Local Politics - The Times Of Central Asia

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World Economic Forum Names Kazakhstan Best Tourism Destination in Central Asia

The World Economic Forum recently announced the Travel and Tourism Development Index for 2024. In this rating, the USA took first place, followed by Spain and Japan, which took second and third place respectively. France, Australia, Germany, Great Britain, China, Italy, and Switzerland completed the top ten. The Times of Central Asia has reviewed this report on the scale of Central Asian countries. When compiling the rating, 119 countries were considered in several categories: enabling environment, policy and condition, infrastructure and service, resources, and sustainability. In this rating, Kazakhstan takes 52nd place with a score of 4.07. Kazakhstan’s healthcare infrastructure, accessibility, and health security are rated at 5.98 points; it occupies 23rd place in this category. Another high indicator of the country is its socio-economic impact, in which Kazakhstan took 5th place. According to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Tourism, 1,084,800 foreign tourists visited the country in 2023. This is 156,800 more people than last year. “Our goal to develop the tourism sector in terms of quality is reflected in the rating improvement according to various criteria, including price competitiveness, quality of service, and socio-economic impact,” said Ermek Marjikpayev, minister of tourism and sports. Uzbekistan takes 78th place in the rating, up from 94th in 2019. The indicators' growth indicates that the country's tourism initiatives are gradually improving. Uzbekistan records relatively good indicators in terms of price competitiveness (25), safety and security (26), socio-economic impact (33), and demand sustainability (40). The lowest indicator is the prioritization of travel and tourism. Uzbekistan’s potential in this regard is estimated at 3.30, occupying 105th place. According to the Statistics Agency of Uzbekistan, 6.6 million tourists visited the country in 2023. During the year, citizens of the neighboring republics of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan recorded the largest number of visits. The Central Asian countries record a good result in terms of price competitiveness. Tajikistan takes 10th place in this direction; its overall capabilities are estimated at 3.42 points, and it takes 99th place among 119 countries. We can also see that the country’s capabilities are relatively good in the categories of demand sustainability (21), safety, and security (33). The lowest results are non-leisure resources (113) and openness to travel and tourism (111). For reference, 1 million 256 thousand tourists visited Tajikistan in 2023, with 92.5% of them being citizens of the CIS. This is 20.2% more than in 2022. Kyrgyzstan recorded the lowest indicator in the region with 3.38 points, occupying 102nd place. Although its results are low compared to those of the other countries in the region, it ranks 11th in terms of price competitiveness. According to Nurgozi Toychuyev, the Kyrgyz representative for the economy ministry's tourism department, the republic's situation in the field of tourism is stable. “If we do not consider the coronavirus period, the number of tourists is increasing yearly. For example, at the end of 2023, Kyrgyzstan received 8 million 557 thousand foreign citizens,” he said.

Police Officers in Bishkek Fired Over Mob Conflict with Foreign Students

The Kyrgyz Interior Minister and various heads of district police departments, whose duties include ensuring law and order in Bishkek, attended a meeting to discuss the recent mob conflict with foreign-students, wherein the Interior Ministry board of directors and staff members received disciplinary citations. The head of the Interior Ministry's Internal Investigation Service, Zholboldu Kochkonov, briefed law enforcers on the results of an internal investigation which was conducted following the events of May 13th and 17th, when foreign students and workers were beaten, and violent scenes erupted on the streets and in several Bishkek hostels. "A total of 20 employees have been brought to disciplinary responsibility. Of them, 10 employees of the Bishkek Sverdlovsk District Department of Internal Affairs, including the head of the unit, have been relieved of their posts," Kochkonov stated following the meeting. According to the head of the Internal Investigation Service, an additional 10 employees of the Bishkek City Main Department and the Sverdlovsk District Department of Internal Affairs were given various types of disciplinary penalties. Kochkonov said that an investigation was launched into the officers' failure after the May 13th fight, and it was due to their inaction that the conflict escalated into the large-scale riots seen on May 17th. As TCA reported, on May 13th, a fight between local youths and foreign students took place in a hostel in Bishkek. Four days later, a rally and riots occurred in the center of the city in which around a thousand people participated. More than 40 people were hospitalized. Following the unrest, President Japarov promised swift action should the events be repeated, stating that, “Anyone, whether he is our citizen or a foreign citizen, who threatens the integrity of our state, organizes chaos, will be punished mercilessly.”

