The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Asian Partners for Co-operation Group and OSCE participating States met in Vienna on 3 June to discuss the pressing issue of Afghan women’s rights, emphasizing the broader implications for regional and global stability. The event focused on exploring actionable strategies for empowering Afghan women and mitigating
On May 28, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov held a roundtable meeting with about 30 leading Italian companies in Rome to discuss joint projects in energy, textile, transport, IT, engineering, and other areas. The Uzbek minister underscored the enormous potential of economic and investment cooperation between Uzbekistan and Italy. Speaking at the
On May 24-28, the 6th ECG Film Festival will be held at Premier Cinemas Romford in London. This festival is proudly joining forces with the renowned Romford Film Festival for the 6th consecutive year, promising a diverse and captivating lineup of films. Founded by the Eurasian Creative Guild and serving as a cultural bridge between
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has announced it will invest up to $5 million in Sturgeon Emerging Opportunities II, a new venture capital fund managed by Sturgeon Capital, a major venture capital investor. The money will help promote digital economies and support the growth of early-stage tech startups
The 16th Senior Officials Meeting of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue took place on May 14 in Astana under the chairmanship of Nazira Nurbaeva, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. The meeting was attended by the heads of the foreign ministries of Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Kazakhstan.
Artificial intelligence (AI) was behind deepfakes, originated in China, about the existence of US laboratories allegedly developing biological weapons in Kazakhstan. Reuters reported citing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 2024 homeland threat assessment that last year, a Chinese government-controlled news site using a generative AI platform pushed a previously circulated false claim that
Armenia said on May 8 that it has stopped making financial contributions to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) after effectively suspending its membership in the Russian-led military alliance, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reported. “Armenia will refrain from signing up to the November 23, 2023, decision on the CSTO budget for 2024 and, thereby, from participating
All five Central Asian presidents are scheduled to attend a parade on Red Square in Moscow on May 9 to commemorate the victory in the Second World War in 1945, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Yury Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, on May 7 said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajik President
Kazakhstan-based billionaire Mikheil Lomtadze has bought England’s Wycombe Wanderers soccer club, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Lomtadze’s Blue Ocean Partners Ltd. paid an undisclosed amount for a 90 percent stake in the club, which plays in England’s League One, the third level of the English football league system, the BBC reported on May 5. The 48-year old Georgia-born
Amid Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and geopolitical confrontation with the West, the Kremlin is taking efforts to strengthen its influence in Kazakhstan, Moldova, other countries of Central Asia, and in the South Caucasus. For this purpose, Russia has launched information campaigns using various news agencies and Internet platforms to disseminate Moscow’s narrative in
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on April 30 approved a $84 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA) for the Afghanistan Community Resilience and Livelihoods Project, which complements $70 million in additional financing from the Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund (ARTF). The project started in 2022 with a grant of $265 million from the
The first meeting of the Business Council of Kazakhstan and Croatia was held in Zagreb on April 25 as part of a joint business forum with the support of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Croatia. During the event, Ulbosyn Sarybayeva, the representative of National Company Kazakh Invest, told Croatian businessmen about measures of state support for investments and
As part of his visit to Italy, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon on April 26 paid an official visit to the Vatican and met with Pope Francis. According to the Holy See press office, during the meeting the good relations between the Holy See and Tajikistan were evoked, and mention was made of some aspects of
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office said on April 24 that it had charged seven men from Central Asia — five from Tajikistan, one from Turkmenistan, and one from Kyrgyzstan — with the creation of a domestic terrorist group and taking part in its activities, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Six of the men are also suspected of
On April 24, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov arrived in Azerbaijan for a state visit. In Baku, Japarov and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev chaired the 2nd meeting of the Interstate Council of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan. Following the talks and the Interstate Council meeting, President Aliyev said that Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan actively cooperate in the trade and
On April 24, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held talks with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who was in Astana with an official visit. The ministers signed the historic Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the UK that is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations in key
The President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon on April 23 in Rome met with the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, to discuss issues of expanding bilateral ties in the political, economic, trade, cultural, humanitarian, and security spheres. Both sides expressed interest in expanding cooperation in the fields of hydropower, light, food,
On April 23, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu paid an official visit to Thailand upon the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara. During the talks, the sides discussed the current state and prospects for the development of Kazakh-Thai relations in
On April 22, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron arrived in Tajikistan as part of his visit to Central Asia. In Dushanbe, Cameron met with the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and the parties discussed attraction of British investments to the mining, metallurgical, light, food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural sectors of Tajikistan, the Tajik president’s press service
At the initiative of the Embassy of Kazakhstan and the Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan in Plovdiv, the official opening of the thematic photo exhibition “Unexplored Kazakhstan” dedicated to the country’s nature and tourism potential took place on the Central Square of the city on April 18. The event was attended by the leadership of the
