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Central Asia Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Local Politics

All Kyrgyz Citizens in Need of Kidney Transplants to Receive Free Operations

On February 1, 2024, Kyrgyzstan's first free kidney transplant was successfully performed on a 22-year-old girl in a Bishkek hospital. However, about 2,500 Kyrgyz people still have to receive dialysis while they wait for a new organ. All kidney transplants will now be paid for by the state, Kyrgyz health minister Alymkadyr Beishenaliyev said. The Health Ministry said that each patient undergoing dialysis must purify his or her blood of toxic substances several times a week. In the past, many did the procedure at their own expense. The price for three dialysis procedures is about $100, and not every Kyrgyzstani can afford it. Nor can many afford a kidney transplant operation. The state previously covered part of the costs when a person had a disability -- but now the authorities plan to help all those with the most severe kidney issues. "We planned to conduct 50 free surgeries at first. However, after the free surgery the other day, I talked to the president. He said that we should conduct free surgeries for all the needy 2,500 patients who are now receiving hemodialysis. If we perform the surgeries, the money now spent on hemodialysis will be a good saving for the budget," Beishenaliyev said. One kidney transplant operation costs the state $7,500, while dialysis costs $14,000-15,000 per patient per year, he said. It will be more economical for the budget than spending on hemodialysis every time, the minister calculated. Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov has taken a personal interest in the issue. The head of state said that 50 patients have already found donors, underwent a full medical examination and are preparing for surgery. "The first benefit is to help our citizens. The second is saving money. There are patients who have been receiving hemodialysis for 10-15 years," the president said. In an interview with the state news agency Kabar, Japarov said that a kidney transplant abroad costs $25,000-$50,000, and that he knows this firsthand because about 10 years ago his brother had such an operation in another country. As a result, his family paid $70,000, including travel expenses and post-operative rehabilitation procedures. Earlier this year, the head of state signed a law on the protection of citizens' health, according to which private and public hospitals in Kyrgyzstan can now perform organ transplants -- provided that the patient is a relative of the donor. Turkish nephrologists and kidney transplant specialists have come to Kyrgyzstan to help develop this field of medicine. Also, a group of Kyrgyz doctors is currently undergoing training in Turkey.

Central Asia Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Business & Economy

Uzbekistan Sold the Second Most Gold Last Year; Kazakhstan Held Top Spot

In 2023, Uzbekistan ranked second in the world in total gold sales, as the country sold more than 25 tons of the precious metal. That's according to data provided by the World Gold Council. Kazakhstan, having sold twice as much gold, took first place on the list. Annual revenue from Uzbek gold exports reached $8.15bn -- almost twice as much as in 2022. China bought the most gold last year, almost 230 tons. Poland, Singapore, Libya and the Czech Republic followed China on the list of top buyers. At the end of last year, gold set another record price of $2,135.39 per troy ounce, the highest price since the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Experts attribute gold's price gains to persistently high inflation and the conflict in the Middle East. Uzbekistan, with 362 tons of gold reserves, ranks 15th in the world. Among the Central Asian republics, it's outranked only by Kazakhstan with 402 tons of gold. The country's gold reserves can act as a shock absorber or insurance policy for the national economy -- which may be needed in cases of unfavorable macroeconomic conditions or as a defense against various financial or banking crises. According to the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, as of February 6, a five-gram gold bar costs $335. The country's central bank first began issuing and selling gold bars to the public in November 2020. They are made of pure, 999.9-grade gold weighing five, 10, 20 and 50 grams. They can be purchased through banks across the republic at prices set by the regulator -- based on quotes from international markets, the exchange rate of the sum against the U.S. dollar, as well as the regulator's margin. The price of bullion is published daily. According to Central Bank head Mamarizo Nurmuratov, "in the near future, Uzbekistan's producers will be able to sell gold directly on the world market". Currently, the Central Bank of Uzbekistan buys gold inside the country in sums and sells them for dollars on the foreign market.

Central Asia Tajikistan Life & Culture Tajikistan

Set of Quadruplets Born in Dushanbe

A set of quadruplets, one boy and three girls, have been born in Dushanbe. They weigh between 1.8 and 2.2 kg, and doctors have declared the newborns to be in good health. The quadruplets' parents intended to give them the names Ahmadjan, Hosiya, Aliya, and Sumaya. The family doesn't yet own a home, are paying exorbitant rent for a one-room apartment, and are seeking assistance from the government. The father of the quadruplets, Kanoatsho Khudoyorov, hopes they will be assigned a one-room apartment in the capital, saying their load would be lessened multiple times over by such a kind deed. “It is difficult to look after and feed children in the village,” he stated. Parents with four or more children have, for a few years now, been eligible for housing assistance or financial aid from the government. While Khudoyorov is very happy about the birth of his children, he's also concerned about the family’s future, because, as the kids get older, the cost will only mount. He finds it challenging to find work that pays the rent, utility bills, and the kids’ needs. “We pay 4,000 somoni ($365) for this apartment; the term ends on February 10, and I need to find a cheaper apartment. My salary is not enough for everything,” said the construction worker. This is the second instance of quadruplets born this year in Tajikistan. Two sons and two daughters were born on January 14th to 27-year-old Mijgona Asoeva of Kizilkala village in the Khatlon Region.

