ASTANA (TCA) — As part of his working trip to Almaty on December 21, Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev visited a number of infrastructure facilities to see the development of the tourist potential of the city: the Almaty-2 railway station and the Visit Almaty tourist hub. A presentation of the new Carsharing service also took place in Almaty, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported.

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TASHKENT (TCA) — Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan aim to launch a program dubbed Silk Visa, which will allow foreigners with visas issued by either of the two countries to travel in both Central Asian republics, RFE/RL reported citing an Uzbek official.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — This week, the local media reported that the State Financial Intelligence Service (FIS) of Kyrgyzstan requested all commercial banks of the country to provide data on customers’ accounts and cells.

On December 18, the 24.kg news agency posted a letter to commercial banks, dated December 10 and signed by FIS Chairman Gulamjan Anarbaev. The letter stated that in line with the law “On Counteracting the Financing of Terrorist Activities and Legalization (Laundering) of Criminal Proceeds”, all commercial banks should provide data on their customers’ accounts and cells. The deadline was December 17, but none of the banks has provided this information so far.

The Union of Banks of Kyrgyzstan was the first one to respond.

The head of the Union of Banks, Anvar Abdraev, told the media that, having discussed the situation, leaders and lawyers of the banks concluded that this requirement is contrary to the Constitution and legislation of Kyrgyzstan, and would negatively affects the image of the country’s banking system and the transition to a system of cashless payments. The FIS actions are illegal and harmful to the investment attractiveness of Kyrgyzstan, the Union of Banks concluded.

Officials’ opinion

All information on bank cells and accounts of citizens is an integral part of bank secrecy and should be protected. It can be disclosed only by a court decision or with bank customers’ own consent, Chairman of the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan Tolkunbek Abdygulov told 24.kg news agency on December 20. Decrease in public confidence in the banking system may lead to an outflow of deposits from commercial banks, he added.

Trust in the banking system has been forming for decades. The banking sector is quite sensitive and vulnerable to all sorts of information, Abdygulov said.

Violation of banking secrecy can cause as much damage to the economy as corruption, the Economy Ministry stated on its website, commenting the FIS actions. Such requirements are already affecting the investment climate in the country and industries sensitive to changes in the financial sector, the ministry said.

The disclosure of banking information should be carried out in accordance with the law, if there are relevant criminal cases and a court decision.

If this measure is aimed at eradicating corruption among public servants, then amendments to the relevant laws should be made, the Economy Ministry stated.

At the same time, Economy Minister Oleg Pankratov agreed to provide information about his bank accounts and cells for the entire period of his work in the public service.

Lawyers see many risks

In accordance with the law, the Financial Intelligence Service is charged with collecting and storing reports on suspicious financial transactions for money laundering, and the FIS has the right to request information and documents, including banking, commercial or other secrets, said the Adilet Legal Clinic headed by Cholpon Jakupova, a well-known lawyer, human rights activist and ex-MP.

However, in this particular case, the FIS has clearly gone beyond its authority.

First, according to Article 9 of the Law “On Counteracting the Financing of Terrorist Activities and Legalization (Laundering) of Criminal Proceeds”, the procedure for providing information and documents to the FIS shall be approved by the Government. However, the FIS required information from banks according to Form No. 3 approved by its own order.

Second, Article 131 of the Law outlines the requirements for a request for the provision of information constituting banking secrecy. The request should be related to a specific person. But in this case, the FIS requires total information related to all individuals without any reason.

Third, the FIS refers to the OECD’s (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) 43rd recommendation. However, this recommendation does not mention bank cells. In fact, the FIS has gone beyond the recommendation and, arbitrarily interpreting, uses it for its own purposes, Adilet said.

Besides distrust towards the banking system of Kyrgyzstan, there will also be a risk of using banking information for personal gain by law enforcement agencies including pressure, blackmail and extortion against citizens and businesspeople who use bank accounts and cells, the lawyers concluded.

