Hundreds of workers at the Velikaya Stena (Great Wall) oil company, owned by a Chinese investor in Kazakhstan’s western Manghystau region, are striking for a pay increase, improved working conditions, and the cancellation of planned layoffs, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. The workers, who are located in the Caspian port city of Aqtau, told RFE/RL that
The 12th global Summit, “Dynamic Vibrant Gujarat,” was held in Gandhinagar, India. The summit included the “Kazakhstan–India: Emerging Ties” seminar, during which the participants heard from the speakers representing public and private sectors of Kazakhstan and India, in particular, Mulubhai Hardasbhai Bera, Minister of Tourism, Cultural Activities, Forest and Environment of India, Kairat Torebayev, Vice Minister of
A delegation of the Bishkek municipality, led by Deputy Mayor Jyrgalbek Shamyraliev, visited the city of Changsha in China to get acquainted with the work of Hunan Junxin Environmental Protection Co Ltd, which built a large environmentally friendly waste incineration plant in this city, the press service of the Bishkek municipality said. In November 2023,
The European Union has transferred to the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic EUR 3 million as the budget support in the field of digital transformation, the Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic said on January 11. The grant funds were allocated to promote the work of the Innovation Center of
The World Road Transport Organization (IRU) said the first Chinese TIR truck loaded with electronic products departed from China’s southern city of Shenzhen to reach its final destination, the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, via a new 6,500-kilometer transportation corridor that runs through Kyrgyzstan, RFE/RL reported. According to the IRU, the new route, a sign of China’s
On January 10, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) handed over $1.4 million worth of modern energy sector management equipment and software to the Coordinating Dispatch Center (CDC) Energia in Tashkent. The official handover ceremony showcased cutting-edge technology which will allow CDC Energia’s dispatchers to display relevant information for maintaining the region’s energy
The Consul General of Kazakhstan in Jeddah – Deputy Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ruslan Kospanov on January 9 visited the headquarters of the International Union of Muslim Scouts (IUMS). During the visit, the Consul General met with the IUMS Secretary General Dr. Zuhair Ghoneim, who informed about the activities carried
A new city, Alatau, has been created in Kazakhstan in line with a presidential decree dated January 9. According to the decree, the village of Zhetygen, Ili district, Almaty region, has been classified as a city of regional significance and renamed to the city of Alatau. The new city is located 15 km from Almaty and
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, from January to September 2023, 834.9 thousand foreign tourists visited Kazakhstan, 225 thousand more than in 2022 (an increase of 37%). In the first nine months of 2023, the majority of travelers visited Kazakhstan from Russia — 356,850. Chinese tourists took second place — 75,131, followed by tourists
An event in Bishkek marked the conclusion of the biodiversity conservation project in Western Tian Shan and launched a new initiative for integrated management of the valuable mountain ecosystems of Pamir-Alai. The event brought together representatives from Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Academy of Sciences,
A leader of the Karakalpak diaspora in Kazakhstan, Nietbai Urazbaev, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in absentia in Uzbekistan over unprecedented Karakalpak protests in July 2022, has died in a hospital in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Karakalpak activist Aqylbek Muratbai said on January 9 that Urazbaev died of a heart
Trade between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan amounted to $266 million in 2023, compared to $44 million in 2022, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported with reference to the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Afghanistan’s exports to Uzbekistan totaled $27 million in the past year and imports from Uzbekistan amounted to $239 million, the ministry’s spokesman said. Afghanistan
A groundbreaking cooperative agreement seeking to improve working conditions and prevent forced labor was signed this week for workers, “at all stages of cotton and textile production in Uzbekistan”. Agreement signatories include U.S.-based Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), employers’ Association of Cotton-Textile Clusters of Uzbekistan, the Solidarity Center, and the Uzbekistan Ministry of Employment,
Hundreds of oil workers in the western region of Manghystau, who have been on strike for 29 days, issued a video statement on January 8, urging Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to intervene in their situation, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. The workers of the West Oil Software company went on strike on December 11, demanding the
The inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) into Kyrgyzstan from January-September 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 decreased by 31.7% and amounted to 654.6 million US dollars. At the same time, the inflow exceeded the outflow level by $404.4 million, according to the latest figures from the National Statistics Committee of Kyrgyzstan. From
Kazakhstan is at a crossroads in its energy sector. With a growing emphasis on sustainability and a need to align with global decarbonization efforts, the country is embarking on a transformative initiative that aims to ensure the security and reliability of its energy supply. At the heart of this endeavor is a comprehensive energy subsidy
On January 6, a presentation of the first book of the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, entitled “Youth is the support of the Motherland,” took place at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov and other distinguished guests spoke at the event.
A court in Kyrgyzstan has sentenced another Kyrgyz citizen to a prison term for his participation in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Naryn regional court sentenced Beknazar Borugul uulu to five years in prison for participating in the war in Ukraine as part of the Russian private military company Wagner. The court announced on January
The suspension of broadcasting of some Russian TV channels in Kazakhstan, including Channel One, is due to economic reasons, as the contract for 2024 was not concluded due to the local TV operator’s debt, the official representative of Channel One. Worldwide Network in Kazakhstan, Irina Kalashnikova said, as reported by TASS information agency on January
Eccentric Kyrgyz opposition politician Arstanbek Abdyldaev has died while in a pretrial detention facility. Abdyldaev’s lawyer announced the news on January 5, after which prison authorities said Abdyldaev was found hanged in a jail cell. The State Penitentiary Service later said that Arstanbek Abdyldaev committed suicide. Abdyldaev was detained on December 15 on suspicion of