Tajikistan and Russia Discuss Labor Migration, Security

Tajikistan's president Emomali Rahmon met recently with the Russian minister of internal affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev in Dushanbe. The statesmen discussed cooperation between two countries' law enforcement agencies, as well as labor migration from Tajikistan to Russia. Rahmon spoke about the countries' joint efforts to combat terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, and other forms of transnational organized crime. His press service quotes him as saying: "With satisfaction, it was pointed out the aspiration of the parties to the practical realization of the agreements reached recently at the highest level regarding the resolution of the problems that have arisen in the migration sphere. The leader of the nation emphasized the importance of taking all necessary measures to strengthen the legal and social protection of Tajik labor migrants staying in Russia." Kolokoltsev arrived in Dushanbe as part of the next round of negotiations between Russia and Tajikistan on the issue of migration.

Three Kazakh Officials Suspected of Taking Large Bribes

Three high-ranking officials from Kazakhstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations have been accused of receiving bribes amounting to around 40 million tenge ($90,000). The country's Anti-Corruption Service is conducting an investigation into the conduct of the chairman of the ministry's fire fighting service, and the heads of the emergency situations department of the city of Shymkent and the region of Zhetisu. The service commented: "The officials are suspected of receiving bribes on a systematic basis from a representative of business for a total amount of more than 40 million tenge. The investigative court authorized a measure of restraint in the form of detention against the suspects. The criminal case is considered on the merits by the military court of Akmola garrison." No further information concerning the investigation has been published.

Kazakhstan Wants to Use AI in Drafting Laws

Kazakhstan is considering introducing artificial intelligence technologies in its legislation development and law analysis. This was recently announced at an international conference on AI and law, Elblog.pl reports. AI is expected to change the game in legislative efforts, helping in both its organizational and technical aspects. One of its most practical benefits is converting the words spoken by lawmakers into text. More sophisticated uses include drafting legislation and analyzing the impact on proposed laws without human bias. Kanatbek Safinov, director of the Institute of Parliamentarism of Kazakhstan, noted that AI tools could better allocate significant resources currently spent on the legislative process, such as drafting expert assessments. "The main task is to create artificial intelligence tools that would make it possible to assess the potential effectiveness of new legislation, thus freeing lawmakers from the hard work of formulating legal texts. This reorientation will allow them to focus on identifying and solving problems of concern to the public," Safinov believes. In his opinion, the European Parliament, especially its Greek division, is an ideal role model. The latter uses more than 200 AI tools, 33 of which are directly involved in the lawmaking process.

Authorities in Turkmenistan Using Cab Drivers As Informants to Identify “Unreliable” Citizens

Turkmen authorities are forcing cab drivers to denounce and identify citizens they consider "unreliable". This is being reported by Radio Azatlyk. Ministry of Homeland Security (MHS) officers are reportedly forcing cab drivers to ask passengers various questions to find out their attitudes toward events in the country, and the overall situation. "MHS officers are using cab drivers in the capital as informants. They try to incentivize these cab drivers with promises to help them if they are stopped by traffic police officers to extort bribes," one of the capital's cab drivers said, on condition of anonymity. In an attempt to recruit cab drivers as informants, MHS officials hint that if the drivers agree to cooperate and provide information of interest to the authorities, their cooperation may also be rewarded financially. "Security officials instruct drivers who agree to cooperate to ask certain questions. The questions should mostly be put to passengers who are coming from the airport, railway station, shopping centers and bazaars," said another cab driver. According to him, in order to strike up a conversation, the MHS officers tell drivers to ask a certain list of questions to gauge their passengers' opinions and attitudes. "In this way, they say, they are trying to identify 'unreliable people'. Some drivers are agreeing to participate in these dirty games," said a driver from Ashgabat. Azatlyk is reporting that in recent months the Turkmen authorities have increased control over the country's citizens. Earlier this year it reported that security agencies were questioning the parents of schoolchildren who used VPN services to visit sites disapproved by the authorities, and that these families were included in the lists of "unreliable families".