How Kyrgyz Authorities Are Fighting Energy Shortages
Despite the launch of the construction of the Kambarata-1 hydroelectric power plant, Kyrgyzstan needs more electricity. One solution could be to launch small hydropower plants. Officials said building such plants on the country's numerous rivers is not costly. According to the Kyrgyz Energy Ministry, commissioning such HPPs could take only 1.5-2 years. There are currently 24 small hydropower plants in operation in the country, and there is potential for more than 80 more. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, Kyrgyz Deputy Energy Minister Nurlan Sadykov said that every citizen has the opportunity to build a small hydropower plant. Startup permits can be obtained quite easily. “We have a Green Energy Fund, which is authorized to issue land for small-scale energy needs, including the construction of solar panels and wind farms. This body holds a competition where anyone can participate equally, whether a Kyrgyz citizen or a foreign investor. The main thing is to confirm your financial capabilities,” Sadykov said. Sadykov said most investors borrow from local or international banks in one way or another. The authorities can guarantee the return of invested funds through electricity tariffs. “A presidential decree has been issued. According to the document, the state is guaranteed to buy electricity. If the investor wants to receive money for generated electricity in foreign currency, the state can provide payments in US dollars,” the deputy minister emphasized. Chinese and Russian companies are interested in building renewable energy sources in Kyrgyzstan. A campaign to raise funds from local businessmen is also underway. It is worth noting that Kyrgyzstan is experiencing an increase in electricity consumption. The country produces about 14 billion kilowatt-hours annually, but consumption, especially in winter, can reach 17 billion kilowatt-hours. To compensate for the missing electricity, the authorities import it from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Kyrgyz Prime Minister: Labor Migrants From EAEU Should Not Be Discriminated Against on Territory of the Union
Speaking at a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Yerevan, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov said that tightening migration laws should not apply to citizens from EAEU countries. According to Akylbek Japarov, increasing trade between EAEU countries and developing cooperative ties is the basis for sustainable economic growth. However, the main participants in any integration are people, so the attitude toward the citizens of the EAEU countries in any state of the Union should be the same. “Such a level of integration has been reached, when business and citizens of member states understand and deeply believe in the unity of the economic union (EAEU), and respectively require the same attitude to themselves being on the territory of any of the EAEU countries,” said the head of the Cabinet. Therefore, according to Japarov, the leadership of the EAEU countries should pay special attention when tightening migration legislation and adjust their attitudes toward migrants from union countries. Following the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall near Moscow, the Russian authorities significantly tightened migration legislation. Thousands of citizens, mainly from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, were subjected to forced deportation. The restrictions also affected Kyrgyz citizens, although the country is a member of the EAEU. “We proceed from the fact that legislative initiatives should not contradict the norms of the EAEU treaty; that is, they should not apply to our working citizens and members of their families. Both in the documents initiated by state structures and in the public space, it is necessary to separate the rights of citizens of the EAEU countries from those of countries that are not part of it,” Japarov emphasized. According to official data, about half a million Kyrgyz citizens work in Russia. The unofficial figure may be two or three times higher.
