Our People > Times of Central Asia

Askar Alimzhanov

Senior Editor

Askar Alimzhanov graduated from the journalism department of the Kazakh State University named after S. Kirov, then worked as a correspondent for the daily republican newspaper Leninskaya Smen. He then moved to the United States to be a reporter for the daily newspaper "Cape Cod Times" in Hayanis, Massachusetts, (USA) under the journalist exchange program between the Union of Journalists of the USSR and the New England Society of News Editors. Since then, he has helped build transparency and understanding of Central Asia region in various executive level positions at esteemed media organizations including "Akbar"(Alma-Ata) international center for journalism, the Khabar News agency, the Television and Radio Corporation "Kazakhstan" JSC, and MIR- Kazakhstan.

Articles

Strategy European Union Economy EU Cooperation

Uzbekistan and the EU Celebrate 30 Years of Mutually Beneficial Cooperation

A festival to celebrate the 30th anniversary of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union (EU) will be held on 18 May at Tashkent's Botanical Garden. Welcoming the event, EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan Charlotte Adrian, stated, "The partnership between the European Union and Uzbekistan remains strong, from the signing of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) to the strengthening of GSP+ [Generalized Scheme of Preference Plus] trade relations and joint commitments to improve human rights." The festival will feature an exhibition of EU-funded projects including an interactive platform for young people, students and other visitors. The 'Climate Change and Resilience in Central Asia' project will be highlighted through an interactive game, quizzes and question-and-answer sessions, whilst 'Made in Uzbekistan' will showcase goods from EU-AGRIN (Uzbek Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation System) in tasting sessions of local produce. Celebrations will close with a grand gala concert dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the partnership. Interaction with the EU , one of the main priorities of Uzbekistan's foreign policy, is evidenced by the country's accession in 2021 to the GSP+ system of preferences, which enables 6,200 categories of goods to be exported to Europe duty-free. In this regard, General Director of BMB Trade Group Mirgulom Usmanov noted that agri-food companies in Uzbekistan are now growing and processing varieties of fruit and vegetables to meet the demands of the European market. In the first 10 months of 2023 alone, the volume of mutual trade between Uzbekistan and the EU grew by 36 percent year-on-year to $4.8 billion. An important step towards revitalizing the partnership was taken in the adoption of a resolution that calls for a review of the EU's strategy towards Central Asian countries and as stressed by the report, "The EU is extremely interested in deploying efficient trade and energy corridors between Europe and Asia, bypassing Russia."

6 hours ago

Articles

Legislation European Union Social Mass Media Media Freedom

Dushanbe Conference to Discuss New Mass Media Law

On May 14, Dushanbe will host a conference entitled "Favorable Media Environment - an Important Factor of Legal Education in Society." The meeting is being organized by the Tajik Parliament and the nonprofit organization, Homa, with the support of the European Union (EU). The purpose of the discussion is to review the draft law "On Mass Media" with participation from a wide range of representatives of government agencies, international, multilateral, nonprofit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the media. According to representatives of civic organizations, the rapid development of technology and international norms oblige the government to adapt legislation to international standards and modern best practices. In March 2023, a working group was established to draft a law on the mass media. It included representatives of government agencies and civil society, who together studied the experience of various countries in the region and analyzed legislative acts regulating media activities. In Tajikistan, the activities of the media are regulated mainly by two laws: the law "On Periodical Press and Other Mass Media" and the law "On Television and Radio Broadcasting." Following crackdowns, only two significant independent media voices remain in Tajikistan; the privately owned Asia-Plus, and the U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s local service, both of which have long been subjected to partial shutdowns.

7 hours ago

Articles

Women's rights Domestic Violence Social Legislation Uzbekistan Central Asia

Uzbek Businesswoman Diora Usmanova Recounts Own History of Marital Violence

Diora Usmanova, the owner of two restaurants and some clothing brands in Uzbekistan, has spoken on her Instagram page about the beatings she suffered from her first husband, Babur Usmanov, who was the nephew of the billionaire Alisher Usmanov. Usmanova herself is related to Ziroatkhon Mirziyoyeva, the wife of Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Usmanova wrote that the story could cause her harm, but that she believes the benefits will "outweigh the risks a hundredfold" and will "change perceptions or somehow affect women who endure domestic violence and abuse," Gazeta.uz reported. "We loved each other and fought very hard for our marriage. Subsequently, when he started to raise his hand against me and when these beatings went on, and the beatings continued for four years, there were concussions, and a lot of blood, and bruises, and [my] whole body in bruises, and a lot of broken furniture, doors, everything," she said. Domestic violence is not only the man's fault, but also the woman's, Usmanova said. "We don't value ourselves enough, we're not brave enough, we're not strong enough, we're afraid to give a backhand, we're afraid to tell our parents, we're afraid to go back to our parents, we're afraid to start everything again. For the fact that we hope that it will change, that it will [bear] some good fruits in the future, that it will survive -- this is all our problem," Usmanova said. In her opinion, women should terminate harmful relationships and find the strength to leave -- and most importantly, learn to respect themselves. "You have to leave such relationships. [That's] because of the fact that you forgive once, forgive the second time, and then it becomes a habit, a person realizes that it is forgiven, it can end very badly, [a] whole life just poisoned. I did not find the strength then, and now after 10 years, I look back and realize how many mistakes were made on my part and how much is my fault. Just like [it was] his," she stated. On May 8, 2013, Babur Usmanov was involved in a fatal car accident in Tashkent. In 2016, Usmanova married businessman Batyr Rakhimov.