Bill approved hastily

The Financial Intelligence Service has authority over its initiative, MP Dastan Bekeshev believes. “Unfortunately, the parliament endowed it with such a right,” he told VB.KG news agency.

When MPs discussed this bill in June, its authors assured that data on bank accounts will be requested only for those who are at risk, arrested on charges of illegal enrichment. But the words are gone with the deeds, the MP concluded.

The law provides for the creation of a list of high-risk groups, individuals and countries. All banks, pawnshops, realtors, exchange bureaus, NPOs, individuals, and legal entities that make financial transactions with the listed ones should immediately report to the Financial Intelligence Service.

The FIS asked the MPs to approve the bill in an extraordinary order, explaining the risk for the country to be included in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list.

Financial Action Task Force is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering and terror financing. As of 2018, there are 37 members including the European Commission and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

FATF has two types of lists — the black list and the grey list. Black list is given to countries that FATF considers as uncooperative “tax havens” (offshore financial centers). These countries are known as Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs).

Grey list is a warning given to a country that it might be included in the black list (just like a yellow card in a soccer match). Countries on the grey list face problems with getting loans and may suffer from economic sanctions.

After quick discussion, the Kyrgyz Parliament almost unanimously approved the bill on June 28, 2018. Only three MPs opposed, including Bekeshev.

Not to get back into the FATF grey list

“We want to get background information on the owners of banking cells and accounts to create a centralized database, but not to carry out any unlawful actions,” Chairman of the State Financial Intelligence Service Gulamjan Anarbayev said at a press conference in Bishkek on December 21.

The FIS did not request the information on the amount of deposits and the contents of depositors’ cells from commercial banks, he said. The FIS will require full information about the financial transactions if there is a suspicion that an entity or a person is engaged in money laundering or financing of terrorist organizations, or in corruption, Anarbayev added.

As a member of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG), Kyrgyzstan is obliged to comply with its standards. The EAG is intensively monitoring Kyrgyzstan, with only one year given to improve the situation, the FIS said.

Kyrgyzstan is also a party to the UN Convention against Corruption and should have a fast account tracking mechanism. Financial crimes occur mostly with the use of financial institutions, and it is difficult to track them quickly, the FIS said.

To create a centralized register, the FIS approved the form #3 and sent requests to banks to fill it, he added. For individuals, it is a full name, identification number, and account or cell number. For legal entities, the banks should provide information on the names and TIN (taxpayer identification number).

According to the FIS, the most important task for Kyrgyzstan is not to get back into the FATF sanctions list. From 2012 to 2014, the country was on the FATF gray list.

The FIS acknowledged that there is a conflict in the law regarding the provision of data by commercial banks to the State Financial Intelligence Service. In the near future, the FIS intends to discuss the issue with the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan and commercial banks.

TASHKENT (TCA) — Uzbekistan has so far taken some steps towards economic and political liberalization, but much is yet to be done on the country’s way to real democracy and economic success. We are republishing this article on the issue, originally published by Eurasianet:

For its first 25 years of independence, Uzbekistan was a spiky creature.

It mostly shunned multinational blocs, engaged only cautiously with large partners and was outright hostile to its neighbors. Inside the country, authorities terrified the population into submission.

The death of the tyrant Islam Karimov in September 2016 marked a turning point of sorts. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who was formally inaugurated in December 2016, has hung an “open for business” sign on Uzbekistan’s door to the outside world and sought better relations with all neighbors. Progress inside the country has been more halting – there is still no real evidence the government is intent on adopting root-and-branch political reforms.

The ratings battle

Late last month, Finance Minister Jamshid Kuchkarov declared during a presentation on planned structural reforms for 2019-2021 that Uzbekistan intended to obtain a sovereign rating by the year’s end. Kuchkarov said the government was in talks with Fitch, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s to that end.

“Of course they are not revealing what evaluation they will provide,” the minister was quoted as saying by Gazeta.uz. “We have objective minuses and objective pluses.”
The ambition outlined by Kuchkarov was for Uzbekistan to make a foray into the debt market by early 2019. When this happens, it will arguably mark a capstone to the domestic economic reforms enacted by Mirziyoyev so far.