Despite High Water Levels in Kyrgyzstan’s Toktogul Reservoir, Electricity Shortages Persist
Despite an increase in water levels at Kyrgyzstan’s Toktogul hydroelectric power plant (HPP) reservoir this year, the country continues to face electricity shortages, Energy Minister Taalaibek Ibrayev said in an interview with Birinchi Radio. Located on the Naryn River, the Toktogul HPP is Kyrgyzstan’s largest power plant, providing around 40% of the country’s electricity. As of October 1, 2024, the water volume in the Toktogul reservoir reached 13.033 billion cubic meters, approximately 1.3 billion cubic meters more than the previous year. The reservoir currently receives 365 cubic meters of water per second while releasing 284 cubic meters per second for power generation. "Despite the increased water levels in 2024, we are still facing an electricity deficit of about 3.9 billion kilowatt-hours," Minister Ibrayev stated. To address the deficit, Kyrgyzstan is working to expand its energy capacity by building small and large hydroelectric plants. "In the past, small hydroelectric plants produced around 200-300 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This figure has now increased to 750 million kilowatt-hours," Ibrayev explained. He also noted that the country’s electricity consumption has risen by 400 million kilowatt-hours this year, driven by the launch of new industrial enterprises. According to the National Statistics Committee, Kyrgyzstan generated 13.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2023, with hydropower plants accounting for approximately 87% of total electricity production. In 2023, Kyrgyzstan met 80% of its electricity demand, which totalled 17.2 billion kilowatt-hours. The remaining 20%, or 3.4 billion kilowatt-hours, was imported. To help reduce reliance on imports, an agreement was signed between Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan in May 2023 for the supply of 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from Turkmenistan, starting on January 1, 2025.
Kyrgyzstan Presents its Candidacy for UN Security Council
Speaking at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov called on the global community to reduce arms spending and international tensions. During the general debate, Japarov nominated Kyrgyzstan's candidacy for the Security Council, saying the time has come to address historical injustices. “If elected, Kyrgyzstan will work to improve the efficiency and transparency of the Security Council and to expand it with balanced regional representation. It is time to eliminate the historical injustice of 60 member states, including Kyrgyzstan, who have never been elected to the Security Council, and to correct the under-representation of African countries on the Council,” Japarov said. The Kyrgyz leader said the world is becoming increasingly unpredictable and complex. He urged all states to continue to support the UN in its core mission of ensuring peace and preventing modern risks and threats in this “turbulent period.” “Unfortunately, this is happening in a world where many nations and peoples still lack access to basic clean water, healthcare, and education. We need to ensure that the money that goes to wars, destruction, and death goes to creating or solving global challenges for all,” Japarov said. The council has 15 members, including five permanent members. The next elections to the Council will be held in June 2026.
Kyrgyzstan Asks IAEA for $45 Million for Nuclear Waste Remediation
Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations, Azamat Mambetov, has asked for support from Central Asian countries at the International Atomic Energy Agency's General Session in Vienna, Austria. The 68th session of the IAEA General Conference is taking place from September 16 to 20, 2024. An official from the Kyrgyz Republic Ministry of Emergency Situations made a speech that called for attention to be paid to the importance of ensuring environmental safety in the region. “In his speech, Azamat Mambetov emphasized the importance of the problem of radiation safety in Central Asia and called for the intensification of international efforts to reclaim uranium tailings in the region,” the Ministry of Emergency Situations stated. The IAEA adopted a resolution on “The Role of the International Community in Preventing Radiation Threats in Central Asia.” A strategic master plan was developed to reclaim uranium sites in the region and create a special account for environmental remediation in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan informed IAEA members about the process of completing the reclamation of two nuclear waste sites in the country's south. This has allowed about 80,000 people in that area to live safely. The Kyrgyz Ministry of Emergency Situations stressed that it is grateful to all countries and international organizations that have made a significant contribution to the environmental rehabilitation of the tailing dumps left over from Soviet-era uranium mining in Central Asia. However, approximately another $45 million is needed to implement the Strategic Master Plan fully.
A Bone of Contention: Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan at Loggerheads Following World Nomad Games Kokpar Final
Astana largely managed to turn the 5th World Nomad Games into an exemplary international sporting event free of politics and disagreements. Overall, the Games stood in stark contrast to the Olympics in Paris earlier this year, when the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow a handful of athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under a neutral flag led to calls from some counties for a boycott. However, the culmination of the Nomad Games saw an unpleasant incident at the final of the most popular event, which resulted in a fallout between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/nomad-game-2.mp4"][/video]
A blow with a kamcha
On September 12, an incident occurred during the Kokpar final, in which the national teams of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan met, when a player from the Kazakh team, which was underperforming, struck a Kyrgyz rider with a kamcha (whip). At this point, the game was stopped, and a squad of law enforcement officers immediately surrounded the culprit.
