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Kazakhstan Changing Its Labor Laws to Better Reflect the Country’s Needs

Kazakhstan has recently adopted regulations that make it more difficult for migrants and citizenship-seekers to enter the country. Urazgali Selteyev, a political scientist and director of the Institute for Eurasian Integration, told The Times of Central Asia that the legislation is being streamlined rather than tightened. According to some experts, Kazakhstan is the most attractive country in Central Asia for migrants. For many years, foreign workers have been entering the country, and illegal migration is high, as residents of neighboring countries are hired in the agricultural and construction sectors and are involved in transportation and services. In recent years, cases of detection and deportation of illegal migrants from the farthest regions, including Africa, have become more frequent. In addition, since 1991, more than one million 'kandas' (formerly known as oralmans) have arrived in Kazakhstan -- persons of Kazakh nationality resettling in the country according to established quotas. Often, kandas arrive from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia. Also, after the partial mobilization for Russia's war in Ukraine announced in September 2022 by Russian president Vladimir Putin, an unspecified number of draft evaders and their family members entered Kazakhstan. This situation forces the Kazakh authorities to take a stricter approach to regulating migration flows. Just the other day, the website “Open Normative Legal Acts” (“Open NLA”) posted a document highlighting the discussion that began two years ago. The document states that Kazakhstan will develop rules to determine whether kandas have a right to claim Kazakh nationality. In May this year, Kazakhstan's president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the law “On introducing amendments and additions to some legislative acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the improvement of legislation in the field of migration and penal system.” This law provides new grounds for refusal of admission and restoration of Kazakh citizenship, such as ignorance of the state language at the elementary level, the basics of the Constitution of Kazakhstan, and a certain level of national history determined by an authorized body in the field of science and higher education. Simply put, applicants for citizenship will have to pass the exam. As explained by the Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek, the test will include three components: the first is knowledge of the Kazakh language, the second is the basics of the Constitution, and the third is the basics of the history of Kazakhstan. “These tests will be required to be taken by persons who apply for citizenship. There are reservations on a separate list of honored: on the presidential list, minors and people with disabilities will be exempted,” explained Nurbek. According to the new migration rules, EAEU citizens can stay in the country for no more than 90 days within 180 days; other foreigners can stay for no more than 30 days, and a maximum of 90 days in six months. In the previous version of legislative acts, there were no restrictions concerning the 180 days, thus, foreigners lost the opportunity to repeatedly renew the terms of stay, leaving the country for...

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Turkmenistan Officials in Georgia to Prepare for WTO Application

A delegation from Turkmenistan has arrived in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on a study visit to research the best practices for accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and promotion of national trade policy. This was reported by the state media agency Turkmenportal. The visit, organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, will reportedly last from 27 to 31 May. The delegation includes representatives of the Ministry of Finance and Economy, Ministry of Justice, the Central Bank, and the State Customs Service. Meetings have been held with Georgia's Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tax Service, and Customs Department.

Central Asia Uzbekistan International Affairs Business & Economy Uzbekistan Business & Economy Uzbekistan International Affairs

Uzbekistan Moving Closer Towards WTO Membership

Uzbekistan is accelerating its efforts to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). “Uzbekistan remains steadfast in its commitment to joining the World Trade Organization, and we are diligently exerting every possible effort to make meaningful progress,” the country's deputy prime minister Jamshid Khodjaev has said. Khodjaev is also the chair of Uzbekistan's commission on WTO accession. The South Korean ambassador to Uzbekistan, Yoon Son Dok, is a prominent supporter of the country's move towards WTO membership, commenting that “the tone of engagement on both bilateral and multilateral tracks has improved substantially.” Since the commission's seventh meeting, Uzbekistan had adopted several legal acts to align its trade regime with WTO rules in various areas, including on state duties for company registration, intellectual property rights, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and customs valuation.

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Justice Prevails in Kazakhstan Murder Trial Exposing Rift Between Government and Old Regime

