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
Travel on the planned highway that will connect Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, and Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk-Kul would cost between $10 and $25, Tazabek news agency reported citing Kylychbek Jakypov, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) representative and national coordinator of Almaty-Bishkek Economic Corridor. Almaty is only 80 kilometers away from Issyk-Kul, which is renowned for its
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is making its first direct equity investment in the graphite and critical raw materials sector in Central Asia by acquiring a stake in Sarytogan Graphite Limited, an Australian Securities Exchange-listed company involved in the exploration of the Sarytogan graphite deposit in the Karaganda region of central Kazakhstan. The
On August 9, Astana hosted a business forum in the framework of the “Central Asia + Japan” dialogue. The event, organized by national company Kazakh Invest and Japanese association ROTOBO, was an important platform for strengthening trade, economic and investment ties between the countries of the region and Japan, Kazakh Invest reported. Speaking at the event,
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 Bishkek court on August 8 handed a seven-year prison term with a one-year suspension to Maya Alieva, who is the mother of late criminal kingpin Kamchy Kolbaev, on a charge of money laundering, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Alieva’s lawyer said his client will not be imprisoned at all if she does not violate her parole-like restrictions
At the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan business forum in Astana on August 7, the two countries agreed on joint implementation of 34 investment projects worth $4.4 billion and signed trade contracts worth $2.6 billion. As reported by the Kazakh government’s press service, the joint projects will be implemented in energy, mining and geology, transport, chemical industry, construction, electrical
Over 80 media representatives and bloggers from approximately 30 countries have applied to participate in the 9th annual contest “Kazakhstan through the Eyes of Foreign Media.” This contest is traditionally organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan in collaboration with Kazakhstan’s Chief Editors’ Club. It serves as a platform to acknowledge the contributions
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport says works have begun on dredging the port of Kuryk on the Caspian Sea coast. The bottom at the port will be deepened by 1.5-2 meters, which will increase its cargo transshipment capacity and further increase the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). A large European company, Jan de
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
Tajik Labor Minister Gulnora Hasanzoda said on August 6 that Russia had deported 17,000 Tajik citizens over the past six months, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. According to Hasanzoda, the deportations have been mostly linked to violations of Russian law. Last month, Tajik officials said some 3,400 Tajik migrant workers had been returned to Tajikistan from
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 6 August said it has approved a $21 million grant as additional financing to expand the supply of renewable energy in Tajikistan by further modernizing the Golovnaya hydropower plant. “The electricity from the Golovnaya hydropower plant goes to national and regional grids, benefiting Tajikistan and neighboring countries,” said ADB Director General
On August 5, the French transport and logistics airline CMA CGM Air Cargo made its first flight on the Zhengzhou (China)-Navoi (Uzbekistan)-Paris (France) route. The French aircraft landed in Navoi at 06:27 local time. According to tradition, the cargo aircraft was greeted with a water arch, the Uzbekistan Airports Joint Stock Company reported. It is
President of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso on August 2 visited Kazakhstan and held talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Noting the growing role of African countries in international politics and the global economy, Tokayev said that the development of cooperation with African countries is one of the key areas of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy. “Today, negotiations
Kyrgyz prosecutors asked a Bishkek court to sentence Maya Alieva, who is the mother of late criminal kingpin Kamchy Kolbaev (aka Kamchybek Asanbek), to 10 years in prison on a charge of money laundering, lawyer Baktybek Jumashev told RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service on August 5. Kolbaev, who was killed during a police operation in Bishkek in
More Japanese companies have shown interest in working with Kazakhstan in the energy sector, transport, infrastructure, and digitalization of the logistics process, Japan’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Jun Yamada announced during a meeting with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alibek Kuantyrov on August 2 in Astana, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported. Emphasizing that Kazakhstan is
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Turkmenistan, as part of the Country Component for Turkmenistan of the regional project “Promoting Resilient Communities to Prevent Violent Extremism in Central Asia,” hosted a series of mentoring trainings for youth on the fundamentals of sustainable agriculture. These trainings, held from July 22 to July 30, 2024, in the
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
Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on July 31 in Ashgabat met with the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye, Alparslan Bayraktar. During the meeting, the Turkmen president said that Turkmenistan is ready to continue cooperation with Türkiye in the energy sector, particularly in the transportation of Turkmen natural gas to Türkiye and on to
