Local Politics - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kyrgyzstan Accelerates Work to Bring Drinking Water to Villages

While only 637 of Kyrgyzstan’s 1906 villages have access to clean drinking water, the government plans to provide piped drinking water to an additional 1071 villages in the near future. The country's minister of water resources and agriculture, Bakyt Torobayev, ordered this work to be accelerated on July 30. Torobayev ordered the expedition of work in this area, emphasizing that providing clean water to the population is one of the ministry's top priorities. “The population must be provided with clean drinking water,” he said. The Ministry of Water Resources is currently implementing a program to provide clean drinking water to 260 towns and villages across the country. In addition, a program for using groundwater from 2024 to 2030 will be implemented, with plans to repair 1,155 wells.

What Does the Future Hold for the Middle Corridor?

With the outbreak of Russia's war in Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions against Russia, the traditional logistics corridor between East and West has significantly narrowed. In order to ensure the safe and uninterrupted export of locally produced goods and attract transit cargoes, the Kazakh government is therefore developing new routes. One of these is the Trans-Caspian International Transport route. But, given the aggravated geopolitical situation in the region and growing competition for cargo transportation between the East and West, will the Caspian transport corridor - also known as the Middle Corridor - allow the government to meet its ambitions? Infrastructural vector of the Caspian Sea Logistics have focused on the transportation route across the Caspian Sea, considerably increasing the role of the Middle Corridor, which is facing a huge increase in demand. The countries along which the TITR route runs have started building their transport infrastructure capacities, replenishing their maritime fleets, and pooling capital and competencies in logistics and transportation. In particular, at the end of 2022, a Road Map on synchronous elimination of so-called "bottlenecks" along the route along the territories of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey for 2022-2027 was signed. A joint venture, the Middle Corridor Multimodal, was established by the railway administrations of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to increase the volume of cargo transportation. A unified approach to infrastructure development by all route participants has been formed, and several projects are planned to improve the transportation infrastructure of the road's Kazakh, Azerbaijani, and Georgian sections. For the development of transportation on TITR through the seaports of Aktau and Kuryk, Kazakhstan plans to create a container hub in the port of Aktau, dredging, construction of additional berths in both harbors, restoration of oil infrastructure and renewal, as well as re-equipment of the transshipment park in the port of Aktau. In addition, a grain terminal will be built at Kuryk's seaport. Implementing these measures will increase the throughput capacity of Kazakhstan's sea harbors to 27.3 million tons per year and increase cargo traffic along the Middle Corridor. Ten oil barges, eight ferries, six tankers, and a container ship will start operating in the Caspian Sea by 2030. Furthermore, the construction in Aktau has attracted investment from the Chinese company, LLC GC Port Lianyungangan, which manages one of the largest ports in China and has signed an agreement to create a container hub at the seaport. Additionally, in partnership with the Singaporean company PSA Eagle Pte., a joint venture called KPMC Ltd has been established at the Astana International Financial Center. This venture aims to attract more cargo to the Middle Corridor, develop a digital transport corridor to optimize transportation processes, enhance the competitiveness of routes, streamline interactions, integrate partners along the cargo flow path, and improve supply chain management. Work is being undertaken to expand the presence of companies from the Caspian region in global markets. Establishing such transport and logistics enterprises along the Middle Corridor will improve transportation organization and build efficient logistics chains. The willingness of large enterprises,...