Yuliy Yusupov, an economist who has been a prolific commentator on the reform agenda, points to several developments he finds to have been particularly revolutionary. Changes to the tax and customs systems, the simplification of the visa regime and efforts to develop the digital economy are some.

“But the most important change in the economy has been monetary liberalization. We haven’t had [currency] convertibility for a long time. Now enterprises can easily buy cash for export-import operations. The old economic model was hogtied in the absence of convertibility,” Yusupov told Eurasianet.

The inevitable reverse side of this wave of liberalization has been the soaring price for everyday staples, from food to gas. According to Minsk-based economic news portal BelaPAN, which studied data from all the countries in question, Uzbekistan ranked first among former Soviet republics for inflation between January and October. The figure for Uzbekistan was 9.5 percent. The only other nation to come close was Ukraine, at 7.4 percent.

In a generally rosy evaluation of reforms made to date, a group of specialists from the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation earlier this week nonetheless identified four areas crimping development.

The private sector is not creating enough work and too many are still forced to go abroad for jobs, the specialists said. There is a gap where there should be medium-sized, fast-growing companies, so “most jobs are in agriculture and services, and state-owned enterprises dominate the formal sector.” Weak export competitiveness represents a missed opportunity just as the appetite of Asia’s consumer class is on the ascendancy. And energy waste in Uzbekistan is both economically and environmentally harmful.

Rights and wrongs

France-based political analyst Kamoliddin Rabbimov is gloomy about the country’s prospects. As far as ordinary Uzbeks are concerned, he argues, reforms have led to an increase in the cost of living and produced little by way of practical benefits. In the meantime, Mirziyoyev has tiptoed around the thorny matter of political reforms.

“In his speeches, this new president makes little use of terms like democracy, human rights and public oversight. It is likely that Mirziyoyev does not want to resemble his predecessor in this regard. The more Karimov would speak about democracy, the harsher his dictatorship would become,” Rabbimov told Eurasianet.

Mirziyoyev’s tenure certainly began on the right track. As Human Rights Watch, or HRW, has documented, the government has so far released 35 people jailed on political grounds. The most eye-catching gesture of this type was among the first. In February 2017, Muhammad Bekjanov, a political journalist who is also the brother of a well-known exiled dissident, was allowed out of prison after serving 18 years.

Many more need to be released until this softening can appear credible, however. And HRW argues that systemic changes are also needed to ensure the law is not exploited to target politically incommodious figures.

“The government should […] amend vague and over-broad criminal code provisions relating to extremism that are commonly used to criminalize dissent […] and bring them into compliance with Uzbekistan’s international human rights obligations,” HRW said in a statement last month.

HRW researcher Steve Swerdlow has told Eurasianet that he believes the government needs to make more effort to ensure that security services, police and prosecutors are placed under further scrutiny from parliament and the media.

Authorities insist they are adopting practical steps toward the previous default criminalization of certain sections of the population. In remarks to journalists on December 19, the Prosecutor General insisted that the state’s blacklist of people suspected of harboring extremist religious views has been abolished.

“The recently adopted law on combating extremism testifies to how methods on preventing terrorism and extremism are changing, and that the emphasis is now being placed on prevention,” Deputy Prosecutor General Erkin Yuldashev was quoted as saying by RFE/RL.

Walking the tightrope

Looking at the bigger picture, it is evident that Uzbekistan remains at a standstill when it comes to reimagining governance.

“In the first months after his election, Mirziyoyev spoke about the need to elect governors at all levels and strengthen the role of political parties. He also spoke about the usefulness of the opposition. But two years later, the vertical of power is as unshakeable as it was under Karimov,” said Rabbimov.

Sebastian Schiek, a researcher at the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs, attributes this apparent rigidity to Uzbekistan’s decision to go down the path of smart authoritarianism – a form of rule that blends economically indispensable global engagement and soft repression.

