level delegations from Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and international financial institutions and private investors to discuss the future of energy in Central Asia at the Kyrgyz Republic International Energy
Kyrgyz prosecutors on June 10 asked a Bishkek court to convict and hand down lengthy sentences to 27 members of a Kyrgyz group who are on trial for protesting a border deal with Uzbekistan, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. The prosecutors asked for 20 years in prison for each of the defendants along with the confiscation
Long-term contracts for Russian natural gas supplies to Kyrgyzstan have been signed between Gazprom Export and Gazprom Kyrgyzstan. Long-term contracts for gas supplies have also been concluded between Gazprom Kyrgyzstan and two large gas consumers in Kyrgyzstan — Electric Stations and the Bishkekteploenergo municipal heating enterprise. Gazprom Kyrgyzstan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Russian gas giant Gazprom
An intergovernmental agreement on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was signed on June 6 in Beijing. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is a strategic infrastructure project that will connect China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and create a new land transport corridor between Central and East Asia. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kyrgyzstan, in collaboration with the JIA Business Association, is launching a mentoring programme for women entrepreneurs and youth. The programme is part of the UNDP project “Aid for Trade in Central Asia”, funded by the government of Finland, and aimed at supporting the development of value chains of natural honey,
The eleventh round of the annual High-Level Political and Security Dialogue between the European Union and the countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) took place in Brussels on June 5. The meeting was held at the level of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the five Central Asian countries
On June 3, a symposium dedicated to cooperation in higher education between Korea and Central Asian countries was held in South Korea. The event was organized by the Secretariat of the Central Asia–Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum. Opening the symposium, Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Central Asia-Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum, Rhee Jong
China and five Central Asian nations have officially established a China-Central Asia emergency management cooperation mechanism, Xinhua reported. China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of the mechanism during a ministerial meeting in Urumqi, the capital of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, last week. The six
Through a unique theatre experience, university students, faculty, and administrators of several Bishkek-based universities as well as representatives of government agencies, civil society, and regional NGOs are better prepared to take on gender-related issues. On May 31, 30 participants gathered to attend the “Theatre of the Oppressed,” a workshop used to raise awareness on gender
The first-ever One Stop Service Center for Victims of Violence opened in Kyrgyzstan on May 28. According to the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, the new center was created by joint efforts of the U.S. and Kyrgyz governments, as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and will provide critical support for
The Central Asian Women Leaders’ Caucus Meeting concluded on 23 May in Bishkek. The event, centred on “The role of women in the economies of Central Asia: leadership for promoting digital, social, and environmental innovation,” brought together women leaders from across the region to strategize and commit to enhancing women’s roles in these critical sectors, the
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), a consortium of Tez Zhol and Zhagalmai, and DemirBank have signed agreements to build and maintain a bypass road around the town of Uzgen in the Osh region of southern Kyrgyzstan. According to EDB’s press office, the project aims to develop the road sector and improve connectivity in the Osh
Thirty organizations – such as schools, libraries, and universities – in Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Batken regions of Kyrgyzstan on May 22 received a total of over 12,000 English-language books from the United States. These are well-loved books donated from the American people to the Kyrgyz people, the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan reported. This project is
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and Kyrgyzstan’s Electric Stations have signed a technical assistance agreement for the purchase of equipment for the Bishkek combined heat and power plant (CHPP). This project, financed by the EDB Technical Assistance Fund (TAF), aims to address the consequences of an accident that occurred at the plant on 2 February
