OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg on 25 June concluded his visit to Kazakhstan. The visit focused on strengthening regional cooperation and the OSCE’s engagement in addressing the broad range of security challenges the region is facing. In Astana, Minister Borg met with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chairman of
Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security said on June 25 that “a leader and nine members” of the Yaqyn Inkar Islamic group, which is banned in the Central Asian nation, were detained in the southern Batken region, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. The State Committee added that 12 residents of the region denounced their membership in
According to the latest data released by the Statistics Agency of Uzbekistan, from January to May 2024 the country’s foreign trade amounted to $26.7 billion, with exports totaling $10.8 billion and imports — $15.8 billion. Compared to the same period last year, the country’s exports increased by 1.9% and imports — by 3.7%. China has
On June 24, during his first state visit to Uzbekistan, President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh held negotiations with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent, with the main focus on deepening trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. During the meeting, the two leaders tasked their governments to establish a joint working group on
The Osh regional court in southern Kyrgyzstan told RFE/RL on June 24 that a lower court had sentenced a local man, whose identity was not disclosed, to five years in prison two weeks earlier for joining Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. In January, a Bishkek court handed a suspended seven-year prison
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on June 24 said it is providing $56 million funding to the Kyrgyz Republic to improve wastewater management and enhance sustainable and inclusive tourism in Issyk-Kul region, renowned for its touristic appeal and importance. The funding comprises a $25 million concessional loan and a $31 million Asian Development Fund (ADF) grant. The Issyk-Kul region is particularly popular
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has released its Macroeconomic Outlook for its six member states. According to the report, in 2024 Armenia’s GDP is expected to grow by 7.5%, Belarus’s by 3.4%, Kazakhstan’s by 5%, Kyrgyzstan’s by 5.5%, Russia’s by 3%, and Tajikistan’s by 8%. For most EDB member countries, the outlook has been upgraded
A court in Bishkek has sentenced Kyrgyz activist and Social Democratic Party member Alga Kylychev to 10 years in prison on a charge of hostage-taking, which he vehemently denies, calling it politically motivated, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Bailiffs immediately arrested Kylychev after a judge at the Alamudun district court in the northern Chui region pronounced the ruling
The World Bank on June 21 announced that Uzbekistan has become the first country in the world receiving a payment from the World Bank for reducing carbon emissions through a policy crediting program. This pioneering project – the Innovative Carbon Resource Application for Energy Transition (iCRAFT) – was crafted to support Uzbekistan in implementing energy efficiency measures,
On June 20, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate in strengthening the country’s education system and promoting sustainable development practices, UNDP Turkmenistan reported. The MOU establishes a framework for collaboration between UNDP and the Ministry of Education to improve the
On June 20 in Astana, representatives of the national company Kazakh Invest met with Vikram Vuppala, CEO of the Indian company NephroPlus to discuss the company’s plans for developing the dialysis market in Kazakhstan, Kazakh Invest reported. Vikram Vuppala told the Kazakh representatives that NephroPlus considers Kazakhstan as a new market for investment in the framework of
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed into law a bill on mass media that will hinder journalists from getting comments from officials and interviews, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Domestic and international rights groups and media experts have expressed concerns over the new law, saying it will compromise independent journalism and lead to self-censorship in the Central Asian
The ECG World Championship Coaching and Eurasian Creative Week will be held in Uzbekistan (Tashkent, Khiva, Nukus) from June 22 to 29. The event is organized by the Eurasian Creative Guild and the Elena Bezrukov Center. Participants of the festival are coaches and artists from Kazakhstan, Israel, USA, Italy, Finland, Belarus, Great Britain, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,
On June 16, the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Almaty, Kazakhstan began the first delivery of molybdenum-99/technetium-99 generators to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy reported on its website. On June 17, the Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Almasadam Satkaliev visited the Institute of Nuclear Physics, which is the only research organization in Kazakhstan in the
The Tajik parliament’s upper chamber, the Majlisi Milli, approved a bill on June 19 banning “alien garments” and children’s celebrations for two major Islamic holidays — Eid al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha, known as idgardak, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. The bill, approved on May 8 by the lower chamber, the Majlisi Namoyandagon, mostly targets the hijab,
Kazakhstan’s national railways company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) says that this year, it plans to transport 125 thousand passengers on trains to the country’s Borovoye resort — a record high number over the last three years. Last year, the number of passengers amounted to over 86.2 thousand. Three years ago (in 2020), 10 thousand passengers
According to the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), today, over 2 billion people globally do not have access to safe drinking water. Without action, the situation will only worsen in the long run. By 2050, drinking water consumption is projected to increase by 1.5 times. This is why the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 is to
The World Bank has released Uzbekistan Country Gender Assessment Report which serves as a diagnostic tool to evaluate the state of gender equality in the country. Produced with the financial support of the government of the United Kingdom, The World Bank’s Uzbekistan Country Gender Assessment Report (CGA) examines gender equality in Uzbekistan across several domains,
The High-level Central Asian Forum on ‘Water and Climate Change’, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the European Union and the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan earlier this month in Dushanbe, has become a cornerstone of the 3rd High-level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable
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
