Tajikistan - The Times Of Central Asia

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Responsible AI Rankings: Uzbekistan Leads in Central Asia

The Global Center on AI Governance has published a report titled “Results of the Global Index on Responsible AI in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.” Among Central Asian countries, Uzbekistan has been judged to use artificial intelligence in the most responsible way. Recent AI initiatives in Uzbekistan cover fields including cultural and linguistic diversity, international cooperation, public sector skills development, and transparency. Kazakhstan ranks second in the region. Among Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan ranks first for the number of government initiatives related to responsible AI. Kyrgyzstan ranks third in the region, demonstrating significant non-governmental sector participation in responsible AI. However, the need for a comprehensive government system affects its overall outcome. The report states that the country has received a high rating for responsible AI governance, second only to Uzbekistan in the region. However, due to the scarcity of government frameworks, which, along with government initiatives, had the most weight in the index score, Kyrgyzstan scored lower in the Responsible AI Index. Tajikistan is the only Central Asian country with an AI national strategy aimed at development until 2040. It ranks fourth in the region. However, this strategy covers only 5 out of 19 thematic directions. Tajikistan's scores are relatively high regarding responsible AI governance; however, the country has the most passive non-state sector among the pillars assessed. Turkmenistan has the lowest indicator in the region. Government structures related to the responsible use of artificial intelligence have not been identified in the country.

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Tajikistan Tajikistan Justice Tajikistan Life & Culture Home Tajikistan International Affairs Life & Culture Features Tajikistan Lead Story

Tajikistan-Born Singer, Criticized in Russia, Prepares to Release an Anti-War Song

In 2023, Tajik-Russian singer Manizha Sanghin, harshly criticized in Russia for her public comments on sensitive issues, travelled to the picturesque “Valley of the Forty Girls” in southern Tajikistan to record an anti-war song to be released on Friday. The mountainous location, known to Tajiks as Childukhtaron, derives its name from ancient lore about a group of girls who turned into towering rock formations when an invading force swept through their homeland. Whether the girls-turned-rocks were meant to block the invaders, or simply bear silent witness, depends on the telling. Tajikistan-born Sanghin said she felt an affinity for the girls as standing at the foot of the rock, she recorded ‘Gun’. Written a decade ago, the song was originally about the devastating civil war in Tajikistan in the 1990s but had been put to rest after being abandoned by music producers in Britain. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, they talked about the song again and the singer, a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, said in YouTube video, "I thought, I have to release it. Because now, it's not just a song about war in Tajikistan. It's a song about war in Ukraine, in Gaza, and all wars around the globe." Music producer Liz Horsman who described Sanghin as" brave in the face of ongoing investigations into her anti-war stance,” readily agreed to record the song and since the war made travel between Britain and Russia impossible, the pair arranged to meet in Tajikistan. Seven months pregnant with her daughter, Sanghin described her return to her homeland as “very poetic”. Over the years, the singer has sparked a fair share of controversy. In 2021, when she represented Russia at the Eurovision contest with a song called “Russian Woman,” she was condemned for advocating women’s and LGBT rights. She was then denounced online and Russian promoters cancelled many of her concerts after she criticized the invasion of Ukraine. She was further alienated following her comments about the brutal treatment of several Tajik suspects in a terrorist attack that killed 144 people at a Moscow music venue in March. Sanghin condemned the attack but described the abuse of the suspects as “public torture.” “I am a systemic victim of cyberattacks and cyberbullying. Sometimes I have to block thousands of bots a week and sometimes daily... They follow, mass unfollow and report my profile,” Sanghin said on Instagram in May. “Instagram’s algorithm then thinks that I am breaking community rules and doesn’t show my posts to most of my followers. (Sometimes it can last for months).” Sanghin asked followers on the social media platform to leave a comment or just a heart emoji as a possible way to help her “get out of this ‘shadow ban.’”

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Central Asia Tajikistan International Affairs Tajikistan International Affairs Tajikistan Business Economy Business & Economy

Russia Deports Thousands of Tajik Citizens

During a press conference, director of the Civil Aviation Agency, Habibullo Nazarzoda, announced that over the past six months, Russia expelled or deported some 3,400 Tajikistan citizens. Nazarzoda emphasized that the action was spurred by errors in the Tajik citizens' documents as opposed to being politically motivated and stated, “The reason for denied entry into Russian territory was sometimes a lack of necessary documents. 95% of people who travel to the country know where they are going and why they are going, but cannot answer questions when asked. Many become confused. That’s why it’s not political.” Conditions for migrants heading for Russia and for those already in the country, have become stricter following the recent terrorist attack at Moscow's Crocus City Hall and the suspected involvement of Tajik citizens. Complaints about difficulties in entering the country are increasing and dozens of migrants report being detained at Russian airports and land border crossings under various pretexts. Since neither the Tajik nor Russian sides have commented on the situation, the official reasons for the above remain unclear.

