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TASHKENT (TCA) — City police in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent are rejecting claims that dozens of men with beards were detained and forced to shave because they were practicing Muslims, saying the men were held during a raid to find suspects selling stolen mobile phones, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported.
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BISHKEK (TCA) — Former Kyrgyz Deputy Interior Minister Kursan Asanov, who personally negotiated former President Almazbek Atambayev’s surrender after a deadly two-day standoff earlier in August, has been placed under house arrest, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported.
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DUSHANBE (TCA) — The largest importers of Tajikistan goods are Turkey, Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan, Avesta news agency reported.
According to the Tajik Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Turkey accounts for 21.4 percent of Tajikistan’s total exports.
Switzerland accounts for 19.4 percent of the total export.
These two countries mainly import Tajik primary aluminum, gold, and cotton fiber.
In January-July 2019, Tajikistan’s trade with Turkey amounted to US $220.3 million, including $137 million worth of goods exported from Tajikistan.
During this period, Tajikistan’s trade with Switzerland amounted to $131.4 million, including $124.6 million worth of goods exported from Tajikistan.
However, Russia remains the largest trading partner of Tajikistan, with Tajik-Russian trade totaling $570 million in January-July.
Tajikistan’s main export items are primary aluminum, cotton fiber, gold and silver, and dried fruits.
During this period, Tajikistan mainly imported from Russia (29.6 percent of the total imports), Kazakhstan (21.9 percent), and China (17.2 percent).
In January-July, Tajikistan’s exports amounted to $641.5 million and imports exceeded $1.8 billion.
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NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — The Government of Kazakhstan on August 27 approved the Forecast for the Socio-Economic Development of the Country until 2024, the press service of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported.
The Minister of National Economy Ruslan Dalenov presented the document.
In his words, depending on changes in external parameters, three possible scenarios for the development of the economy of Kazakhstan were considered. The base scenario assumes an oil price of $55 per barrel. Real GDP growth is projected at 4.1% in 2020. In 2024, it will reach 4.7%. The average annual GDP growth rate over 5 years will be 4.4%.
“Investments will become a significant factor in maintaining economic growth,” Dalenov emphasized.
In the context of industry, the main growth will be in the non-oil sector. This is manufacturing, services and construction. The average growth of these industries will be at the level of 4.7%.
Oil production in Kazakhstan will increase from 90 million tons in 2020 to 100 million tons in 2024. The increase in production will be due to the expansion of the Tengiz, Karachaganak, and Kashagan fields and the commissioning of offshore fields.
Nominal GDP will amount to 75 trillion tenge in 2020, and in 2024 — 106 trillion tenge.
GDP per capita will be $10.5 thousand in 2020, with an increase to $14.3 thousand in 2024.
Exports will grow at an average rate of 2.9%, reaching $63 billion in 2024. The average annual import growth will be at the level of 2.5%, amounting to $37 billion in 2024.
The Chairman of the National Bank Erbolat Dossaev said that the main goal of the National Bank is to maintain inflation in the range of 4-6% in 2019-2021, with a subsequent decrease to 3-5% in 2022-2024.
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ASHGABAT (TCA) — President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov on August 27 held talks with President of Singapore Halimah Yacob with the participation of government delegations of the two countries, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan reported.
The Turkmen leader was on a state visit to the Southeast Asian country on August 26-27.
During the talks, cooperation in the spheres of trade and economy, including the fuel and energy sector, the chemical and textile industries, transport and communications was specified among the priority areas of collaboration. In this regard, the parties called for the increase and diversification of bilateral trade.
Joint intergovernmental structures, as well as business councils will play an important role in Turkmen-Singaporean cooperation. In this regard, the head of Turkmenistan focused on the possibility to establish mechanisms for promoting trade and economic relations, in particular organization of business forums, exhibitions, and expert meetings on a regular basis.
Berdymukhammedov proposed to hold the next Turkmenistan-Singapore business forum in Ashgabat.
There are good opportunities for cooperation in the tourism industry. Turkmenistan welcomes cooperation with Singaporean partners in the frames of the project on the development of the Avaza National tourism zone on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea.
President Berdymukhammedov invited President Halimah Yacob to pay a return visit to Turkmenistan at any time convenient for her.
On the same day, the Turkmen president held a meeting with Singapore’s businesspeople and heads of leading companies in Singapore.
“We heard a lot about the ‘Singaporean economic miracle’, which in a short time transformed Singapore into one of the most developed countries in the world,” said the President of Turkmenistan, emphasizing that one of the main goals of his visit to this country was to establish and develop mutually beneficial ties in the spheres of trade and economy.
“We consider Singapore as one of the promising trade and economic partners of Turkmenistan,” Berdymukhammedov said. “Last year, the volume of trade between the two countries amounted to 102.8 million US dollars. As of July 1, 2019, 6 investment projects with the participation of Singaporean companies and 5 enterprises with the participation of Singaporean capital have been registered in Turkmenistan.”
The president of Turkmenistan expressed confidence that the agreements achieved during the first Turkmenistan-Singapore business forum on August 26 would provide a platform for further productive joint work.
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ASHGABAT (TCA) — Police in Turkmenistan’s eastern region of Lebap are detaining people who are standing in long lines at ATMs, desperately to try to get money amid cash shortages in the gas-rich Central Asian country, RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service reported on August 27.
