KABUL (TCA) — The Taliban group in Afghanistan has issued a statement for the Central Asian countries amid concerns that the ongoing violence in Afghanistan could destabilize the region, Afghanistan’s KHAAMA PRESS news agency reported on July 18.
BISHKEK (TCA) — Kyrgyzstan’s Dastan agricultural company, with the support from the Single-Window Center in Foreign Trade under the Economy Ministry of Kyrgyzstan, in June concluded a contract with large Russian wholesale company Agrostar for the delivery of Kyrgyz fruit and vegetables to Russia.
BISHKEK (TCA) — Continued soft commodity prices and the recession in Russia have further dampened the growth outlook for Central Asia, with the earlier 2016 forecast of 2.1% trimmed to 1.7%, and 2017 cut to 2.7% from 2.8%. The slump in revenues from hydrocarbon exports are affecting fiscal consolidation efforts in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, while lower remittances, particularly from Russia, continue to hurt domestic consumption in the Central Asia region, says a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) report.
DUSHANBE (TCA) — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a local currency loan of up to US $2 million equivalent to the Tajik microfinance institution Arvand for on-lending for local micro and small enterprises (MSMEs). This loan is a part of a larger financing package approved for Arvand which also includes an agricultural component, the EBRD said.
ALMATY (TCA) — Kazakh authorities say they believe they have captured the lone gunman in multiple attacks that President Nursultan Nazarbayev described as a “terrorist act,” which targeted police and left seven people dead and eight others injured in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, on July 18, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported.
ALMATY (TCA) — A “red” alert has been issued for Kazakhstan’s commercial capital, Almaty, after gunmen attacked a police station on July 18, killing at least three officers and wounding several others, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reports.
