ALMATY (TCA) — A two-day ultra-marathon took place on April 27 and 28 in the Almaty Region to mark the creation of the new Ile-Balkash State Nature Reserve. The ultra-marathon was organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan, Kazakh Agriculture Ministry’s Forestry and Wildlife Committee and the Marat#ON runners’ club of Marat Zhylanbayev, with support from Almaty Regional Administration, UNDP in Kazakhstan reported.

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ASTANA (TCA) — The first investment forum of the Saryarka district of Astana was organized in the capital of Kazakhstan on April 27 within the framework of the 20th anniversary of Astana by the akimat (administration) of the Saryarka district with the assistance of the investment center Astana Invest, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported.

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KABUL (TCA) — Afghanistan’s Ministry of Economy on April 29 said that China and India have agreed to implement joint development projects in Afghanistan and that a railway line between Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran and China is one of these projects, TOLOnews reported.

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TASHKENT (TCA) — Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoev says he will relocate most of the country’s cabinet ministers to the provinces so they can experience firsthand the hardships ordinary people face in their everyday lives, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported.

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DUSHANBE (TCA) — Moscow is taking efforts to maintain and increase its cultural and educational influence in Tajikistan, with the ultimate goal to strengthen Russia’s political and economic influence in the country. We are republishing this article on the issue, originally published by Eurasianet:

Emil Burkhanov’s pupils call him ustod, the Tajik word for teacher, a small concession in a class conducted rigorously in Russian.

The 37-year-old was one of 28 teachers dispatched to Tajikistan by the Russian government at the start of this academic year, part of a pilot project to assist a struggling, cash-strapped education system. It is the first initiative of its kind in Tajikistan since the fall of the Soviet Union.

When the Russian Education Ministry first advertised the teaching jobs in Tajikistan, Burkhanov was quick to apply.

“I was born in [the Tajik city of] Nurek, and then we moved to Dushanbe. When the war began, after 1991, we left Tajikistan. So when they announced the selection process, I banked on the fact that I knew Tajikistan,” Burkhanov, who now lives in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, told Eurasianet.

Still, he was initially a little taken aback when he was assigned to a school in Khorog, in the remote Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, or GBAO, an uncomfortable 16-hour-plus drive from the capital.

The principal at the Khorog school, Shodigul Konunzoda, said she is delighted with Burkhanov and that he is filling a yawning gap.

“The problem is that everybody can speak Russian, but they all have an accent and make mistakes. So when they asked me what teacher I needed, I said a Russian language teacher,” Konunzoda said.

Burkhanov has broadened his palette though, expanding his remit to encouraging his students, who are in their early teens, to think hard about future careers and even what businesses they might be able to set up in their local community.

The idea of bringing teachers from Russia to Tajikistan has been on the agenda for several years. President Emomali Rahmon produced fantastic visions in 2013, when he declared that his country could do with 4,000 Russian teachers. Without ever explaining how his government would pay for it, he vowed to provide all the necessary accommodation and salaries. Within a year, he had knocked off a zero, dropping his projection to 400 teachers.

Now that this idea is finally being tested out with a few dozen teachers, it is Russia footing most of the bill. Tajikistan provides accommodation, but only about $90 a month in pay — the same as what locals get. The Russian government provides another $1,000 monthly per teacher. That is quite a bit more than Burkhanov could expect in Tatarstan, where teachers earn roughly $450 on average.

The participants in the pilot project have been deployed exclusively for now at state-run schools for gifted children. These institutions recruit children from all over the country and have living quarters attached. Burkhanov lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Khorog with his wife and two sons.

His colleagues elsewhere in the country teach a variety of subjects, including math, chemistry, biology and computer science.

There was initially talk of placing the Russian teachers in regular schools, but the group was swiftly commandeered by the Education Ministry. Although the schools where they work are purportedly Tajikistan’s premier educational establishments, some of the teachers, particularly those responsible for science subjects, have quietly grumbled about the lack of basic resources. Staff at schools often have to share a single textbook, passing it along to another at class time. And along with the teachers, Moscow sent tens of thousands of books in Russian to Tajikistan, but few are available when and where the teachers need them.