“Becoming a smart autocracy and implementing economic reform […] will require both political reform and societal reform. The most difficult tasks will be to decentralize the political system, professionalize the state administration, create a new class of private economic entrepreneurs, and organize the relationship between the state and this entrepreneurial class,” Schiek wrote in emailed remarks to Eurasianet.

Schiek also explained that smart autocracies usually implement some kind of mechanism for civic participation. There is some slender evidence this is happening in Uzbekistan, although genuinely grassroots initiatives are few and typically ad hoc, and the government cannot quite shake the habit of trying to nurture an astroturf civil society.

The trajectory of Mirziyoyev’s time in charge so far speaks to a tightrope act that few nations have pulled off successfully.

“The best model would probably be Singapore, although this is hard to achieve economically and politically. The crucial factor for stability in Uzbekistan will be whether the government manages to develop the economy and create inclusive growth,” said Schiek.

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

Oil-rich Kazakhstan’s green transition

Kazakhstan pursues a strategy to help the country become more environmentally friendly and move away from its oil dependency

Dec 17 — “Nursultan Nazarbayev has been Kazakhstan’s one and only president since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Described by the leader as “a democracy that kept electing the same leader”, the country is guided by the principle of “economy first and then politics”. READ MORE: https://www.theneweconomy.com/strategy/oil-rich-kazakhstans-green-transition

Book Review | A long-awaited account of Kazakhstan’s famine

At least a quarter of Kazakhstan’s population died when Stalin decided the nomads must be settled in the 1930s

Dec 18 — ““Can you get to socialism by camel?” This question is chosen by academic Sarah Cameron as a chapter title in her newly published book on the famine that devastated Soviet Kazakhstan in the early 1930s. Sultanbek Khodzhanov, a Soviet Kazakh official later shot in Stalin’s purges, quipped during heated debates about how communism was to be implanted in a land roamed by nomads and their herds that “you can’t get to socialism by camel!” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/book-review-a-long-awaited-account-of-kazakhstans-famine

Has Kazakhstan forgotten about its Polygon test survivors?

The Kazakh government officially recognized 1,323,000 people as being negatively affected by Soviet-era nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Test Site

Dec 20 — “On a bright, bitterly cold day in early November, Aigul Suleimenova went home during her lunch break to check up on her daughter, Assee, who has a condition that weakens her nervous system. “She was born like that,” Aigul said. Assee, now 29, spends her days in a wheelchair and is under constant supervision.” READ MORE: http://www.wvxu.org/post/has-kazakhstan-forgotten-about-its-polygon-test-survivors#stream/0

Over 400 Kazakh Muslim Students Refused to Eat Pork in China, Get Locked in Freezer with Pig Carcasses

Authorities in China press on Uighur and other Muslim minorities in their country to denounce their religion

Dec 20 — “An independent US-based news site just revealed some shocking details about the condition more than 400 Kazakh Muslim students in Habahe and Burqin of Xinjiang, China were subjected to. According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), many of these poor students were detained by the Chinese authorities after staging a protest against a government order which required them to eat pork. Following that, the students’ whereabouts remained a mystery because the Chinese education ministry didn’t reveal the location of these students.” READ MORE: https://www.worldofbuzz.com/over-400-kazakh-muslim-students-refused-to-eat-pork-china-get-locked-in-freezer-with-pig-carcasses/

KYRGYZSTAN

Rough justice in Kyrgyzstan

96% of people who find themselves before a Kyrgyz court receive a guilty verdict and more than 75% of sentences in Kyrgyzstan involve real prison time or suspended sentences

Dec 18 — “Over New Year 2018, Rustam, 42, was arrested in south-east Bishkek by two police officers, who searched him in the presence of two witnesses and found a bag containing four grammes of hashish on him. In court, Rustam admitted to buying the drugs for personal use, but asked the judge not to give him a custodial sentence, as he was the sole breadwinner in his family — a married man with two children. He had no previous convictions and his colleagues and neighbours spoke well of him.” READ MORE: https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/anna-kapushenko-savia-hasanova/rough-justice-in-kyrgyzstan