After the offender was suspended from proceedings and given a time penalty, the game continued, and Kazakhstan, having leveled the score, won the match in overtime. The Kokpar final at the previous Nomad Games, hosted by Turkey, also ended with a marginal Kazakh victory in the derby between the long-standing rivals. However, unlike in 2022, this time the Kyrgyz national team did not accept defeat in silence. At the awards ceremony, the Kyrgyz team ripped off their silver medals, raised their country's flag, and defiantly left the arena.
“We knew it would be unfair, but not to this extent. The referees were swearing at us, and the police were beating our players," the Kyrgyz captain said. "A KNB (national security) officer came up to me, showed me his ID card, took my picture, and started to intimidate me, saying I was sowing discord between nations. The pressure was strong. After the scuffle, when the score was 3-1 in our favor, we were asked to leave the game. They said the refereeing would be fair... We didn't think the Kazakhstani side would allow such disorganization and injustice. If Kazakhstanis have pride, they won't celebrate such a victory.”
The press service of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee promptly denied the allegations, saying their officers were not involved in providing security for the Games. Tastanbek Yesentaev, the Chief Judge of the World Nomad Games in Astana, threatened the Kyrgyz team with a 2-3 year suspension from the competition for showing disrespect.
This statement only served to further inflame proceedings. At a briefing on September 16, four days after the final, Ramis Kudaibergenov, an expert on the Kyrgyz Kok-Boru Federation, stated that the Kazakh national team committed 14 gross violations of rules in the final of the Kokpar, and given a level playing field, the Kyrgyz team would have won 5-1.
“Everyone blames the referee, but the whole system is culpable. We prepared the players based on previous games, but there were so many infractions we didn't take into account. We were able to prove 14 gross violations of the rules [in normal time], which were caught on video. In Kyrgyzstan, there would be a huge scandal because of one such violation. In the first period, there were four gross violations; in the second - ten, and in overtime, one more. According to the rules of Kokpar, if a player violates the rules three times, he is suspended for the rest of the game, and his team plays a man down until the final whistle. We asked to change this rule, but our request was refused,” Kudaibergenov said.
[caption id="attachment_23353" align="aligncenter" width="1600"]
Image: TCA, K. Krombie[/caption]
Kokpar vs. Kok-Boru
The growing popularity of these ancient equestrian competitions has run practically in parallel in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan since the 1990s, when both republics gained their independence. Kyrgyzstan is considered the founder of the World Nomad Games; the first Games were held in 2014, and its participants competed in Kok-Boru. At the second Games, which Kyrgyzstan also hosted, in a Kok-boru match against Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz riders won with overwhelming force - 15-3 - but in the same competition, a Kazakhstani player collided with a Kyrgyz opponent and suffered a head injury.
In 2017, the Kazakhstan Kokpar Federation proposed changing the rules of these competitions to reduce the rate of injuries. Since then, the confrontation between the federations representing Kokpar and Kok-Boru has steadily increased.
Since the two sports are similar, differences in the rules are nuanced. The common Turkic name, "Kok-Boru" translates as “gray wolf.” Legend tells how ancient nomads noticed that wolves, having killed a sheep, took its head to the their cubs, who they played with it. People began to call this a "game of wolves," so gradually, the name "Kok-Boru" was born.
In Kokpar, riders are divided into two teams and fight over the carcass of a goat. In the past, competitors from one aul (village) riding at full gallop would attempt to fight off their rivals and carry the prize back to their aul. In the modern version, the aim of players is to carry and throw the carcass into the kazandyk (gate or goal) of the opposing team, represented by a three-meter circle on the ground.
