Kazakhstan has no plans to join BRICS in the foreseeable future, Berik Uali, Advisor and Press Secretary of Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, told Tengrinews.kz. Founded in 2006, BRICS is an informal group of states originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have joined BRICS
Kazakh delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu on October 14 participated in the 21st meeting of the Cooperation Council “Republic of Kazakhstan – European Union”. The European delegation at the talks was represented by Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Foreign Affairs of Hungary,
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 11, Ashgabat hosted an international conference, entitled “Interconnection of Times and Civilizations – the Basis of Peace and Development,” celebrating the 300th anniversary of the great Turkmen poet and thinker Magtymguly Pyragy (1724-1807). The high-level forum was attended by President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian,
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Turkmenistan on an official visit on October 10. At the International Airport of Ashgabat, the Kazakh leader was welcomed by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. President Tokayev held talks with his Turkmen counterpart, Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Tokayev emphasized
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
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
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 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
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
A recent incident at a school in Uzbekistan between a teacher and a sixth-grader who asked her why she didn’t speak Russian in a Russian class has led to heated statements between Russian and Uzbek officials, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. The incident took place at a school in the capital, Tashkent, on September 23. A female teacher in
In order to strengthen interregional cooperation between Kazakhstan and Great Britain, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to the UK, Magzhan Ilyassov, visited Scotland last week. The Ambassador met with representatives of the Scottish Government and Parliament, as well as with the leadership of Heriot-Watt University. In the course of negotiations with Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs,
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
On September 16 in Astana, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held talks with Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who arrived in Kazakhstan on an official visit. Tokayev emphasized that Germany is one of the main trading partners of Kazakhstan and a leading investor in its economy. “Last year, bilateral trade turnover increased almost 1.5-fold and reached almost
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on September 15 and met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Following the talks, the Uzbek and German governments signed a migration agreement that would allow skilled workers from Uzbekistan to travel to Germany, with a focus on the health-care sector, RFE/RL reported. It is also
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
The Tajik Embassy in Moscow on September 10 warned citizens against traveling to Russia for the time being, citing beefed-up security measures and increased document checks by Russian border guards, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. Last week, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry put out a similar statement to its citizens citing the same reasons. Central Asian migrant
On September 10, the Government of Kazakhstan approved a draft of the National Action Plan for the implementation of the President’s Address to the people of Kazakhstan, “Fair Kazakhstan: law and order, economic growth, social optimism,” delivered on September 2, the Government’s press service reported. The plan consists of 76 measures aimed at improving the
Azerbaijan considers as “acceptable” Kazakhstan’s proposal to hold talks between Baku and Yerevan on a peace treaty in Astana, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said during telephone talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Aliyev’s press service said on September 9, RFE/RL reported. Earlier in May, the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers met in Astana to discuss the peace