How Muslim-Chinese Food Became a Culinary Star in Kyrgyzstan

Despite its enthusiastic consumption by locals, Ashlan Fu was brought to Kyrgyzstan by the Dungans, exiled Chinese Muslims who fled over the Tien Shan Mountains after a failed rebellion in 1877

Dec 18 — “Have you ever eaten Ashlan Fu?” Aman Janserkeev, a young Kyrgyz student, asks as he guides me through the city of Karakol. “It’s the best cure for a hangover.” Ashlan Fu, a soup mixed with Laghman and starch noodles, is one of the most popular dishes in Kyrgyzstan. Prepared with copious quantities of vinegar and chilli, alongside egg and diced vegetables, it’s extremely spicy and best served cold. Kyrgyz students love it for its low cost, and almost everyone else appreciates its supposed restorative qualities.” READ MORE: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-to-eat-kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan: Low-energy president ducks responsibilities

Jeenbekov is struggling to convince many he is the solution to Kyrgyzstan’s problems rather than part of them

Dec 20 — “The annual marathon end-of-year press conference with Kyrgyzstan’s president can normally be relied upon to produce useful news tidbits. Sooronbai Jeenbekov is no showman, however, so the December 19 event proved a low-wattage affair. The report for Jeenbekov’s first year in office is a mixed bag.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstan-low-energy-president-ducks-responsibilities

To Empower Women in Kyrgyzstan, Address Masculinity

In Kyrgyz society, women are often subject to domestic violence and the practice of bride kidnapping

Dec 21 — “Gender violence is a pervasive problem in Kyrgyzstan. A local NGO is trying to address it by working with men.” READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2018/12/to-empower-women-in-kyrgyzstan-address-masculinity/

TAJIKISTAN

Beaten But Not Broken: Tajik Bride Loses A Husband Over Impurity Allegations, Gains A Cause

In Tajikistan, a purity test is optional, but many future brides opt for it either at the groom’s behest or voluntarily to avoid potential scandal

Dec 15 — “Mastona Ato moved out of her village of Baljuvon in southern Tajikistan shortly after her new husband threw her out just two days after their wedding, accusing her of not being a virgin, a claim she vehemently rejects. “I felt like everybody was judging me,” Aso says. “My mother didn’t leave home for two months because she couldn’t face the gossip and neighbors’ disapproving looks.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/tajik-bride-loses-a-husband-over-impurity-allegations-gains-a-cause/29658217.html

Central Asia’s largest mosque expected to open in Dushanbe in August next year

The mosque will be able to accommodate up to 120,000 worshipers and will dwarf the Turkmenbashi mosque in neighboring Turkmenistan which can hold 10,000 people

Dec 20 — “Dushanbe’s Central Cathedral Mosque, which will be Central Asia’s largest mosque, is expected to officially open in August next year, Trend reports referring to news.tj. This US$100 million project has been implemented under direct control of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. The Persian Gulf kingdom of Qatar has reportedly put up 70 percent of the cost of the project, with Tajikistan raising the rest.” READ MORE: https://en.trend.az/casia/tajikistan/2996421.html

Tajikistan: Authorities double down on jihadist link to prison riot

There are still many uncertainties concerning a deadly riot that occurred in a Tajik prison last month

Dec 21 — “Officials in Tajikistan have divulged only the scantiest of details about what happened during a deadly prison riot last month, but the intent appears to be to write off the incident as a burst of jihadist-led violence. On December 21, Asia-Plus news agency cited an unnamed official with the prosecutor’s office in the northern Sughd region as saying that inmates at the Khujand prison performed Islamic funeral prayers before rising up against guards.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/tajikistan-authorities-double-down-on-jihadist-link-to-prison-riot

TURKMENISTAN

Turkmenistan opens new front on alcohol in health drive

The need to uphold health is a relentless mantra of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who has sought to set the example through his own sporting interests