The trial of Kuandyk Bishimbayev, a former Minister of the Economy of Kazakhstan, was a watershed event representing the growing role of civil society in the country, as well as the new political leadership’s success in breaking a decades-old cycle sustained by corrupt elites. In spearheading reforms to align his country with international best practices, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has also answered people’s demands. But public worries that Bishimbayev, sentenced to 24 years in prison for killing his wife, may be pardoned as soon as Tokayev leaves office shows how fragile the country’s institutional development remains and how its progress may still be on a ticking clock. Kazakh politician Kuandyk Bishimbayev was convicted of murdering his common-law wife, Saltanat Nukenova, during an altercation between the couple in November 2023 at an Astana restaurant. Throughout the course of his trial, which started in March 2024, it became apparent that the violence caught on a CCTV camera was not a one-off incident, but the latest in a string of abuse. The video, also seen by the jury, includes scenes of a man grabbing a woman by the hair, kicking her, and hitting her in the face. Nukenova is said to have subsequently died from brain trauma. Several factors drew international attention to the case, including the high-profile names involved, broadcasted court proceedings, wide social media engagement, and the commentaries from human rights figures and opinion leaders. The ultimate verdict handed down to Bishimbayev, 24 years imprisonment in a maximum-security institution, is in many ways unprecedented in post-Soviet states, and became a harbinger of changes in both Kazakhstan’s justice system and society. Bishimbayev’s cousin and the director of the restaurant where Nukenova was killed, Bakhytzhan Baizhanov, was also sentenced to four years in prison. How a tragedy precipitated positive change Saltanat Nukenova’s death, and the events following it, helped bring about new laws and perhaps even opened the way for further reforms. Just as importantly, they also increased legal literacy among Kazakhstan’s civil society. The government’s response, for its part, has garnered international praise. Critically, the public tragedy expedited the implementation of positive steps that President Tokayev had previously wanted to take. Contrary to popular belief, Nukenova’s murder was not the basis of the initiative to re-criminalize domestic violence. This change had already been proposed by Tokayev in 2019, but was opposed by legislators, some of whom reportedly had themselves been previously associated with cases of domestic violence or abuse. The events surrounding Nukenova’s death provided the government with an opportunity to overcome domestic opposition and take steps to correct the country’s course on violence against women and children. On April 15, 2024, Tokayev signed a landmark law criminalizing violence against women and children, reversing a 2017 decriminalization. The need for full-fledged judicial reforms has been advocated for by several international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and public associations, as well as institutions in the United States and Europe. This is not surprising given that the country’s existing judicial system was largely formed under its first...

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Rome Hosts Third Central Asia + Italy Ministerial Meeting

On May 29, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani, and Foreign Affairs Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan convened at the 3rd Central Asia + Italy Ministerial Meeting in Rome. The wide-ranging agenda focused on identifying new areas and practical measures regarding cooperation between Italy and Central Asia in transportation, logistics, green energy, global connectivity, higher education, and the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking. Calling for proactive collaboration in transport interconnectivity, energy, climate change, and education, Antonio Tajani commented: “Italy views with great interest the opportunities presented to Italian companies in Central Asia. Establishing a strategic partnership with Central Asian countries and strengthening economic and industrial cooperation in the fields of water resources, the environment, and higher education is a priority.” Over the past year, the Italian Government’s promotion of relations with Central Asian countries has been demonstrated by business forums involving Uzbekistan in June 2023, Kazakhstan in January, and most recently, Tajikistan in April. In line with a strategy to grow diplomatic activity conducted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the instigation of Minister Tajani, such initiatives aim to boost collaboration on regional projects concerning infrastructure, agriculture, machinery, and energy in Central Asia.

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Nuclear Power in Uzbekistan Has a Political Aspect – Economist Behzod Hoshimov

A Russian-built and managed nuclear power plant (NPP) is under construction in Uzbekistan's Jizzakh region. However, some experts are not convinced about the project's feasibility. One of them is Uzbek economist Behzod Hoshimov, who has been speaking recently about the economic and political aspects of Rosatom's foray into Uzbekistan. According to Hoshimov, the problem is not the lack of reform in the electricity and energy sectors, but rather poor policy and management. “Even now, without any nuclear power plants, we can import electricity or fuel for its production, and we can attract companies that produce solar energy at fairly normal prices. Therefore, the problem of "lack of electricity" results from artificially created, mismanaged, and wrongly constructed electricity policy. The construction of NPP is not a technological problem that can be solved,” the economist writes on his Telegram channel. He raises questions such as whether the decision to build a nuclear power plant was economically feasible, and how much money the Uzbek government will spend on its construction. “Will it be financed from other financial sources, including the state debt, and most importantly, if the state is building, how much will it cost the people of Uzbekistan?" The amounts intended to be used from all state and non-state financial sources must be fully and completely disclosed. This fiscal requirement is also defined in our constitution,” Hoshimov adds. “But more importantly, there are other conditions in the deal, which are more important than the station's price. We need to talk about them. It is very important who manages the station and at what price electricity is sold. In Turkey, Russia has built entirely at its own expense and made a deal for 12.5 cents per 1 kilowatt hour of energy. There is a reasonable question about whether we should take it under the same conditions. Today, if there are cheaper generation sources in Uzbekistan, how much more expensive nuclear energy is necessary?” Hoshimov has noted that there are also political aspects to the issue: “The second thing that applies to all state expenditures, especially large and important ones, is choosing a contractor. Did companies other than "Rosatom" participate in the tender? Countries like France and Japan have highly developed atomic energy, and they also build excellent stations. What did their companies offer to our government? Why "Rosatom?" The reason I ask this question is, of course, that there is no place for politics in such a thing. Europe has almost completely abandoned Russian energy – the reason for this was the full-fledged war in Europe. Once upon a time, Germany decided that Russian energy was cheap, not considering political calculations but relying only on economic calculations, and this decision cost a lot. But for a much smaller country like ours, the fact that the main contractor in the NPP is the Russian state and a state-owned enterprise should be a very big question.” He also points out: "If the Japanese and the Russians offer the same price, I would say that the Japanese should be...