A court in Bishkek has ruled in the case of the Kyrgyz anti-corruption investigative group Temirov Live, sentencing two journalists to prison terms after finding them guilty of charges that their supporters and media watchdogs say are politically motivated, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports. Makhabat Tajibek-kyzy was sentenced to six years in prison and Azamat Ishenbekov was
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov on October 9 met with the delegation of the U.S. Trade Mission, headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia David De Falco and U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Daniel Rosenblum. The parties discussed expanding strategic cooperation with the United States, focusing on developing
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
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved additional grant financing of $15 million to help Tajikistan scale up an ongoing project to reconnect the country’s power system to the Central Asian Power System (CAPS) through interconnections with neighboring Uzbekistan. “Through the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program, ADB actively promotes regional power trade among countries in
USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator Änjali Kaur announced a new U.S. government-sponsored Green Solutions Activity in Bishkek. This five-year initiative backed by a $24 million investment aims to empower small and medium enterprises in the Kyrgyz Republic to adopt innovative green solutions, enhance energy efficiency, and increase the supply of renewable energy. “This investment marks a
Authorities in Turkmenistan have begun confiscating the passports of individuals trying to leave the country if they have outstanding bank loans, RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service reported. The move is seen as a major blow to many who are migrant workers heading abroad to earn badly needed cash to send home. RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service reports that authorities
The Kazakh-Slovak business forum was held in Astana on October 4 within the framework of the 10th Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation meeting. The event was organized with the support of JSC NC Kazakh Invest and the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency SARIO and brought together more than 80 representatives of leading Kazakh and
The Forum of the Central Asian Women’s Dialogue “Women, Peace and Security: The Role of Women in Strengthening Peace and Security in the Central Asian region and Afghanistan” was held in Bishkek last week. It focused on the key role of women in strengthening peace and security in Central Asia and Afghanistan. The meeting aimed
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a financial package of $800 million in highly concessional loans to support the Uzbek government’s structural reform program, which aims to improve Uzbekistan’s business environment, boost efficiency in agriculture, railways, and energy sectors, enhance public finance management, expand social protection services, and strengthen the country’s preparedness for
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), successfully organized the second and third editions of the “Drops of the Future” youth workshop series on the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus. The workshops were held on 6-7 September in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and 19-20 September in Tashkent,
The European Union and Turkmenistan held a high-level event on October 3 in Ashgabat that launched the Coordination Platform of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor. This Corridor aims to strengthen connectivity by developing transport routes between Central Asia and the European Union. The event brought together the European Union, representatives of the countries along the Trans
Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission has announced preliminary results of a nationwide referendum to decide whether Kazakhstan should build its first nuclear power plant. In the October 6 referendum, more than 5.5 million eligible voters (71.12%) said yes to the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan. The Commission said voter turnout was 63.6%, surpassing
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised its growth forecast for Uzbekistan for 2024 and 2025 after economic growth in the first half of 2024 outpaced expectations due to higher investment and strong expansion in industry. This was presented on 3 October by ADB Regional Lead Economist for the Central and West Asia Department Kiyoshi
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, says it has signed an agreement with Ipak Yuli Bank to provide a syndicated loan of up to $42 million, aimed at increasing access to financing for smaller businesses and women entrepreneurs across Uzbekistan. With 25 percent of the funding earmarked for women-run businesses, this initiative is
The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) hosted a conference to discuss Kazakhstan’s experience in repatriation of citizens from conflict zones and their reintegration into society. The event in Washington on October 1 was attended by Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States, Yerzhan Ashikbayev, Acting U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs John Bass,
On October 3, 15 years ago, the Agreement on the Establishment of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States was signed in the city of Nakhchivan, which later evolved into the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). The Organization of Turkic States currently comprising Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, with Hungary and the Turkish Republic
On October 18-19, Decentrathon 2.0, Kazakhstan’s largest multi-location hackathon, will gather over 2,500 developers across 17 regions to compete for a $50,000 prize pool. Participants will tackle challenges in AI, Blockchain, GameDev, and Telegram mini apps. Additionally, a virtual job fair will offer developers the chance to connect with top companies and explore career opportunities
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has officially launched the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024. The event brought together leading experts and researchers and government representatives from around the world to discuss the key findings of the index and its implications for driving innovative development. This year, Kazakhstan took 78th place among 133 countries of
Thirty-three years ago, on October 2, 1991, Kazakhstan took a historic step into space when cosmonaut Tokhtar Aubakirov with his crew was launched aboard the Soyuz TM-13 spacecraft from Baikonur spaceport. As part of the crew, he spent a week on the MIR orbital station and returned on October 10. During this time, he conducted
A teacher in Tashkent was fined 6.8 million soms ($534) for hitting a sixth-grade student who asked why she did not speak Russian during a Russian-language class, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. A video of the incident оn September 23 went viral, leading to the dismissal of the school principal. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on