Central Asian Countries Increasing Defense Budgets

Voice of America has published an article that states that the countries of Central Asia are increasing their spending on defense and military equipment. Turkey, China, and the United States are now challenging Russia as the main suppliers of this equipment. According to analysis by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which studies conflicts worldwide, the defense expenses of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan totaled $1.8 billion last year. The institute did not explain Uzbekistan’s failure to disclose its defense expenditures, and there is no information on Turkmenistan. Last year, Kazakhstan’s military budget was 0.5% of its GDP, equal to $259.7 billion. Kyrgyzstan’s military expenditure was 1.5% of its GDP, $13.9 billion, totaling $208.5 million for defense. For Tajikistan, it was 1% of GDP, $12 billion, and $120 million for the military. The report also noted that Kazakhstan’s defense spending increased by 8.8% compared to last year. Uzbekistan, which does not disclose its military budget, reportedly allocated an additional $260 million to its defense budget last year. Officials in the region cite conflicts in the Eurasia region – the war in Ukraine and the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, plus border disputes in Central Asia, and instability in Afghanistan – as reasons for Central Asian states to beef up their military forces. However, Peter Leonard, a writer specializing in Central Asian affairs, told Voice of America that it was partly a matter of reputation. “Partly, it is a matter of prestige. Authoritarian leaders like to flaunt shiny and expensive weapons. During annual military parades, we see this visually in Turkmenistan, where officials show off their new weapons and vehicles from China, Europe, and elsewhere. We see this trend in all of Central Asia,” he said. "Paradoxically, the intensification of militaries in these countries has not, in fact, exacerbated tensions but has resulted in a different outcome - which is much more cordial and practical dialogue about border demarcation. These countries, which were at a dangerous point, are on the cusp of signing a historic border agreement which will put an end to three decades of conflict."

Kyrgyz Exporters to Trade on Alibaba Marketplace

The second international e-commerce forum, Sellers Forum E-COM.kg, at Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan from July 26 to 28, was attended by Sanjar Bolotov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tilek Jumaliyev, Deputy Director of the Kyrgyz Export Centre. During the event, the parties met representatives of the World Bank and Alibaba Group Global Digital Business within the framework of E-GATE; a program, aimed at providing subsidies for small and medium-sized businesses to ensure their entry into the world's leading B2B e-commerce platforms. In their discussions , the Deputy Minister emphasized the country's export potential, the successful export of environmentally -friendly Kyrgyz products to the Chinese market, and the readiness of local producers to interact with Alibaba Group to promote their wares. The meeting concluded with an agreement to work with the Kyrgyz Export Centre to place Kyrgyz exporters' products on the Alibaba marketplace and organize training.

Brother of Tajik Opposition Activist Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

Asliddin Sharipov, the brother of Tajik opposition activist Shavkat Muhammad, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. The sentence was handed down in March of this year, but information only appeared on July 29; authorities have not provided an official comment. One of Sharipov's acquaintances said that he was transferred from the Khujand pre-trial detention center to a prison in Dushanbe. He had been living in Russia since 2016 but was detained at the request of Tajik authorities in September 2022 and extradited to Tajikistan on October 1, 2023. For almost two months there was no information about his whereabouts. It later became known that Sharipov, 37, was being held in one of the isolation centers in Khujand. The Tajik authorities have not commented on the reasons for Asliddin Sharipov's detention. Human rights organizations link Sharipov's arrest and extradition to the activities of his brother Shavkat Muhammad, editor of the television channel “Payom,” which is banned in Tajikistan and run by the Islamic Renaissance Party. According to human rights activists and Shavkat Muhammad himself, his brother's arrest is aimed at silencing him and stopping him from criticizing the authorities.

U.S. Embassy Supports Future Rural Teachers in Kyrgyzstan

The U.S. Embassy is reporting that 33 participants in the 'Teach for Kyrgyzstan -- Zamanbap Mugalim' project, which it is supporting, will begin teaching in rural schools in the Chui region in September. A summer school called Jaratman, which translates to “creators”, will offer four weeks of training and development for future teachers and other educators. The 'Teach for Kyrgyzstan' project will raise funds to place participants in ten pilot schools in the Chui region in the fall of 2024. Schools were selected by staff from the country's Ministry of Education, as well as educational institutions and public organizations. “The mission of the [project] is to help children reach their potential, and this institute is one step toward achieving that goal for the children of Chui [region] here in the Kyrgyz Republic,” American ambassador Lesslie Viguerie said of the project.