On March 5, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended a meeting of the National Council on Combating Corruption. The meeting analyzed the work carried out on creating corruption-free environment and defined further goals. In his speech, the head of state mentioned that corruption is a serious challenge in the course of reforms. Uzbekistan has taken
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Energy and Water says that 70% of the CASA-1000 electricity transmission project in Afghanistan has been completed, TOLOnews reported. According to the ministry, if the World Bank provides the necessary funding, the Afghan government is prepared to complete the remaining work on this project. This major regional project, which connects Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
In 2024, Kyrgyzstan consumed 18.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, 1.1 billion kWh more than in 2023, the country’s Ministry of Energy said. Kyrgyzstan’s hydroelectric power plants generated 12.77 billion kWh and coal-fired thermal power plants produced 1.76 billion kWh. In addition, small private hydroelectric power plants produced 156.2 million kWh, while solar power plants added
KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), and major Chinese operator Yiwu Timex have discussed expanding cooperation in the field of international transportation with a focus on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) and new logistics services for deliveries to Central Asian countries, the KTZ press
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov last week met with Zeng Zhaoqiang, the Chairman of the Board of Fujian Hengwang Investment Co., Ltd, one of the leading metallurgical companies in China. The meeting discussed the construction of a metallurgical plant with a capacity of 3 million tons of steel on the territory of the special
On February 26, Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, met with Nikolai Podguzov, Chairman of the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Management Board, to discuss further cooperation on joint projects. In 2024, the Bank allocated nearly US $1.4 billion to projects in Kazakhstan. Over the past three years, the Bank’s total investment in the country has reached
As part of the visit of Adylbek Kasymaliyev, the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, to Kazakhstan on February 25, the Kazakh and Kyrgyz energy ministries signed a roadmap for construction of small hydroelectric power plants in Kyrgyzstan. According to the Kazakh Energy Ministry, the initiative is aimed at strengthening cooperation between the
In an interview with the Kabar information agency, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov said that the country’s external debt is “not a problem.” According to Japarov, Kyrgyzstan’s external debt now stands at $4.5 billion. “We are not afraid of the external debt now. Before 2020, we had reasons to worry. In 2020, Kyrgyzstan’s state budget was
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $125 million loan to support the Government of Uzbekistan in modernizing water management, improving water security, and increasing access to safe and reliable water in the country. The Climate-Smart Water Management Improvement Project will improve asset management and sustainability of service delivery, while strengthening the institutional capacity of the
In 2024, 98.9% of all Kazakhstanis had access to centralized water supply services. Of them, 99.4% of urban and 97.8% of rural residents are provided with quality drinking water supply, according to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. In 2020, 93.8% of Kazakhstanis had access to drinking water supply, in 2021 – 95.6%, in
A high-ranking delegation of Afghanistan, led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs, visited Uzbekistan late last week, TOLOnews reported. Mullah Baradar described the visit as productive, stating that during negotiations with Uzbek officials, agreements were reached on expanding trade, importing electricity, exporting Afghanistan’s agricultural products, developing transportation, and constructing a
At a government meeting on February 19, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev listened to proposals for improving energy efficiency in Uzbekistan. In Uzbekistan, energy capacities are consistently increasing in line with the growing needs of the population and the economy. Last year, 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 81 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity were produced. According
A public-private partnership agreement on the “Trans-Eurasian Route” railway project was signed in Bishkek on February 19 between the National Investment Agency under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kyrgyzstan’s national railway company Kyrgyz Temir Zholu, and US-based consortium All American Rail Group Global Infrastructure Partner LLC, the National Investment Agency announced. The project will
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan on February 18 hosted the signing of an agreement for the implementation of an investment project for the production and deep processing of non-ferrous metals in Kazakhstan with China’s East Hope Group, a leading global manufacturer of non-ferrous metals, semiconductor technologies, and industrial innovations. The signing ceremony was
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Government of Uzbekistan have signed two agreements to enhance the country’s education and road infrastructure sectors. The signing took place on the sidelines of the Al-Ula Conference for Emerging Market Economies between IsDB Group Chairman, Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, and Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Economy
Kazakhstan’s national atomic company, Kazatomprom, has announced the signing of the first-ever contract with Switzerland-based Axpo Power AG, alongside Kernkraftwerk Leibstadt AG (KKL AG), for the supply of Kazakh natural uranium concentrates for the energy needs of Switzerland’s Beznau and Leibstadt nuclear power plants. Vladislav Baiguzhin, Chief Commercial Officer of Kazatomprom commented that the expansion
According to local executive bodies, in 2024 Kazakhstan introduced water-saving technologies on 158,000 hectares of agricultural land. Sprinkler irrigation systems were used on 56,000 hectares of farmland and drip irrigation systems on 44,000 hectares. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev earlier criticized the slow progress in adopting water-saving practices, citing annual water losses of up to 40% in
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov on February 14 laid the foundation stone for the construction of a new airport complex at the International Airport of Osh, the country’s second-largest city. According to the presidential press service, the new terminal will have more comfortable conditions for passengers, including a spacious hall, modern check-in areas, a food court,
On February 15, prior to an official visit of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Kuwait, an Uzbek-Kuwaiti business forum took place in Al-Kuwait, the capital of this country. The event was attended by leaders from ministries and agencies, industry associations, and representatives from over 100 major companies and financial institutions from both countries. The delegations
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Construction, in 2024, a total of 18.96 million square meters of housing were built in Kazakhstan, a record figure since the country’s independence. This translated into 172,089 new homes (both individual houses and apartments). Of them, 39,064 were individual houses. The city of Shymkent, as well as the