In official Kokpar competitions, which Kazakhstan created, there are clear standards. A team usually consists of ten players, but there are four riders from each team on the field at any given time. Instead of a goat carcass, a dummy version (serke) weighing about 33 kilograms is used, with the game taking place on a field of a specific size, similar to a soccer field.
Kok-Boru, by contrast, can have a larger number of participants, and the game is played in a less regulated format. Instead of circles on the ground, Kok-Boru uses tai-kazan or pits. Another significant difference is that Kokpar competitions last for two periods of 20 minutes, whilst in Kok-Boru there are three periods of 20 minutes.
[caption id="attachment_23354" align="aligncenter" width="1621"]
Image: TCA, Ilyas Otan[/caption]
Confrontation of traditions
In 2017, when the Kazakh federation proposed standardizing the rules of Kokpar, the Kyrgyz side said that the Kazakhstan had invented a new game, the rules of which it did not agree with. In the same year, the first scandal occurred when the Kazakhs, who hosted the first World Kokpar Championship in Astana, demanded that the Kyrgyz national team play against Mongolia on steeds without horseshoes. This was supposedly to avoid high injury rates.
The dispute had to be settled by diplomats. In that championship, Kazakhstan defeated Kyrgyzstan 4-2.
At the 2018 Nomad Games, the Kazakh national team almost withdrew from the competition altogether, as the hosts, Kyrgyzstan, left tai-kazans on the field, which the Kazakhs considered a grave insult. After agreeing to participate, Kazakhstan's national team lost in the semi-final to Uzbekistan.
In 2019, Astana summoned the World Kokpar Association, which approves the international rules of the game. Representatives from Kyrgyzstan were absent from this meeting and later reported that the new rules did not concern them as they would remain true to the traditions of Kok-Boru.
The result was that due to the intractability of the two federations — Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan — at the 5th World Nomad Games competitions were held in both Kokpar and Kok-Boru, with Kazakhstan winning the Kokpar 5-4, and Kyrgyzstan the Kok-Boru, 10-4.
Following the dispute, on September 16, the Kyrgyz Federation offered the Kazakhstani team a rematch as part of the Consent Cup on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, the venue for the first three iterations of the World Nomad Games. The next day, Kazakhstani journalist and blogger Aslan Kazhenov said there would be no rematch, referring to specialists supervising this area and noting that the Kyrgyz national team could not accept their defeat with grace.
The confrontation between the Kazakhstani Federation of Kokpar and the Kyrgyzstani Federation of Kok-Boru has, therefore, reached an impasse. The situation is so stymied that Maksat Chaki, one of the creators of the World Nomad Games, has proposed excluding these two competitions altogether. “The reason is not in Kok-Boru, Kokpar, or even athletes and fans," Chaki wrote on social media. "The reason is the federations themselves and the consequences of their actions. The Kokpar and Kok-Boru federations have shown that they are unfit to organize international-level matches and even more so in international platforms like the World Nomad Games."
The 5th World Nomad Games brought together more than 3,000 participants from 89 countries competing for 581 medals across 21 sports, with a prize fund of 250 million tenge ($521,000). Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports stated that tens of thousands of foreign tourists had attended the Games, which helped “showcase Kazakhstan’s cultural and sports heritage to a global audience, significantly boosting interest in tourism to the country.”