Dec 14 — “Turkmenistan has adopted strict new rules on where and when alcohol can be sold as part of what the government says is an attempt to promote healthy living. The legislation, which was published in state newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan on December 10, details a long list of places in which it will from January be illegal to sell and consume beer, wine and spirits. Sale of the intoxicating goods will be forbidden altogether on national holidays.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/turkmenistan-opens-new-front-on-alcohol-in-health-drive

German engineering company files a lawsuit against Turkmenistan

International arbitration lawsuits have haunted Turkmenistan in recent years

Dec 17 — “The Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights (TIHR) reports the most recent information about the contracts for construction projects in Turkmenistan, which were concluded between the German Chemnitz-based engineering company Unionmatex Industrieanlagen GmbH and Turkmengallaonumleri Grain Products Association (GALLA) in 2008. The projects were to include the turnkey construction of five flourmills and two small shopping centers with integrated bakeries in several Turkmen localities.” READ MORE: https://en.hronikatm.com/2018/12/german-engineering-company-files-a-lawsuit-against-turkmenistan/

Turkmenistan: The weight of this sad time we must obey

In its ‘Akhal-Teke: A Turkmenistan Bulletin’, Eurasianet reviews the main news and events in the Central Asian country for the previous week

Dec 18 — “Turkmenistan’s official government website this week featured an article about a deluded leader whose demise is brought about by a sequence of capricious and arbitrary decisions. The piece describes this ruler as “drunk with illusions of omnipotence” and “expectant of submission and flattery.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/turkmenistan-the-weight-of-this-sad-time-we-must-obey

UZBEKISTAN

Bukhara: Spiritual crossroads of history and architecture

Bukhara features the most beautiful examples of Turkish-Islamic architecture with its magnificent mosques, high minarets, and caravanserais

Dec 15 — “Located in a large oasis in the Zarafshan River basin, Bukhara fascinates visitors with its deep-rooted history as well as its spiritual atmosphere. As you walk through the streets of the city that carry the traces of the past, it is possible to come across a precious piece of Islamic history and culture.” READ MORE: https://www.dailysabah.com/travel/2018/12/15/bukhara-spiritual-crossroads-of-history-and-architecture

How Uzbekistan is transforming into an open economy

World Bank and IFC executives on Uzbekistan’s reforms and economic development

Dec 20 — “Uzbekistan is in its second year of a wide-ranging market-oriented program of reforms. The government is making three fundamental shifts to the economy: from a command-and-control to a market-based economy; from a public sector-dominated to a private sector-driven economy; and from being inward-looking and isolationist to outward looking and open. These reforms are taking place amid growing external imbalances and a youth bulge that cannot be tackled without more jobs from the private sector.” READ MORE: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2018/12/20/how-uzbekistan-is-transforming-into-an-open-economy/

Migrant workers’ struggles push Uzbekistan to open up

Between two and three million of Uzbekistan’s more than 33 million people work abroad, mostly in Russia, to provide for their families back home

Dec 21 — “Maksud Mahmudov was among millions of Uzbeks who left their impoverished homeland as soon as they finished school to find work in Russia. In 2014, he and others came back as the Russian economy floundered, but it took two more years to find work. The 27-year-old now runs teams of builders for hire, taking advantage of a construction boom in his home city of Samarkand following a 2016 change of leadership in the Central Asian state, one of the world’s most tightly controlled countries.” READ MORE: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uzbekistan-economy-migrants/migrant-workers-struggles-push-uzbekistan-to-open-up-idUSKCN1OK0EX

Can Uzbekistan Become a Model Secular, Muslim-Majority State?

