Local Politics - The Times Of Central Asia

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Industry

Kyrgyzstan Lacks Cement Amid Booming Construction

Kyrgyzstan is experiencing a cement shortage as new high-rise residential buildings and thousands of one- and two-story houses are being erected nationwide. This booming construction requires a large amount of cement, which has caused huge demand for the product. Local media quoted Syrgak Omorov, a representative of the Anti-monopoly Regulation Service, as saying that domestic producers are not capable of meeting the growing need. The Kant cement plant, the country’s largest cement producer, typically produces 600,000 tons of cement annually, but this year the production volume has already exceeded a million tons. According to Omorov, the Kant cement plant can produce up to 4,000 tons daily, but market demand is 5,000 tons. The official attributes the shortage to the unprecedented scale construction of housing and social facilities, such as schools. Earlier this month, the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Akylbek Japarov, announced that the number of new schools and residential buildings constructed in Kyrgyzstan has exceeded Soviet-era figures. Japarov cited data from the National Statistical Committee, saying that 1.560 million square meters of residential housing were built in Kyrgyzstan when it was part of the Soviet Union in 1990. In 2023, independent Kyrgyzstan constructed 1.587 million square meters of housing. The highest numbers of secondary schools were built in 1968 and 1987 — 50 in each of those years, while in 2023, Kyrgyzstan built 105 new schools. Last week, TCA reported that Kyrgyzstan is also suffering from a shortage of laborers, with the head of the construction agency in the Kyrgyz Republic stating that the construction industry alone urgently needs at least 10,000 workers.

Education

Turkmen Student Wins UNESCO Prize in AI Competition

Abdyleziz Saryev, a student from Turkmenistan's International University of Humanities and Development, has won the award for "Best Idea and Approach" at the third UNESCO International Model competiton on the ethics of using artificial intelligence in education. The event's final stage was held from August 12-14 in Almaty, and Saryev won the jury's recognition against stiff competition from students from 52 countries. In addition to Saryev, awards were given to representatives of Egypt and Hong Kong. Students from these countries were recognized for "Best Paper" and "Best Presentation", respectively. The Third UNESCO International Model is an educational event in which students try on the role of representatives of UNESCO member states by simulating official UNESCO meetings. Participants get an opportunity to study in-depth the international problems related to the use of AI, and propose solutions for their implementation in the education system.

Society

Uzbekistan Targets Further Reduction in Poverty Rate

Uzbekistan has set itself the ambitious goal of reducing the rate of poverty in the country from 11% to 7% in the next three years. To achieve this, the government plans to introduce a series of systematic measures to improve the economic situation of low-income segments of the population. The main emphasis will be placed on the development of the private sector and entrepreneurship, which should lead to the creation of new jobs. In addition to economic measures, attention will be paid to improving the social protection system, improving the quality and accessibility of education, and expanding access to healthcare. Since 2020, Uzbekistan has made significant progress in fighting poverty: the poverty rate has fallen in this time from 17% to 11%. This has been achieved through a comprehensive approach that includes economic and social reforms. In the Syrdarya region, for example, the poverty rate has fallen by 6 percentage points, and in the Andijan region by 5.5 percentage points. The authorities plan to allocate significant funds annually to fight poverty. This money will be distributed to regions and mahallas (local communities) with high levels of poverty, where individual support programs for each family will be introduced. Public control over the implementation of these programs will also be strengthened.

Legislation

Uzbekistan Brings Home Citizens Convicted Abroad

On August 13, Uzbekistan amended its Code of Criminal Procedure to compel Uzbekistan's citizens who have been imprisoned for crimes in certain foreign countries to serve the rest of their sentences in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan has so far signed agreements with only 10 countries for imprisoned persons to be transferred to prisons in Uzbekistan to continue serving their sentences. According to Sherzod Tokhtashev, a politician from the government-aligned Miliy Tiklanish (National Revival) party, this law does not concern Uzbeks currently imprisoned in Russia. He did however mention that there are separate appeals in parliament to return Uzbek nationals convicted of crimes in Russia to domestic jails. At the same time, there are also calls for these prisoners' families to be brought home. “We receive requests to return children and relatives of Uzbeks from Russian prisons to Uzbekistan. Due to the lack of an agreement with Russia on the exchange of prisoners, everyone is helpless,” said Tokhtashev. According to Uzbek government, 20 citizens of Uzbekistan are currently serving terms in Italy, 250 in Turkey, and more than 450 in Kazakhstan.

Agriculture

Kyrgyz Farmers Unite Into Cooperatives To Maximize Export Potential

This year, 47 new agricultural cooperatives appeared in Kyrgyzstan — a total of 741 associations. Experts say that merging into large farms will allow farmers to increase yields and the export potential of their products. In 2023, Kyrgyzstan exported more than 850,000 tons of agricultural products — vegetables, fruits, milk, and meat. More than 40% of these exports went to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). However, to increase the export potential and the geography of supplies, it is necessary to move away from so-called "small-scale production." When farmers produce goods in small batches, experts believe the way out of this situation can be the cooperation of farms. "The issue of creating cooperatives is a sore point in Kyrgyzstan's farming sector. For over 10 years, we have been saying there is a problem — small-scale commodity production. According to official data, we have more than 460,000 farmers in the country, but, unfortunately, there is no volume of production," Rustam Baltalbayev, Executive Director of the Association of Agroindustrial Complex (AAC), told The Times of Central Asia. Baltabayev said an agricultural co-op is the most convenient form of doing business in agriculture. It solves the problem of wholesale supplies abroad. According to the AAK, agrarians in Kyrgyzstan's southern regions — producers of white rice and bell peppers — are actively joining agricultural cooperatives. "This mechanism, in my opinion, is the most profitable and convenient regarding agricultural development. It is only necessary to finalize the legal forms so that large holdings could join associations," he noted.

Bilateral Cooperation

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan Explore Use of ID Cards at Border Crossings

Abdulaziz Kamilov, the special representative of the President of Uzbekistan on foreign policy issues, has announced that Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are discussing a way for citizens of both countries to cross the state border using national ID cards. According to Kamilov, Uzbekistan has completed the legal formalization of the border with Kazakhstan and demarcated the border with Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Referencing the reactivation of dozens of border checkpoints which have significantly facilitated the movement of people across the region, he stressed, “Today, the borders between Uzbekistan and the countries of Central Asia can rightly be called a bridge of friendship and good neighborliness. This is also confirmed by the fact that starting from September 1, 2023, the procedure for crossing the Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan border with the presentation of an internal document — a citizenship certificate — has been introduced. The same project is being discussed with Kazakhstan." Komilov also noted President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's proposal at Astana summit, of developing mass tourism in Central Asia based on the mutual recognition of national ID cards.