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BISHKEK (TCA) — The lower debt-to-GDP ratio, the better for a country’s economy. The level of external debt is among the most important competitiveness indicators, which shows how well a country copes with debt without harm to its financial system. Continue reading
BISHKEK (TCA) — The Publisher’s note: Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Central Asia was the scene of intense geopolitical struggle and the Great Game between the British and Russian Empires, and later between the Soviet Union and the West, over Afghanistan and neighboring territories. Into the 21st century, Central Asia has become the area of a renewed geopolitical interest, dubbed the New Great Game, largely based on the region’s hydrocarbon and mineral wealth. On top of that, the region now is perhaps the most important node in the implementation of China’s One Belt, One Road initiative through which Beijing aims to get direct access to Western markets. Every week thousands of news appears in the world’s printed and online media and many of them may escape the attention of busy readers. At The Times of Central Asia, we strongly believe that more information can better contribute to peaceful development and better knowledge of this unique region. So we are presenting this Weekly Digest which compiles what other media have reported on Central Asia over the past week. KAZAKHSTAN Loan Loophole Saved Central Bank Head From Kazakh Debt Claim Plagued by risky lending and poor debt collection, Kazakhstan’s banking sector has gone through a decade-long slump that has cost the state at least $18 billion in bailouts March 12 — “The new chief of Kazakhstan’s central bank dodged a debt claim in 2014 thanks to a legal system that’s failed to protect lenders from rampant defaults and repeated crises. In 2014, Erbolat Dossaev and three business partners were given a reprieve on repaying 1.9 billion tenge, then worth $13 million, that they’d personally guaranteed to the central Asian country’s biggest bank at the time.” READ MORE: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-12/new-kazakh-central-bank-head-saved-from-debt-claim-by-loophole Kazakhstan at the Crossroads Political instability could open the door for either Beijing or Moscow to expand their influence on Kazakhstan March 13 — “Imagine a region with energy resources that could help break Western Europe’s dangerous dependence on Russian oil and gas. Now imagine that Russia has revisionist ambitions for that same region; China is already expanding its economic influence there; extremism is on the rise . . . and U.S. policymakers are pretty much ignoring it.” READ MORE: https://nationalinterest.org/feature/kazakhstan-crossroads-47407 Kazakh activist decries official pressure in China spat The detained activist is a spoiler to Kazakhstan’s relations with China March 14 — “A prominent activist from Kazakhstan who is campaigning for the release of ethnic Kazakhs in China says he was forced to sign blank documents while under house arrest. Serikzhan Bilash, head of the advocacy group Atajurt, was accused of “inciting ethnic hatred” and placed under house arrest in the Kazakh capital of Astana earlier this week, although the charges against him have not been officially announced.” READ MORE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/kazakh-activist-complains-of-pressure-by-authorities/2019/03/14/4cb9f6cc-4637-11e9-94ab-d2dda3c0df52_story.html?utm_term=.1648af869259 Kazakhstan: System marginalizes children with disabilities, report finds Rights watchdog says a state body tasked with helping disabled children is instead serving as a barrier to inclusivity March 14 — “Kazakhstan’s education system is failing children with disabilities by dooming them to...
ASTANA (TCA) — Russia has extradited a Kazakh businessman to Astana, where he is wanted on financial-fraud charges that his lawyers say are untrue, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. Continue reading
DUSHANBE (TCA) — Investing in early childhood development is critical to boosting Tajikistan’s human capital and future labor force productivity, said experts at an international workshop in Dushanbe on March 14. With the youngest and fastest growing population in Central Asia, it is important for Tajikistan to ensure that all children are well-nourished and intellectually stimulated, both at home and at school, so they can become productive adults in an increasingly competitive and integrated global economy, the World Bank reported. Continue reading
KABUL (TCA) — The University of Central Asia (UCA) celebrated the achievements of 22 Afghan civil servants who were awarded an Executive Masters in Economic Policy (EMEP) at a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan on 10 March. Over 40% of graduates are women. The EMEP programme was delivered by the UCA’s Institute of Public Policy and Administration (IPPA), based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which is part of the Graduate School of Development. Continue reading
ASHGABAT (TCA) — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan on March 14 inaugurated and officially opened Hil Standart’s Microbiology Laboratory, the first private sector food safety laboratory in Turkmenistan, the US Embassy in Ashgabat said in a press release. Continue reading
