Local Politics - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 61 - 66 of 94

Kazakh Peacekeepers to be Sent to the Golan Heights

The Kazakh Defense Ministry has issued a report on the handing over of the United Nations’ flag to the peacekeeping contingent of Kazakhstan. The solemn ceremony took place on March 22nd at the Fawhar peacekeeping base, located in the area of responsibility of the UN mission on the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria. After the head of the Irish contingent, Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Clear, had handed over the UN flag to the commander of the Kazakh contingent, Lieutenant Colonel Zhiger Aipov, the latter commented: “Since the transfer of the UN flag, our unit has become a full participant in the mission in the Golan Heights and we have now begun to carry out the assigned tasks.” This is the first time in Kazakhstan’s history that the UN has given the country a mandate to carry out an independent peacekeeping mission. During the year, the Kazakh peacekeeping contingent will patrol the area, strengthen checkpoints, maintain ceasefire between warring parties, and perform other tasks in accordance with the mandate of the UN mission. Peacekeepers from Kazakhstan have undergone thorough selection and training in accordance with the UN’s requirements and standards and according to Kazakh Defense Minister Ruslan Zhaksylykov, 139 servicemen are ready to be to be sent to the Golan Heights.

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

Kyrgyz Parliament Developing a Russian-Kyrgyz Legislative Dictionary

Last summer, the Kyrgyz Republic adopted a law on the official state language, according to which all civil servants must speak Kyrgyz, and speak only the state language in Parliament and the ministries. As one of the members of the working group in Parliament notes, a lot of international terms have appeared in legal practice today, and civil servants - sometimes not knowing their exact meaning in Kyrgyz - use the terms in their work, often incorrectly, causing potentially grave misunderstandings. "The main purpose of the initiative is to eliminate confusion in the terms used in the application of legal acts - bringing them into a unified system," said Nurlan Azygaliev, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament. Another member of the working group, the Chairman of the State Commission on Language, said the initiative would have a positive impact on the development of the Kyrgyz language as a whole. After officials develop a dictionary for legislative acts, they will work on creating an explanatory Russian-Kyrgyz dictionary of legal terms. "These issues should have been given attention since the first years of independence. We all need to work together in this direction," said State Language Commission Chairman, Melis Murataliyev. Several years ago, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov urged officials to switch to Kyrgyz language documents. As the president noted, if officials remain indifferent, the Kyrgyz language will not develop. The head of the republic cited statistics that indicate ministries and agencies of Kyrgyzstan use Kyrgyz language only in 10-15% of the documents in circulation. The rest of the documents are printed in Russian. "These indicators should not be less than 50%," Japarov emphasized. According to the law adopted by the president, the Kyrgyz language should be used also for administrative dealings such as court proceedings, concluding international agreements, and conducting elections. It should also be used in more common communication in education, science and culture, as well as in the media and other areas. Today, Kyrgyzstan's mass media must publish more than half of all their publications in the state language. According to the republic's constitution, the authorities are also obliged to support the development of other languages spoken in the country. "Kyrgyzstan adheres to the principle of the free use of languages of representatives of all ethnic groups living on the territory of the country, and guarantees the creation of conditions for the development of these languages. Every citizen has the right to create conditions for the preservation, study and development of his or her native language," the law stipulates. Currently, most state orders, decrees and administrative legal acts, especially in the capital, Bishkek, are issued in Kyrgyzstan's de jure official language - Russian.

Central Asia Uzbekistan Environment Kazakhstan Environment Uzbekistan Local Politics Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan And Uzbekistan To Install Transboundary Water Meters

Since the use of transboundary water resources for irrigation remains a pressing issue in Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have agreed to install meters to calculate the exact volume of water consumed by both countries. Kazakhstan will install meters on the territory of Uzbekistan, and the Uzbek side will install meters in Kazakhstan. Experts from both countries are currently determining the best locations of the meters. Negotiations are also underway for the involvement of international organizations in the project. Emphasizing the importance of the agreement for Kazakhstan, which is located downstream of the region’s rivers, the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov stated, “The installation of meters will make it possible to monitor the volumes of water consumed by both countries online. In April, we plan to begin negotiations on the implementation of similar projects with Kazakhstan’s other neighbours.”

Central Asia Kyrgyzstan Local Politics Kyrgyzstan Local Politics Kyrgyzstan Home

US Helps Kyrgyzstan Prepare for Future Pandemics

A Global Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness Program was launched last week. The joint initiative between the United States, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Health Organization, and a consortium of other organizations, aims to improve Kyrgyzstan’s resilience against public health emergencies and coordinates with the United Nation’s ‘One Health’ policy linking human, animal, and environmental health. As reported by the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, the program will target seven key areas in Kyrgyzstan: tracking and reducing antimicrobial resistance; monitoring zoonotic diseases transmissible between animals and humans; strengthening national laboratory systems; disease surveillance; building capacity within the healthcare workforce; developing risk communication and community engagement strategies; and bolstering health emergency management. U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Lesslie Viguerie stated, “The United States Government ranks global health security among its top five priorities. Today’s event marks the next chapter in our long collaboration for improving Kyrgyz health care. We worked side-by-side during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to do so in the pandemic recovery phase. We have made tremendous advancements in detecting and treating tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Many lives have been saved thanks to the collaborative efforts between our governments. With the timely launch of the National Action Plan for Health Security last year, the Kyrgyz Republic is taking a lead role to prepare its health systems for any future pandemics.” The Deputy Minister of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic Bubuzhan Arykbaeva further endorsed the initiative saying, “We are confident that with USAID funding this program will play a critical role in supporting key technical areas of the National Action Plan for Health Security. The implementation of the Global Health Security program in the Kyrgyz Republic will allow our country to create a more stable foundation for future response to threats in the field of public health.”

