ASTANA (TCA) — Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev paid an official visit to China on November 22. In Beijing, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping received the Kazakh Prime Minister. Sagintayev also held a meeting with Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang, as well as a number of meetings with heads of major Chinese companies, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported.

During the intergovernmental talks with Premier of the PRC State Council Li Keqiang, the parties discussed further strengthening and deepening bilateral trade and economic, transport and logistics, infrastructure, industrial and innovative cooperation, as well as prospects for expanding cooperation in the areas of investment, digitalization, industry, metallurgy and mechanical engineering, energy and tourism.

Sagintayev invited Chinese companies to actively work with the Astana International Financial Center, where the new exchange infrastructure had been launched, and to participate in the privatization program.

In Beijing the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan also held a number of bilateral meetings with representatives of the largest innovative companies on cooperation and implementation of joint projects for technological re-equipment of the Kazakh economy, development of construction, agriculture and metallurgy.

During the official visit to Beijing, the following Kazakh-Chinese intergovernmental and commercial agreements were signed:

– Memorandum of Understanding on Production of Electrolytic Manganese in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda Region between the Akimat (administration) of the Karaganda region, Kazakh Invest NC and Horgos Xingbang;
– Memorandum of Understanding for Implementation of Synthetic Paraffin Production Project between JSC Condensate, Kazakh Invest NC and CITIC Construction;
– Agreement on Cooperation on the Project to Create Mining, Chemical and Metallurgical Complex based on the Tymlay field in Kazakhstan between TENIR Logistic LLP and Youbang Innovative Investment Limited;
– Agreement on Joint Implementation of Wind Power Plant Construction Project in the Akmola region between Zhel Electric LLP and Universal Energy Ltd.;
– Memorandum of Understanding on the Sugar Beet Processing Plant Construction Project between JSC Pavlodar and CNOOD Asia Limited;
– Agreement on Cooperation for Implementation of the Project for the Development of Tungsten Deposits “Northern Katpar” and “Upper Kairakinskoye” between the Akimat of Karaganda region, JSC Tau-Ken Samuryk NC and Xiamen Tungsten;
– Agreement on Basic Transaction Terms on the Project for the Construction of an Ammonium Paratungstate plant in the Karaganda region between JSC Tau-Ken Samuryk and Xiamen Tungsten.

KABUL (TCA) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on November 22 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a series of energy projects, which will help Afghanistan enhance energy security and efficiency, boost energy supply, and strengthen the country’s cross-border trade in energy, ADB’s Country Office said.

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TASHKENT (TCA) — Austria, the chief of the rotating European Union presidency, says the “overall human rights situation” in Uzbekistan has shown improvement in the last two years, RFE/RL reported.

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DUSHANBE (TCA) — Tajikistan’s top diplomat says 25 people have been killed in a recent prison riot in the city of Khujand in the first public comment by Tajik authorities about the violence in the country’s north, RFE/RL reported.

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ASTANA (TCA) — A Kazakh prosecutor has demanded a life sentence for former banker Mukhtar Ablyazov, who is accused of organizing the murder of Yerzhan Tatishev, the chief of BankTuranAlem (BTA), in 2004, RFE/RL reports.

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TASHKENT (TCA) — The European Commission on November 21 announced €25 million in support of rural businesses and populations in Uzbekistan.

Ahead of the upcoming EU–Uzbekistan Cooperation Council in Brussels, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Mr. Abdulaziz Kamilov.

At this occasion, Commissioner Mimica said: “Today’s new support worth €25 million will on the one hand support rural economies to enhance the sustainable development of value chains and on the other enhance public services for the benefit of citizens in Uzbekistan. In particular, it will empower people living in rural areas by improving their access to public services – like birth registration or support for setting up a business – as well as increase public accountability.”

This EU support will strengthen the sustainable development of the country’s livestock sector, with €15 million of support until 2025. It will improve public services, policy development, veterinary services and research. Dedicated technical assistance will enhance the sustainable development of value chains and improve the market inclusion of smallholder farmers.

A cooperation project worth €10 million until 2024 will help to decentralise public services such as the system of Registration of Business Entities in rural areas and to improve their governance. It will furthermore strengthen the participation of citizens in this process, notably through a variety of outreach and social accountability mechanisms. Citizens will benefit from increased access to information and enhanced transparency of Uzbekistan’s public service delivery system. Selected areas of the country will benefit from integrated support services, often referred to as “One Stop Shops”.

Within its bilateral and regional cooperation with Uzbekistan, the European Union has allocated €168 million to the country between 2014 and 2020. This cooperation focuses on rural development. Uzbekistan also benefits from regional and thematic assistance in areas like border management and drug control, education (through Erasmus+), democracy and human rights, energy, SME development, peace and stability and water/environment and nuclear safety.