Kyrgyz Authorities Urge Migrants to Return Home From Russia
Kyrgyzstan's presidential spokesperson Askat Alagozov has urged Kyrgyz citizens who have gone to work in Russia to return and work at home. However, only some people share the government's position on the issue. Alagozov noted that the country desperately needs construction and textile workers. “Of course, the salary you expect will be the same as what you get in Russia. But, most importantly, it is better to work in your homeland and near your family. Come and work in your own country,” Alagozov wrote on social media. Alagozov published the Ministry of Labor and Social Development hotline number, where citizens can get help with employment. In comments to the post, citizens noted that salaries in Russia are higher than in Kyrgyzstan. A migrant in Russia receives an average of 80 to 200 thousand KGS ($950 - 2,350), while in Kyrgyzstan, the average salary is 30 to 50 thousand KGS ($350 - 600). “90% of Kyrgyz migrate to buy an apartment. Working here [in Kyrgyzstan], it is impossible to buy a house. The most important factor is migrants' need for housing,” one of Alagozov's followers said. As of August 1, 57,500 unemployed citizens were registered at the labor exchange. According to the National Statistical Committee, registered unemployment decreased by 21% over the past year. The Ministry of Labor and Social Development also claims that more than 230,000 citizens across the country have been employed over the past few years, while 58,000 have received vocational training. Meanwhile, workers registered at the labor exchange told The Times of Central Asia that the Kyrgyz labor market is not as good as the authorities make it out to be. To earn money, people have to take any job offered. “We are standing here on Lev Tolstoy Street, and everyone in Bishkek knows you can find workers if you come here. People here take on any work: construction and landscaping, concrete work, unloading, and transport work,” said a construction worker named Ulukbek. Permanent work is hard to find in the city, he said. “I can earn 1,500-2,000 KGS (US $18) daily, but not always, and sometimes you don't make any money. There is a mafia here; no one will give you a good job for nothing. There is massive competition in the warm seasons. In summer, people stand on both sides of the road, and there is more business to be had,” Ulukbek explained. Talk of a shortage of qualified construction workers in Kyrgyzstan began during the recent construction boom.
Rejuvenating Kyrgyzstan’s Traditional Performing Arts: Razia Syrdybaeva on the Ustatshakirt Ensemble
On August 13, Kyrgyzstan’s Ustatshakirt Ensemble, a five-piece group of traditional musicians, gave its first ever performance at Edinburgh’s International Festival.
Following a mesmerizing, sell- out concert, Kyrgyz author Shahsanem Murray spoke on behalf of TCA, to musicologist Razia Syrdybaeva about Ustatshakirt , its origins, aims and future plans.
[caption id="attachment_23314" align="aligncenter" width="1665"]
Photo: TCA Razia Syrdybaeva and the Ustatshakirt Ensemble[/caption]
TCA: Razia, please tell us a little about yourself and the Ustatshakirt Ensemble.
I am a musicologist, producer, and researcher of Kyrgyz culture, and hold a PhD in Philology. Twenty years ago, I established Ustatshakirt; an NGO educational organization with a mission to preserve Kyrgyzstan’s centuries-old musical heritage.
The name Ustatshakrit - Ustat meaning master, and shakirt, student - embodies our aim to serve as a bridge between old masters and young musicians.
Founded in 2003, with support from the Aga Khan Music Programme (AKA) the Ustatshakrit Center now has branches offering tuition in music, literature, and theatre to pupils in 41 primary & secondary schools across Kyrgyzstan.
Over the past twenty years, through the development of faster and more effective methodology, we have taught over 10,000 children to play traditional Kyrgyz instruments such as the komuz and temir ooz komuz. We also provide tuition in other performing art forms including basic theater skills in our ‘dramalab’, and singing epics.
The key goal of our work is to introduce children to their native music and help them appreciate and fall in love with their ancient culture. This is very important, especially in the present climate where exposed to external influences and technology, young people are increasingly moving away from their roots, their native language, and music. Attracted by modern rhythms and gadgets, they have little time and few opportunities to listen to their ancestral music.
To more effectively engage both our pupils and audiences, we are constantly implementing the development of special methodological textbooks, music notation programs, etc. Authored by our teachers, musicians and prominent figures in the Arts, our now comprehensive collection of publications is used by Kyrgyzstan’s music educational institutions, from children's art schools to universities and conservatories.
TCA: Concerts of traditional Kyrgyz music accompanied by excerpts from the great Manas epic are rarely performed in the UK, and especially, Scotland. What challenges did you face in securing a venue at the Edinburgh Festival?