Central Asia Home Tajikistan International Affairs Uzbekistan Kazakhstan Local Politics Tajikistan Local Politics Turkmenistan International Affairs Turkmenistan Turkmenistan Local Politics Tajikistan International Affairs Tajikistan Business Economy Turkmenistan Business & Economy Kyrgyzstan International Affairs Kazakhstan Life & Culture Kyrgyzstan Local Politics Kyrgyzstan Local Politics Kazakhstan Business & Economy Uzbekistan Business & Economy Kazakhstan International Affairs Kazakhstan Business & Economy Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy Features Uzbekistan International Affairs Kazakhstan Featurees Uzbekistan Local Politics

Optimism Meets Reality at the B5+1 Forum in Almaty

The inaugural B5+1 Forum, a conference dedicated to strengthening business between the five Central Asian republics and the United States, came to a close today in Almaty after a second well received day of panel discussions. The B5+1 Forum was created by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), which aims to use public-private partnerships to create a better environment for business and trade. The B5+1 platform brings international and local companies together with high-ranking government officials from all six countries, to learn about the difficulties that each side faces, and suggest new ways to attract partners and investment. Following an opening day focused on “Looking within Central Asia”, today’s speakers brought attention to “Central Asia’s place in the world economy”. The morning began with a keynote speech by Eurasian affairs expert S. Frederick Starr, who argued that because the five countries are now members of different trade blocs, the revival of the Central Asian Economic Union could break down their existing barriers to business and trade with the United States. During a morning session on international partnerships, foreign experts brainstormed ways to speed up the Central Asia region’s economic integration with the rest of the world. To an audience of business leaders whose overall mood was optimistic, the EU’s ambassador to Kazakhstan Kestutis Jankauskas and World Bank economist David Knight brought a dose of realism, by explaining that business in Central Asia is not performing as well as in other emerging regions. This, they both said, is because the governments – and business owners – have mostly still not let go of self-defeating ways of approaching markets and investment. The middle session went into more detail about the investment landscape, particularly in terms of IT and fintech. Jennifer Miel, executive director for Kazakhstan for the US Chamber of Commerce, mentioned that all five Central Asian countries have seen healthy increases in foreign direct investment since 2021. This was soon tempered by Anatoly Motkin of the agency StrategEast, who said that to achieve further sustainable growth, the region must unify its legislation and best practices, so that foreign investors can treat it as a single market as much as possible. The Forum’s closing session explored the role of business associations in public-private dialogue. The panel was moderated by Eric Hontz, CIPE’s director for accountable investments, and featured the executive directors of the US Chambers of Commerce in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – Aisuluu Sydygalieva, Nilufar Bulbulshoeva and Tatyana Bystrushkina. Discussion centered on best practices and solutions for effective member representation. The B5+1 Forum forms part of CIPE’s program called “Improving the Business Environment in Central Asia” (IBECA). CIPE themselves are affiliated to the US Chamber of Commerce – the catalyst behind the B7 and B20 platforms – and receive funding from the US Department of State. Early indications are that the B5+1 Forum in 2025 will be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Central Asia Home Tajikistan International Affairs Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Kazakhstan Local Politics Turkmenistan International Affairs Tajikistan Local Politics Turkmenistan Local Politics Tajikistan International Affairs Tajikistan Business Economy Local Politics Kyrgyzstan Turkmenistan Business & Economy Kyrgyzstan International Affairs Business & Economy Kazakhstan Uzbekistan Business & Economy Kazakhstan International Affairs Kyrgyzstan Local Politics Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy Kazakhstan Business & Economy Features Uzbekistan International Affairs Uzbekistan Local Politics

High-Profile Speakers Open B5+1 Forum in Almaty

The ‘B5+1’ platform – a group of countries comprising the five Central Asian republics and the United States – took an important step forward today, with the launch of the inaugural B5+1 Forum in Almaty. Instrumental in the formation of the B5+1 group has been the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), which aims to develop public-private partnerships in the Central Asia region. This new business platform has been created to help international and local companies to capitalize on opportunities in global business and trade – while assisting the six governments in attracting more direct foreign investment. The theme of the opening day was “Looking within Central Asia”. It began with a panel discussion on boosting economic integration in the Central Asia region, drawing from the area's distinctive context, and successful examples like ASEAN and the EU. Recommendations, from panelists including Richard E. Hoagland of the Caspian Policy Center and Alisher Shaykhov from Uzbekistan’s National Venture Capital Fund, included integrating the region's value chain into the global economy, and promoting collaborative investment initiatives. The second panel offered perspectives from Central Asia’s business leaders. Panelists including B5+1 representatives Aziza Shuzheyeva (Kazakhstan, e-commerce) and Manusurjon Rasulev (Uzbekistan, agribusiness) gave insights into the region’s high-profile industries. Speakers advocated for policy synchronization in these sectors, as well as in tourism and trade, as a means to boost regional growth. For the third panel, government officials voiced their support for enhancing public-private dialogue. Tajikistan was represented by its deputy minister for economy Ahliddin Nuriddinzoda; his counterpart Ainura Usenbekova spoke on behalf of Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan’s minister of finance Serdar Jorayev also spoke at length. Their focus was on national reforms and regional integration. The B5+1 Forum forms part of CIPE’s program called “Improving the Business Environment in Central Asia” (IBECA). CIPE themselves are affiliated to the US Chamber of Commerce – the catalyst behind the B7 and B20 platforms – and receive funding from the US Department of State. The B5+1 Forum continues tomorrow, Friday 15 March, with a thematic day dedicated to “Central Asia’s place in the world economy”.