Kazakhstan’s national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) said that a pilot tourist train, Jibek Joly (Silk Road), will depart on November 16 from Almaty on the route Almaty-Turkestan-Tashkent-Almaty. The duration of the tour will be 5 days — from November 16 to 20. A total of 115 tourists will go on the first trip,
On November 10-11, a delegation from Uzbekistan, led by Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade Laziz Kudratov, visited Qatar. The Uzbek delegation participated in the inaugural meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation and attended the Uzbek-Qatari Business Forum, engaging in discussions with leaders from Qatar’s key companies. In his opening remarks at the Commission
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Ipak Yuli Bank have signed a 625 billion Uzbek sum loan (equivalent to about $50 million) to enhance access to financing for urban micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Uzbekistan. A majority of loan proceeds will be allocated to support financial inclusion for MSMEs, 60% outside the capital
On November 6, Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, hosted the 11th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). The summit was chaired by Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov and attended by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Uzbekistan
A court in Uzbekistan’s Ferghana Province has sentenced 51-year-old Alisher Holiqov to five years in prison for mercenary activities with the Russian armed forces in a landmark case highlighting the growing issue of foreigners enlisting to fight in Ukraine, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. The November 4 court ruling shows the risks faced by Central Asian migrants and
Climate finance, infrastructure, agriculture, and micro and smaller businesses in Central Asia were just some of the areas that benefited from strong funding from IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, over the last fiscal year. The funds, coupled with advisory support, are helping to increase private sector participation, create jobs, boost financial inclusion,
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is helping Uzbekistan to further decrease its reliance on carbon-intensive thermal-power generation and will facilitate the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy by providing funds to construct a solar plant in the Khorezm region of the country. The EBRD’s financial package of up to US$ 54.6 million
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has announced a $240 million Islamic Equity Bridge Loan (EBL) financing for ACWA Power to support the development of Uzbekistan’s renewable energy sector. IFC’s financing will support the construction and operation of two projects, with a cumulative capacity of a 1-gigawatt solar PV
The official project launch conference of the EU-funded project “EU-Tabassum: Media Skills to Promote Gender Equality and Empower Young Women in Uzbekistan” was held in Tashkent with the participation of representatives from the Government of Uzbekistan, the Embassies of the EU Member States in Uzbekistan, NGOs, international and donor organisations, and mass media companies, the Delegation of the European
On October 27, Uzbekistan held elections of the Legislative Chamber, the lower house of the country’s parliament. On October 28, the Central Election Commission announced preliminary results of the vote, saying that the voter turnout was 74.72%, or 15,027,529 people. Five political parties registered in Uzbekistan participated in the elections: the Liberal Democratic Party, the
On October 21, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended a presentation of projects for recycling household waste and producing electricity and products from it, the president’s press service reported. Uzbekistan generates 14 million tons of waste annually. However, only 4-5 percent of it is recycled. Over 7 million tons of greenhouse gases and 43 thousand tons
U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick on October 15 visited Khojayli, Karakalpakstan, to celebrate the reopening of the newly reinforced structure of the Khalif Erejep Mausoleum. The International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS) received an U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) grant to restore this critically vulnerable structure. The U.S. Embassy provided approximately
Änjali Kaur, Deputy Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and David Hoffman, USAID Mission Director in Uzbekistan on October 11 participated in the opening ceremony of a new fertilizer production plant established by Ifoda Agro Kimyo Himoya LLC. Ifoda, one of Uzbekistan’s leading fertilizer producers and a recipient of USAID’s Fertilizer
The Uzbek Foreign Ministry has rejected Afghan media reports saying that the Taliban-led government of Afghanistan requested the cancellation of concerts or other musical events at a trade center located on the shared border, RFE/RL reported. The statement comes after the Afghan outlet Atlaspress reported on October 14 that the Taliban had requested the Uzbek
On October 12-13, Uzbekistan hosted its first-ever Maker Faire Festival, supported by the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, aimed at fostering a new wave of creative entrepreneurship in the country. The event brought together innovative minds not only from across Uzbekistan but also from other Central Asian countries, specializing in fields such as robotics, science, electronics,
On October 2-11, the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, in partnership with The University of Chicago held a two-week workshop in Tashkent’s State Museum of History on the preservation of cultural heritage for ten conservators and museum professionals from the National Museums of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan. The workshop was conducted by expert conservators
More than 80 Uzbek government officials and international partners met last week in Tashkent for the third meeting of the Uzbekistan Country Platform. The meeting discussed the progress completed by three Working Groups covering critical areas for Uzbekistan’s development: water resources and supply, and sanitation; transport; urban and rural development, the Delegation of the European
On October 9, the United States through its Agency for International Development (USAID), announced the delivery of 131 tons of food aid to Uzbekistan valued at over $435,000. This shipment, which includes a nutritious mix of vegetables and legumes, is designated for distribution in health and social care settings, reaching the country’s most vulnerable households. The
The Turkish Ministry of National Education has announced changes to the history curriculum — the term “Central Asia” will be replaced with “Turkestan”. This was reported by the official website of Turkey’s TRT television and radio company. The report cites Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who emphasized the importance of the unity of the Turkic
The Central Asian Forum of Women Farmers, held on 8 October in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, emphasized the significant achievements of women in local agribusiness. At the same time, it highlighted the challenges they encounter in this key sector of the economy, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reported. The Forum brought together officials