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ADB to Support Climate-Friendly Business Environment in Tajikistan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) says it has approved a $50 million policy-based grant for a program that will help the government of Tajikistan foster a climate-responsive business environment and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country. The program aims to transform Tajikistan's business environment through digitization, reforms to increase exports, improvement of infrastructure governance, fiscal transparency, and support for climate-friendly SMEs. Underscoring ADB's commitment to supporting Tajikistan in its transition to a green economy, ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov commented, “By promoting climate-responsive investments and improving the overall business environment, we aim to stimulate economic growth, create green jobs, and enhance the country's resilience to climate change." The program will support reforms subsidizing climate-friendly SMEs, and prioritizing funding for female entrepreneurs. It advances digitization and e-commerce through the Agency for Innovation and Digitization and the approval of the E-Commerce program. The program will also support enhanced public investment management through assessments to recommend improvements and prioritize climate-focused projects. Fiscal transparency will improve the Ministry of Finance’s capacity to publish government finance statistics. The program will also promote international trade and investment by streamlining trade documentation processes and updating regulatory frameworks for issuing local and green bonds.

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Central Asia Tajikistan International Affairs International Affairs Tajikistan Tajikistan Business Economy Business & Economy

Tajikistan Launches Export of Mineral Fertilizers to Afghanistan

Tajikistan has begun to export mineral fertilizers to Afghanistan. It has recently delivered 626 tons of fertilizer produced at the Azot plant in the Khatlon region, valued at $169,000. According to information issued by the regional customs department, 13,700 tons of agricultural products were exported through the Khatlon checkpoint at the beginning of July, including 8.7 tons of onions, 438 tons of melons, 2.7 tons of fruit and grapes, and 120 tons of other products. In addition, 13,200 tons of onions were exported through customs checkpoints in the Sughd region, bringing the total volume of agricultural products exported by the Khatlon region to 27,100 tons. The value of imported goods to the Khatlon region amounted to $107.6 million. Such a significant growth in trade relations with Afghanistan points to closening relations between Tajikistan and its neighbor.

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A Eurasian Perspective on the Historic Conviction of U.S. Senator Bob Menendez

On July 16, a federal court in New York found United States Senator Robert "Bob" Menendez (D) guilty on 16 counts in a corruption trial, including charges of accepting bribes to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar, obstruction of justice and extortion. He is the first U.S. senator to be convicted as a foreign agent and the charges collectively carry a potential sentence of 222 years in prison. Bribery charges involved receiving gold bars worth over $100,000 and more than $480,000 in cash as well as a Mercedes-Benz for his wife. “This wasn't politics as usual. This was politics for profit,” summarized Damian Williams, an attorney for the Southern District of New York. According to federal prosecutors, among other things, Menendez helped secure millions of dollars of U.S. aid for Egypt and used his office to assist a multi-million-dollar deal with a Qatari fund. Egypt’s intelligence and military officials are said to have bribed him and his wife at a time when U.S. military aid to the country would have paused due to human rights concerns. Menendez also used his official position “to protect and enrich” individuals in exchange for payments, including helping a New Jersey businessman secure a halal certification monopoly with regards to U.S. meat exports to Egypt. Striking similarities to another recent “influence-for-sale” scandal For many Europeans, this U.S. case resembles the European Union’s own Qatargate scandal, which broke out in 2022 and unveiled how foreign governments (Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania) have been channeling hundreds of thousands of euros to a ring of elected European Parliament officials who, in turn, were leveraging their authority to benefit these clients. The services included “attempts to manipulate the Parliament” and “scheming to kill off six parliamentary resolutions condemning Qatar’s human rights record” as Politico reports. In his plea deal, Antonio Panzeri, the chief of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), admitted to receiving bribes as well as to leading and participating in a criminal organization. This criminal organization reportedly doled out bribes to EU officials through two NGOs named Fight Impunity and No Peace Without Justice, which were allegedly set up to launder money and help fund the scheme. In Menendez’s case, the money ran through his wife’s consultancy. Qatargate allegations extended beyond the Middle East and North Africa. For instance, Atlantico.fr reported that Panzeri and his associates may have been corrupted by at least two Kazakh criminal figures. Europeans appeared lenient on corruption as Panzeri only received a five-year prison sentence, of which four would be suspended and the one year he’d serve would be under house arrest with an electronic bracelet. Momentum behind investigations of key suspects has since waned, leading the EU Observer to call Qatargate “a missed opportunity to bring Europe to justice”. Foreign policy priorities pushed by Senator Menendez need to be re-examined When public officials are found to have used their office to promote external interests, their past policy activities should be closely examined. Bob Menendez has been a member of...

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