8 hours ago

Articles

Great Patriotic War Social WWII veterans

Central Asian Countries Allocate Various Sums to WWII Veterans

According to the news publication Centralasia.media, countries in the region will be awarding funds to veterans, survivors, and those affected by World War II in honor of Victory Day (May 9). The payments will range from $10 to $6,825. The government of Turkmenistan allocated the smallest amount for gifts to veterans. On behalf of the President of the Republic, 200 manat ($57 at the state exchange rate or $10 at the black-market exchange rate) will be given to the participants in the war. It's not clear how many people will receive the payments. According to the report, Kazakhstan’s one-time payment to soldiers who served at the front is 1.5 million tenge ($3,412). A total of 3 billion tenge (more than $ 6.8 million) has been allocated from the country's budget for the so-called bonuses for veterans. This money will be distributed to more than 50,000 people who are related to the Great Patriotic War in one way or another. Among them are front-line workers, residents of besieged Leningrad, and the widows of soldiers. There are 148 veterans of WWII front-line combat in Kazakhstan. Those veterans can also expect payments, the amount of which will be determined by local authorities. However, it has been confirmed that a total of 3 million tenge ($6,825) was allocated to six veterans from Kazakhstan's Akmola region on the occasion of the May 9 holiday. In Tajikistan, 24 front-line combat veterans will receive 40,000 somoni ($,3662) as part of the national campaign recognizing contributions to the Great Patriotic War. In Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, 100,000 som ($1,113) will be allocated from the fund of the President of the Republic to each participant in the conflict before May 9. According to the press service of the President of Uzbekistan, a one-time monetary award of 20 million som ($1, 578) will be given to every participant and disabled person affected by World War II. On May 9, Uzbekistan marks the Day of Memory and Honor, and the 79th anniversary of the victory in World War II. On May 8, President Mirziyoyev attended a memorial ceremony and laid a wreath at the Ode to Fortitude monument in Tashkent’s Victory Park. In a statement, Mirziyoyev congratulated veterans and the entire people of Uzbekistan on “the glorious holiday of May 9 - the Day of Memory and Honor and the 79th anniversary of the Great Victory in World War II. Today, commemoration events are being held in all our cities and villages, where we again remember how much grief and incalculable losses the cruel war brought to our people,” the president said. During the Second World War, almost two million soldiers were mobilized from Uzbekistan to the front. More than 538,000 died, more than 158,000 went missing, and 870,000 were injured, with 60,000 returning from the front disabled. Over 170 plants and factories were relocated to Uzbekistan from western regions of the Soviet Union occupied by the Nazi Germany. “Our people sent a huge amount of military equipment, weapons, medicine, clothing, and food...

9 hours ago

Articles

Investments Security Afghanistan Export/import Economy Taliban Regional Cooperation Trade Routes

Why Kazakhstan’s Deepening Ties With Afghanistan Are Significant

At the end of April a Kazakh delegation made an official visit to Kabul, where a meeting of the Kazakh-Afghan Business Forum and an exhibition of Kazakh products were held. This was the third bilateral event aimed at expanding trade and economic ties between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. The visit to Kabul indicates Astana’s intention to enhance Kazakhstan’s relations with the new Afghan authorities, and not only through trade. This is evidenced by a number of details that differed from previous official contact. First, an unannounced trilateral government meeting took place between Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in Kabul. The result was the announcement that a new logistics route to Afghanistan through Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan would be developed. There is nothing earthshaking about this – Turkmenistan is set to become a transportation hub for international corridors passing through Kazakhstan, primarily the North-South and the Middle corridors, as well as the Lapis Lazuli Corridor (Turkey-Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan). What is significant is that the sides are striving to create favorable conditions for logistics, especially more competitive transport tariffs so trains can pass through faster. This is particularly important given congestion in Uzbekistan, where bottlenecks occur. The announcement in Kabul also means a direct route to economically attractive western Afghanistan and further south. What else made the Kabul visit notable was the meeting between Kazakh deputy prime minister Serik Zhumangarin, who oversees trade, and Abdul Kabir, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for political affairs. Given the reputation of the Taliban, it is not in the interests of Astana to simply stage a conversation for the cameras. Unfortunately, details about the Zhumangarin-Kabir meeting are few. According to the available information, the deputy prime ministers discussed security issues in Afghanistan, apparently in the context of how to grow the Afghan economy. Following the meeting, Kabir stated that Afghanistan does not want to be a threat to the region, and intends to improve relations with its neighbors through the progressive development of trade and economic relations. The Zhumangarin-Kabir meeting is said to have taken place on the initiative of the Afghan side. Considering Kabir’s closeness to the emir of the Taliban, it is likely that the initiative came from him. Other notable outcomes of the visit of the Kazakh delegation to Kabul included: discussion of joint projects for geological exploration, mining and processing of solid minerals in Afghanistan, as well as in the IT sector; discussion of the possibilities for supplying Kazakh-made cars and subsequent localization of service centers in Afghanistan; a rise in the quota for Afghan students at Kazakh universities from 30 to 60, as well as a 10-day trip to children’s camps in Kazakhstan for 30 Afghan children in the summer of 2024; and discussion of the possibility of establishing direct flights between the two countries. Aidar Borangaziev is a Kazakhstani diplomat. He has worked in the diplomatic service in Iran and Afghanistan. He is a founder of the Open World Center for Analysis and Forecasting Foundation (Astana). He is an expert in regional security.

10 hours ago