Our People > Times of Central Asia

Articles

Media Freedom

International Organizations Call on Kyrgyzstan to Stop Crackdown on Independent Press

International organizations and media watchdogs have expressed concern about the arrests of independent journalists in Kyrgyzstan and called on the authorities to immediately release them and end pressure on the independent press. On January 15th, officers from the State Committee for National Security arrived at the offices of news agency 24.kg in Bishkek, seizing equipment and detaining three journalists, including its editor-in-chief, in a case involving "propagating war" related to an unspecified report about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The three were later released, but ordered not to reveal details of the case. On January 16th, the Interior Ministry detained eleven journalists and media workers from the Temirov Live investigative group and the Ait Ait Dese project. Temirov Live's founder, prominent investigative journalist Bolot Temirov said the journalists who were detained after their homes and offices were searched included his wife and the director of the Temirov Live group, Makhabat Tajybek-kyzy. Police later placed all elevn under arrest for 48 hours, pending a court ruling on further custody measures. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the searches and detentions were linked to a probe launched into unspecified Temirov Live publications that "carried elements of calls for mass unrest." “The search and sealing off of the premises of the 24.kg news outlet in Kyrgyzstan is deeply concerning,” OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro posted on Twitter. “Such criminal investigations may have a chilling effect on media freedom and reporting on important issues of public interest in the country.” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson, Liz Throssell also expressed concern. “These latest actions by the authorities appear to be part of a larger pattern of pressure against civil society activists, journalists and other critics of the authorities... We call on the authorities to protect freedom of expression and ensure that media legislation in the country is in line with international human rights standards,” she said in a statement.

10 months ago

Oil and Gas

Preliminary Agreement for LPG Supplies from Kashagan to Domestic Market Reached

The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan says it has reached a preliminary agreement on the supply of liquefied petroleum gas produced at the Kashagan field to the domestic market of Kazakhstan. The agreement was reached with the shareholders of the Kashagan field, the ministry said on January 16th. Kashagan is a giant offshore oil and natural gas field in the north Caspian Sea, discovered in 2000, near the city of Atyrau. The field is run by the North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC) which includes Eni (16.81% stake), Shell (16.81%), TotalEnergies (16.81%), ExxonMobil (16.81%), KazMunayGas (16.88%), Inpex (7.56%), and the China National Petroleum Corporation (8.33%). According to the preliminary agreement, the national company, QazaqGaz will negotiate with the shareholders of the Kashagan field on future potential supplies of liquefied petroleum gas produced at the Bolashak integrated oil and gas processing plant. To date, the parties are collaborating towards making a Final Investment Decision on an infrastructure project in the field of liquefied petroleum gas in 2024. It is planned that supplies of liquefied petroleum gas to the domestic market will begin by the end of 2025. By 2027, after the completion of infrastructure work at the Kashagan field, LPG production volumes will reach 700,000 tons per year. Liquefied petroleum gas is a very popular motor fuel in Kazakhstan, which is relatively cheap compared to gasoline and diesel. A dramatic price hike for LPG was the initial stimulus for mass protests in the city of Zhanaozen in January 2022, which then spread across the country.

10 months ago

Investment

Kyrgyzstan Gives “National Significance” Status to Strategic Energy Projects

The Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture and the Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic, Bakyt Torobaev on January 16th held a meeting of the governmental commission for the selection of national investment projects. The meeting considered giving certain undertakings the status of “projects of national significance,” which, according to Torobaev, will help increase their attractiveness to investors. This will contribute to socioeconomic development, job creation, the development of industry and agriculture in regions where such projects are implemented, Torobaev stated. The commission granted the status of “projects of national significance” to the construction of the Kambarata hydroelectric power plant-1, the Kazarman hydroelectric power plants cascade, and the Kemin-Torugart 500 kV power transmission line. With this status, companies interested in investing in these will be exempt from value added tax, sales tax, and income tax for a certain period. The Cabinet of Ministers expects that this step will help speed up the implementation of these strategic projects. Construction of the Kambarata hydroelectric power plant-1 and the cascade of the Kazarman hydroelectric power plants are two flagship projects aimed at introducing new power generating capacities to help Kyrgyzstan overcome its chronic electricity shortages, which are especially acute in the winter months.

10 months ago

Economic Growth

Despite Challenges, Kyrgyzstan Showed Steady Economic Growth in 2023

Despite global uncertainties, Kyrgyzstan’s economic development in 2023 showed good results, the country’s Ministry of Economy and Commerce said on January 16th. Economic growth over the past three years averaged 6.9% — 5.5% in 2021, 9% in 2022, and 6.2% in 2023, indicating the stability of the economy and its gradual adaptation to the post-Covid world and current geopolitical uncertainty, the ministry said in a statement. According to preliminary estimates from the National Statistical Committee, in 2023 Kyrgyzstan’s gross domestic product amounted to $13.7 billion. In construction, growth was at 10.3%, in the services sector 6.2%, in industry 2.7%, and in agriculture 0.6%. Industries producing goods accounted for 32.3% of GDP, and industries providing services 50.8%. The volume of foreign trade from January-November 2023 amounted to $13.9 billion, an increase of 29% compared to January-November 2022. Kyrgyzstan’s exports amounted to $2.8 billion and increased by 36.7%, and imports amounted to $11.1 billion, up 27.2%. In the structure of trade turnover, exports accounted for 20.2%, and imports 79.8%. Kyrgyzstan’s trade with fellow member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) - Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia - amounted to $3.9 billion, a decrease of 11% compared to January-November 2022. Kyrgyzstan’s largest trading partners were Russia (65.9%) and Kazakhstan (31.7%). Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan’s trade with countries outside the EEU from January-November 2023 amounted to $10 billion, a 1.6-fold increase compared to January-November 2022.

10 months ago

Economic Growth

President of Uzbekistan Sets Economic Tasks for 2024

On January 16th, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a government meeting on priority tasks for the country’s economic development in 2024. It was stated that in 2023, economic growth was at 6%, and this year the plan is to maintain growth at the same level and bring gross domestic product to $100 billion. The head of state stated that with an increase in industrial production, the added value of products did not exceed 40%, which is mainly due to dependence on imports, high energy consumption, and excessive production costs. The President ordered that 2024 be a year of efficiency and production cost reduction for leaders of the economic sector and all state-owned enterprises. This year, the task is to increase the added value of domestic products to 45%, reduce production costs by 15%, and ensure industrial growth of 7%. Another source of budget revenue is privatization. However, 484 state assets included in the privatization program have yet to be put up for auction. Therefore, the President ordered the Cabinet of Ministers to prepare a new privatization program which aims to earn $1.6 billion in revenue this year. The meeting emphasized that a pressing issue today is the shadow economy, especially in the services sector, construction, and industry. Mirziyoyev stated that the shadow economy is an obstacle to fair competition, and outlined new measures to combat it. In particular, the powers of the Department for Combating Economic Crimes under the Prosecutor General's Office will be expanded, and a separate department to tackle the shadow economy will be created within the General Prosecutor's Office. Another important issue discussed at the meeting was inflation, which was at 8.77% last year, its lowest level since 2016. This year the plan is to keep inflation below 9%. Issues of lending were also discussed, with the task being set to develop a program to lower bank interest rates on loans by at least 2-3%.

10 months ago