Central Asia Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Kazakhstan Produces Over Half Of The EU’s Critical Raw Materials

Kazakhstan produces 19 of the 34 critical raw materials listed by the European Union, its Ministry of Industry and Construction reported on February 6th. Kazakhstani manufacturers currently supply the European market with metal and chemical products including beryllium, tantalum, titanium, phosphorus, and ammonium metavanadate. Kazakhstan is among the world’s 10 largest copper producers. The country also has the potential to establish a cluster for the production of battery raw materials such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium, which are essential for the production of electric vehicles. In November 2023 in Brussels, Belgium, a delegation from Kazakhstan, headed by the minister for industry and construction, Kanat Sharlapaev, participated in the European Commission’s ‘Raw Materials Week’. The event addressed the memorandum of understanding between Kazakhstan and the EU on strategic partnership in the field of sustainable raw materials, batteries, and value chains in renewable hydrogen. The EU remains one of Kazakhstan’s leading trade, economic, and investment partners, accounting for about 30% of its foreign trade turnover, which was $37.7bn between January and November 2023.

Central Asia Home Tajikistan Local Politics Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan Local Politics Tajikistan Features Kyrgyzstan Local Politics Features Kyrgyzstan Features

Stepping Out of Stalin’s Shadow: Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Demarcate 90% of Border

Representatives of the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan met in Bishkek on February 5th to complete negotiations on another 3.71 km of the common state border, the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic has reported. The next meeting will be held in Tajikistan, with no date yet specified. Currently, approximately 90% of the border has been demarcated, with the remaining 10% still considered disputed. A long-standing source of conflict between the two nations, it is emblematic of the problem that even the length of the border - sometimes cited as being 975-kilomtres long, and at others times 972-kilomteres - is rarely agreed upon. As of January 2023, Tajikistan’s President Rahmon stated that 614-kilometres had been settled upon, backtracking on a previously stated figure of 664.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="14394" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]In a sign of thawing relations, however, on November 9th 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic announced that a further 17.98 kilometers of the border had been agreed. With its scant natural resources and dwindling water supplies, the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has been the scene of numerous skirmishes for many years. In 2014, all borders between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were closed indefinitely to Kyrgyz and Tajik citizens following clashes over a bypass road in disputed territory; mortars were fired and both armies suffered casualties. Trouble spilled over again throughout 2021 and 2022, reportedly starting over a water dispute in the Vorukh enclave, and leaving an unknown number in the hundreds killed, and up to 136,000 people evacuated.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="14397" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]An enduring example of the chaos left behind by the USSR, the arbitrary division of Central Asia into Soviet Socialist Republics wholly disregarded existing cultural and geographical realities. This is exemplified by Stalin's application of Lenin’s policy on the “self-identification of working people,” a classic divide-and-rule play which saw culturally Tajik cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara being incorporated into Uzbek territory. In exchange, Tajikistan was given the inhospitable Khojand landmass surrounding the Fan Mountains. As late as 1989, Tajikistan petitioned Mikhail Gorbachev for the ‘return’ of Samarkand and Bukhara.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="14400" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]This haphazard division also isolated around 100,000 residents in the Ferghana Valley from their central governments, creating eight large enclaves. Although three of these enclaves had populations fewer than 10,000 and two were used exclusively for pastures, the remaining three - Sokh (Uzbekistan within Kyrgyzstan), Vorukh (Tajikistan within Kyrgyzstan), and Shakhimardan (Uzbekistan within Kyrgyzstan) have repeatedly proven problematic, particularly when countries enforce strict border regulations in response to disputes and disagreements over demarcation arrangements. These enclaves have been hotbeds for conflict: between 1989 and 2009, the Ferghana Valley witnessed approximately 20 armed conflicts, and in 2014 alone, Kyrgyzstan reported 37 border incidents.

Central Asia Tajikistan International Affairs Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan International Affairs

Tajik President, Kyrgyz FM Discuss Border Delimitation

The ongoing process of delimiting the state border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan was discussed during a February 5th meeting between Tajikistan’s president Emomali Rahmon and Kyrgyzstan’s minister of foreign affairs Jeenbek Kulubaev in Dushanbe. The parties announced that over the past four months the Kyrgyz and Tajik sides have reached an agreement on 196km of the state border, and to date almost 90% of their 975km border has been prepared for demarcation, the Tajik president’s press service said. Mr Rahmon and Mr Kulubaev also discussed the joint use of water resources of transboundary rivers, and the expansion of commercial and economic relations between the two countries. The delimitation and demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border has been an issue since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The issue has turned into an urgent problem in recent years after several deadly clashes took place along disputed segments of the border. Many border areas in Central Asian republics have been disputed since 1991. The situation is particularly complicated around the numerous exclaves in the Ferghana Valley, where the borders of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan meet.