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Kazakhstan hosts 2nd Central Asia-Germany summit

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

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Eurasia International Affairs KG KZ TJK TKM UZB

Afghanistan increases trade with Central Asian countries

In the first five months of the current solar year (which begins on March 21), Afghanistan has conducted trade worth nearly $700 million with Central Asian countries, TOLOnews reported with reference to the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the ministry, said that trade between Afghanistan and Central Asian

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Business & Economy KG

EDB signs two agreements at 6th Kyrgyz-Russian Economic Forum

The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) participated in the 6th Kyrgyz-Russian Economic Forum, held on 11–12 September in the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan. At the forum, the EDB and the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund (RKDF) signed an agreement on investment projects and a memorandum on establishing a waste management system under a public-private partnership involving the EDB,

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International Affairs KG UZB

Kara-Suu checkpoint resumes operation on Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border

The Kara-Suu checkpoint was re-opened at the border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan on September 12, after being closed for 14 years. The checkpoint is located near the city of Kara-Suu in Kyrgyzstan’s Osh region, on the border with Uzbekistan’s Andijan region. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Bakyt

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Eurasia International Affairs KG KZ TJK TKM UZB

Japan and UNDP to enhance urban resilience against climate risks in Central Asia

The Government of Japan and UN Development Programme (UNDP) have agreed upon a new $4.9 million project, “Enhancing Urban Resilience to Disaster Risk and Climate Change in Central Asia”. The signing ceremony was held on September 11 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The project aims to enhance urban resilience to climate-driven risks in Central Asia by utilizing regional collaborative mechanisms and national transformational strategies, fostering sustainable

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Business & Economy KG

Kyrgyzstan gets additional financing from World Bank for Kambarata-1 hydropower project

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Finance on September 9 said that it signed the Credit and Grant Agreements with the World Bank on a $13.6 million additional financing for the Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant (HPP) Project in Kyrgyzstan. Consisting of a $2.6 million grant and a $11 million loan, this additional funding will supplement the World Bank’s ongoing

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International Affairs KG

Kyrgyzstan and Japan expand energy cooperation

On September 9, Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Energy Taalaibek Ibrayev visited Japan and met with Ken Saito, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. Following the meeting, the Kyrgyz Ministry of Energy and Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry signed a Memorandum of Cooperation aimed at implementing joint projects in the field of green

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Business & Economy KG KZ

EDB interested in financing tourism infrastructure projects in Eurasia

Representatives from the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) took part in the Eurasian Mountain Resorts Alliance (EMRA) CEO Summit, which kicked off on September 9 in Almaty. The alliance unites leading mountain resorts from Central Asian countries.  The summit’s highlight is the international expert and investment forum titled “The Almaty Mountain Cluster as the Backbone of

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Geo Politics KG

Kyrgyzstan removes Taliban from terrorist organizations list

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

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Eurasia Geo Politics KG

Kyrgyzstan and China open 3rd border crossing

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

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Business & Economy KG

Chinese Junda oil refinery resumes operation in Kyrgyzstan

The Junda oil refinery has re-opened in the city of Kara-Balta, about 100 km west of Bishkek. Zhongda China Petrol Company’s Junda oil refinery resumed operation after a four-year shutdown from February 2020 to March 2024. Late in March this year, the refinery completed a major overhaul and now plans to reach its full annual

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Business & Economy KG

Plant assembling Chinese trucks opened in Kyrgyzstan

A plant for the assembly of China’s SHACMAN heavy trucks and special-purpose vehicles (concrete mixers) has opened in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek. At the opening ceremony on August 30, the First Deputy Mayor of Bishkek Mirlanbek Baigonchokov said that the construction of the plant was an important contribution to the development of Kyrgyzstan’s automobile industry. An

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Art & Culture KG RU

Kyrgyz culture minister defends Russian singers during Independence Day

Kyrgyzstan’s Culture Minister Altynbek Maksutov in a televised interview on August 27 defended the participation of Russian entertainers who have openly supported Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine in celebrations of Kyrgyzstan’s upcoming Independence Day, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. There has been online opposition to the scheduled performances of Russian singers Filipp Kirkorov, Stas Mikhailov, and

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International Affairs KG

Twenty-one US Peace Corps volunteers sworn in to serve in Kyrgyzstan

Twenty-one newly sworn-in Peace Corps Volunteers will co-teach English with local teachers in secondary schools across Chui, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Talas, Osh, and Jalal-Abad regions over the next two years. This is the 30th group of Volunteers to serve in Kyrgyzstan since 1993, the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek said on August 23. Guests at the ceremony

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Business & Economy KG RU

Kyrgyz banks suspend transactions to major Russian banks

The Keremet Bank in Kyrgyzstan said it suspended money transactions to several major Russian banks, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Last week, another bank in Kyrgyzstan, MBank, made a similar move. The 24.kg website reported on August 21 that after visiting 16 banks in Bishkek, the news agency’s journalists found that in all, 13 banks have suspended monetary transactions to major Russian

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Business & Economy KG KZ TJK

EDB member states show robust growth supported by industrial production and domestic demand

The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has released the latest Macroeconomic Review for the Bank’s six member states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. EDB’s analysts note that most member countries continue to display robust growth: the aggregate GDP of the EDB’s region of operations increased by 4.6% YoY in January-June 2024, after an increase

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Business & Economy KG

Kyrgyzstan imports electricity from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia

In the first half of 2024, Kyrgyzstan imported 2.02 billion kWh of electricity, including 909.8 million kWh from Russia and Kazakhstan, 837.5 million kWh from Turkmenistan, and 275.3 million kWh from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Minister of Energy Taalaibek Ibrayev told a press conference in Bishkek earlier this month. In 2023, electricity imports amounted to 3.2 billion

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Business & Economy KG KZ

Traveling on toll road between Almaty and Lake Issyk-Kul may cost $10-$25

Travel on the planned highway that will connect Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, and Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk-Kul would cost between $10 and $25, Tazabek news agency reported citing Kylychbek Jakypov, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) representative and national coordinator of Almaty-Bishkek Economic Corridor. Almaty is only 80 kilometers away from Issyk-Kul, which is renowned for its

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Geo Politics KG

Late Kyrgyz criminal kingpin’s mother gets suspended sentence

A Bishkek court on August 8 handed a seven-year prison term with a one-year suspension to Maya Alieva, who is the mother of late criminal kingpin Kamchy Kolbaev, on a charge of money laundering, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Alieva’s lawyer said his client will not be imprisoned at all if she does not violate her parole-like restrictions

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Geo Politics KG

Kyrgyz prosecutors seek 10 years in prison for late criminal kingpin’s mother

Kyrgyz prosecutors asked a Bishkek court to sentence Maya Alieva, who is the mother of late criminal kingpin Kamchy Kolbaev (aka Kamchybek Asanbek), to 10 years in prison on a charge of money laundering, lawyer Baktybek Jumashev told RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service on August 5. Kolbaev, who was killed during a police operation in Bishkek in

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