We heard about the festival several years ago. Getting to Edinburgh involved a lot of planning and expense and was only made possible thanks to the generous support of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the Aga Khan Music Program and its director Fairouz Nishanova, and our sponsors Sir Ewan & Lady Brown together with Flure Gossart.
Work on repertoires for international audiences has now been ongoing for two years, and over many months prior to playing at Edinburgh, we focused on creating a program that would embrace the rich traditions of Kyrgyzstan’s music and culture.
TCA: What were your impressions of the Edinburgh audience?
We were all delighted by the high level of interest expressed by the Scottish audience. We quickly realized that we have a lot in common with your culture and your strong relationship with the natural environment.
Much of Scotland’s musical culture is characterized by ballads, and Kyrgyz epics, the cornerstone of which is the heroic trilogy Manas-Semetey-Seitek, have long been presented in songs.
TCA: Manas is a legendary character; a beloved hero and symbol of the Kyrgyz people and their country. The concert included a powerful, almost hypnotic, oration of excerpts from Manas. Please tell us more about the traditional role of the manachy and the group’s five musicians.
Historically, the story of Manas – recognized as the world’s longest epic spanning over 500,000 lines - is presented from memory by a highly revered manachy as a solo performance, sometimes over several days, without instrumental accompaniment.
The excerpt selected for Edinburgh, one of the most popular and dramatic, tells how Manas’ widow Kanykei watches a horse race with baited breath. If Manas’ horse wins, she will be able to reveal to Semetey that she is his mother, the great Manas is his father, and his true homeland is the Kyrgyz land of Talas. The horse comes first, and Semetey grows up to be a worthy successor to his father.
Despite its narration in Kyrgyz and the fact that many of the audience were unfamiliar with the story, we endeavoured to capture the mounting excitement of the race in the musical palette, fast-paced rhythms and melodious chants.
Our manachy, Samat Kochorbaev came to Ustatshakrit as a student 15 years ago and today, is an Honored Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic and famous performer of epics.
Bek Alagushov is a hereditary komuzchu and a laureate of many international competitions, who like other members of the ensemble, also plays several other musical instruments.
Erlan Kasabolotov, who likewise comes from a long line of musicians, studied at Ustatshakrit from the age of ten, and is now a master of traditional wind instruments such as the Sybyzgy , an end-blown flute.
Emil Ishen, whose parents are professional musicians, also came to us in early childhood and plays the komuz and kyl kyyak amongst other instruments.
The pride of the ensemble is Makhabat Kobogonova; an award-winning musician and participant in the international project Qyrk kyz. Makhabat plays the kyl kyyak, (two-stringed fiddle), zhygach ooz komuz, and the temir komuz (jaw harp). She graduated from the conservatory in classical guitar and alongside performing, teaches music.
TCA: The concert was followed by a Q&A session. What aspects most interested the audience?
Apart from the instruments themselves, a lot of interest was expressed in our costumes. Traditionally, the northern nomadic Kyrgyz did not wear flashy colors. Our costumes somehow reflect our repertoire and convey our traditional values regarding ecology, modesty, and a careful attitude towards resources.
TCA: What does the future hold?
The Ustatshakirt Center’s musicians are constantly on the move. Over the course of twenty years, we have played to thunderous applause in large concert halls, theatres, medieval castles, and summer pastures in around forty countries across four continents.
In tandem with performances, we continue to develop and expand our educational work.
We would love to take our music to America but again, that will require a lot of planning and fundraising
TCA: Will we see you next year in Edinburgh or even in Glasgow during ‘Celtic Connections’?
Although our visit to Edinburgh was short, we managed a tour of the city and were impressed by what we saw. We would very much like to return to Scotland and spend more time getting to know its festivals’ musical genres and artistes.
All we need is an invitation!
Sunkar Podcast
Kazakhstan’s Return to Nuclear Power
