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LONDON (TCA) — Attempts by national governments of Central Asia’s former Soviet republics to make their indigenous languages tools for nationalistic mainstream politics have been halfhearted from the very beginning following the break-up of the USSR. Intrusions of other external movements, mainly though not only “Islamic” ones, have made authorities throughout the region think twice. With a large number of migrants to Russia and business development, all landlocked countries of Central Asia are in search for coexistence between nationalist sentiments and cross-frontier ambitions. Continue reading
LONDON (TCA) — Hope could be glimmering for Kazakhstan’s stagnating agro-sector which is more than half a century behind in technology, management and other aspects for sheer lack of capital to invest into crop diversification, quality improvement and other needs to boost product competitiveness. Kazakhstan is the world’s seventh-largest grain exporter, with half of its output available for sales abroad. Continue reading
ALMATY (TCA) — The latest violence in Aktobe, here in Kazakhstan, is leaving the authorities and sideliners in the dark. If it was the work of a gang or terrorist group acting on the orders of either Daesh or Al-Qaeda from their remote strongholds in Afghanistan and northern Pakistan or part of a more secular conspiracy against the Kazakh state, no one seems to be able to explain. Continue reading
LONDON (TCA) — With the recent death of its last strongman, the oldest and most threatening terrorist organization of Central Asia, the Uzbek-dominated IMU, has disappeared – or may be not? From recent events it is easy to observe that Al-Qaeda is absorbing the global jihad conglomerate into its own ranks. This includes Daesh, apparently considered too exposed to be of further use, and of course the Taliban, making the danger toward Central Asia all the more acute. Continue reading
LONDON (TCA) — The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, also known as the Shanghai Six, is becoming Shanghai Eight with the now formalized entry of India and Pakistan. For Central Asia’s former Soviet republics, it means that their troublesome neighbor Afghanistan is now sealed from the south, and the two new SCO member states will have less excuses to stand by should the Afghan civil war spill over towards the north. Continue reading
BISHKEK (TCA) — Recently an Italian delegation was in Kazakhstan to find ways and means to cooperate with Kazakh companies to produce in Kazakhstan with Italy as the main partner for the export to Russia. A similar trend is in process in Kyrgyzstan, while European and Turkish companies are already very active in developing new joint ventures with manufacturing and processing plants in Russia, Belarus and other countries. The objective is everywhere the same — a continuation of business relations and trade with the important market of Russia. European exporters are fully aware of the damage they have been suffering in the last 18 months following the European sanctions and Russian counter sanctions, and they are trying to keep the business relations built during many years of cooperation with the Russian market. Continue reading