Uzbekistan has taken steps to liberalize the government’s policies concerning religion and the freedom of faith

Dec 21 — “Uzbekistan’s efforts to expand religious freedoms in the country have not gone unnoticed, but challenges remain.” READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2018/12/can-uzbekistan-become-a-model-secular-muslim-majority-state/

AFGHANISTAN

The Forgotten Afghan Province That Is A Key Taliban Stronghold

The Taliban contest or control most of Zabul province in Afghanistan, where government forces are under constant attack

Dec 16 — “The ancient fortress towering above Qalat, the capital of Afghanistan’s southern province of Zabul, overlooks swaths of desert and scrubland that stretch to the rugged mountains straddling the border with Pakistan. This barren, sparsely populated land has long been a backwater. But under the unwatchful eyes of the government and U.S.-led international forces, Zabul has become a major hub of Taliban support in Afghanistan, where the militants are waging a deadly 17-year insurgency.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/the-forgotten-afghan-province-that-became-taliban-country/29659327.html

Afghanistan and Pakistan clash over border fence

Kabul has long opposed Pakistan’s unilateral construction of a fence along the Durand Line along the country’s border with Afghanistan, rejecting Pakistan’s claims that the fence prevents militants and smugglers from slipping across the border

Dec 19 — “On October 15, Afghan and Pakistani security forces exchanged fire. Such incidents, which have claimed the lives of hundreds of border security personnel and others on both sides, have grown in frequency in recent years. The clashes are over Pakistan’s unilateral construction of a fence along the Durand Line. Pakistan says the fence will check armed militants moving between the two countries. Afghanistan, which has not accepted the Durand Line as its border with Pakistan, disagrees. The controversial fence is adding tension to an already fraught bilateral relationship.” READ MORE: https://timesca.com/index.php/news/26-opinion-head/20626-afghanistan-and-pakistan-clash-over-border-fence

The war in Afghanistan isn’t a ‘stalemate.’ The U.S. has lost

The most significant indicator of a war gone badly is that the U.S. has now quietly opened negotiations with the enemy, the op-ed author believes

Dec 19 — “With the sole exception of Vietnam, the ongoing Afghanistan war represents the greatest failure in U.S. military history. Today, all but a few diehards understand that Vietnam was a debacle of epic proportions. With Afghanistan, it’s different: In both political and military circles, the urge to dodge the truth remains strong.” READ MORE: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-bacevich-afghanistan-20181219-story.html

The Road towards Peace and Stability of Afghanistan

The new era of peace talks has been initiated after a violent period of war. The Taliban is in a strong position and bends US Grand Strategy in Afghanistan to be flexible for peace talks, a researcher says

Dec 20 — “Afghanistan is a state which is viciously suffering from Chaos and Instability. The people of Afghanistan have been in the anguish of Wars since long, in a recent decade, it is being estimated that around more than 10,000 innocent people have been killed. Consequently, religious and ethnic hatred has been increased. Adding more to injury, corrupt regimes has become the very reason for unemployment. The precious natural resources are being plundered by the external forces.” READ MORE: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2018/12/20/the-road-towards-peace-and-stability-of-afghanistan/

WORLD

Central Asia: Who benefits from labor migration?

Labor migration benefits both Central Asian countries whose economies are dependent on migrants’ remittances and the recipient countries — mainly Russia

Dec 16 — “External labor migration in general is beneficial to Central Asia countries, because it contributes to the solution of many acute social and economic problems. Labor migration is beneficial both to host countries, such as Kazakhstan, and to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, the main suppliers of labor force.” READ MORE: https://timesca.com/index.php/news/26-opinion-head/20615-central-asia-who-benefits-from-labor-migration

A mortal threat to Asia’s rise

The air pollution problem poses a potent threat to Asia’s future

Dec 21 — “Many Asian cities will ring in the New Year with high levels of air pollution, which contributes to potentially life-shortening health problems, from heart disease to severe asthma. Seasonal cold weather impedes dispersal of pollutants in the air, and so tends to increase levels of carbon monoxide and particulates, including tiny particles that can find their way into human lungs.” READ MORE: https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/A-mortal-threat-to-Asia-s-rise

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (TCA) — A court in Kazakhstan has sentenced three men to lengthy prison terms in a case that prosecutors said was linked to a political movement founded by a fugitive tycoon, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported.

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