BISHKEK (TCA) — All said, nothing done. Yes – the Aral Sea must be restored; no – not at our expense. This was roughly the goodbye message Kyrgyzstan gave to one of the (many) paper tigers bearing the banner of Aral preservation before slamming the door.
ASTANA (TCA) — A ground-breaking ceremony was held for construction of a solar power plant in the village of Kabanbai Batyr in the Akmola province, some 30 kilometers from Kazakhstan’s capital city, Astana, Novosti-Kazakhstan news agency reported.
ASTANA (TCA) — Last year trade between Kazakhstan and Italy fell by 45 percent due to a decrease in Kazakh exports mainly caused by low oil prices, said Acting Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of Kazakhstan Ruslan Sultanov, the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan reported.
TASHKENT (TCA) — The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on May 24 approved a US $20 million IDA credit for the Modernization of Real Property Registration and Cadastre Project in Uzbekistan. The goal of the project is to improve the efficiency and accessibility of the real property registry and cadastre system as part of the national e-Government structure and services, the World Bank said.
ASTANA (TCA) — Kazakhstan faces new challenges due to the decline in commodity prices and the slowdown of key regional economies. The Kazakh authorities have taken steps to address these challenges, notably floating the tenge, which will help the economy adjust. Going forward, it will be important to modernize policy frameworks, create more efficient and transparent institutions, and deepen Kazakhstan’s into regional and global markets, Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said in her statement on May 24 at the conclusion of her visit to Kazakhstan.
BISHKEK (TCA) — The death of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mansour, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan on May 21, reduces the likelihood of Afghan peace talks in six-month outlook, according to the new analysis on the event and its implications, prepared by Omar Hamid, Head of Asia Analysis, IHS Country Risk.
