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
A Deputy Speaker of the Uzbek Parliament, Alisher Kadyrov proposes banning the “approval and propaganda of Soviet ideology”. In his opinion, the Soviet regime brought only misfortune to the Uzbek people, and also discriminated against them. Kadyrov commented on the verdict handed down by the Samarkand Regional Court in a case of propaganda for the
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned a parole-like sentence handed to an Uzbek woman in April over her sharing of a 1991 video showing the late President Islam Karimov speaking to Islamists, RFE/RL reported. The move on September 4 comes two weeks after the Tashkent regional court upheld Sevara Shaidullaeva’s 30-month parole-like sentence, which she
A court in the southeastern Uzbek city of Samarkand on September 3 handed a parole-like sentence to a local resident for his activities promoting the restoration of the Soviet Union, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. The 74-year-old man, whose identity was not disclosed, was found guilty of calling to disrupt the constitutional order in Uzbekistan. The
On September 2, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered his annual state-of-the-nation address titled “Just Kazakhstan: Law and Order, Economic Growth, Public Optimism.” In his speech, President Tokayev outlined the key goals for the nation’s development, focusing on sustainable socio-economic progress. With a focus on new tasks and priorities, the President emphasized the need to address imbalances between monetary
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has pardoned hundreds of convicts to mark the country’s Independence Day, which was celebrated on September 1, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. State media reported that 159 prisoners were released outright, while 303 individuals were released on parole and the prison terms of 60 convicts were shortened. Among those affected were 19
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
On August 22, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Tajikistan on a state visit and held talks with President Emomali Rahmon. Following the talks, the presidents signed a Treaty on allied relations between Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. President Rahmon emphasized the historical importance of signing the Treaty and stated that “this important document will undoubtedly open
Kazakhstan summoned Paval Utsyupin, Belarus’s ambassador in Astana, to “objectively assess” the Central Asian nation’s stance on key international issues in an unbiased manner amid rising tensions between the two countries, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry did not say specifically why it summoned Utsyupin, but it comes after Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made several
The Committee to Protect Journalists on August 19 called on Tajik authorities to drop bribery charges against noted journalist Ahmad Ibrohim, who was arrested a week earlier, RFE/RL reported. “Following the wave of lengthy convictions against journalists in Tajikistan since 2022, the arrest of Ahmad Ibrohim is yet another reminder of how dangerous any form of critical
A court in Kazakhstan’s eastern city of Oskemen has replaced a six-year prison sentence given to a nephew of Kazakhstan’s former strongman President Nursultan Nazarbaev with a suspended sentence, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Court No. 2 in the capital of the East Kazakhstan region ruled on August 16 that Qairat Satybaldy, 52, must be released with a
Top officials of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan marked 105 years of the country’s independence on August 18 by demanding mutual respect from the international community, RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi reported. Afghanistan gained its independence in August 1919 after the signing of the Anglo-Afghan Treaty, which ended British control over the country’s foreign affairs. Afghanistan currently
On August 12, the scientific and practical conference “The Caspian Sea: Cooperation for Sustainable Development” dedicated to the Caspian Sea Day was held in the Avaza National Tourist Zone in Turkmenistan. The conference was attended by heads and representatives of relevant ministries and departments of Turkmenistan, heads of diplomatic missions of foreign states, experts of
A Moscow court on August 12 sentenced Usman Baratov, a leader of the Uzbek diaspora in Russia, to four years in prison on a charge of inciting hatred online, RFE/RL’s North.Realities reported. Baratov pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stemmed from a post on social media in December related to an abrupt increase of
The presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan convened in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on August 9 to hold the sixth consultative meeting of the leaders of Central Asian states, RFE/RL reported. Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev greeted his counterparts and stressed that the regular meetings of the regional leaders indicate the Central Asian states’
Tajikistan’s First Deputy Interior Minister Abdurahmon Alamshozoda has confirmed reports by RFE/RL’s Tajik Service that 27 residents of the Yazgulom community in the volatile Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) have been arrested. Alamshozoda told journalists in Dushanbe on August 8 that the residents had been arrested on suspicion of being members of the Ansarullah Islamic group, which is
A deal allowing Tajik and Iranian citizens to travel between the two nations without visas for up to 90 days per year — with the first visit limited to 30 days — will take effect on August 10, the Tajik Foreign Ministry said on August 6, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. The ministry said that in the first
Elizabeth Rood was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to Turkmenistan on July 15 and presented her credentials to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on July 31. According to the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan, Ambassador Rood looks forward to strengthening the partnership, rooted in government and people-to-people ties, between the United States and Turkmenistan during her tenure. Ambassador
On August 1 in Astana, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held talks with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell. The diplomats overviewed a wide range of relations between Astana and Brussels within the framework of
The “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue Summit will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan on August 9 and 10. The event marks the 20th anniversary of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue, which was launched in 2004 at Japan’s initiative to foster cooperation between Japan and five Central Asian countries. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is