Burkhanov is hailed by his colleagues in Khorog for what they say are his progressive teaching methods. He favors dialogue, coaches pupils into giving presentations and tries to keep their homework engaging and interesting. And the children do not appear to see the lessons as a burden, said Konunzoda, the principal.

“I tell Emil to be stricter, but instead he does the opposite, he is gentle. During the quality inspections at the start of the year, his classes were ranked as being the best,” Konunzoda said, noting that Burkhanov’s fellow teachers are now trying to emulate his style.

Unfortunately for them, Burkhanov is looking to relocate as he feels that Khorog is too remote a location for a family man.

“My elderly mother is in Tatarstan, so I really need to be closer to a big city so I can visit her [more easily] during the holidays,” he said. “It is good for single people, but it is tough for somebody with a family.”

Authorities in Russia make no secret that assistance exercises like these are potentially valuable tools in the country’s soft power armory, similar in some ways to the U.S.-funded Peace Corps volunteer program, although the scale for now is much more modest.

Last August, as the participants of the pilot project mustered in Moscow, Valentina Matviyenko, the chair of Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, told them that “your work is in effect that of goodwill ambassadors, envoys of Russian knowledge and culture.” The initiative was provisionally projected for just one year, but there are already plans to extend by at least one more, although there are no figures on how many teachers will be involve next time around.

Moscow is engaged in a long-term if often faltering exercise in shoring up its cultural and educational influence in Tajikistan. There are currently now 29 schools in the country providing instruction entirely in Russian. Another 126 schools offer a combination of teaching in both Russian and Tajik. On April 5, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a meeting in Moscow with his Tajik counterpart, Sirodjidin Aslov, that there are plans to build another five Russian-language schools in Tajikistan, but he provided no timeframe.

“We will try to promote this useful precedent beyond Tajikistan, in neighboring countries too. We see clear evidence of the demand for Russian education,” Lavrov said.

Around 21,000 Tajik citizens study in colleges in Russia or the satellite campuses of Russian universities in Tajikistan. That figure alone makes it obvious why instruction in Russian is so highly sought-after. Tajik universities are blighted by corruption, a lack of resources and an oppressive political climate that is inimical to independent research in the social sciences.

What’s more, by some estimates over a million Tajiks work as migrant laborers in Russia.

Jahongir Avezov, a 52-year-old resident of Dushanbe, described the effort to bring over Russian teachers as a much-needed remedy.

“In Tajik schools we are noting a pattern of degradation that has become chronic. Even though the authorities, and especially the Education Ministry, never tire of telling us about the rising levels of education among Tajik youths, what we are seeing in reality is the proliferation of an utterly uneducated generation that cannot even write their own initials without making a mistake,” Avezov said.

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

Black blood: a history of Kazakhstan’s oil sector

The new book, “The Black Blood of Kazakhstan: The Oil History of Independence,” provides a comprehensive overview of Kazakhstan’s oil business, but skips over the uncomfortable truth of privatisation deals

Apr 24 — “When speaking about Kazakhstan, you have to mention oil. This is the sector that has shaped the country’s political economy since independence. And oil is precisely where this book, the first and only overview of the evolution of Kazakhstan’s oil industry to date, begins. As the author explains: the book’s title symbolises oil as the blood that flows through Kazakhstan’s financial veins.” READ MORE: https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/mia-tarp-hansen/black-blood

Kazakhstan: President’s remarks precipitate crisis at bank

Kazakhstan’s banking sector remains among the weakest in Central Asia, with many banks suffering from large non-performing loans

Apr 24 — “With words he hoped would serve as a sharp kick in the rear for banks, Kazakhstan’s president has sparked a crisis for at least one troubled domestic lender. After listening to a report presented by the National Bank on April 18, President Nursultan Nazarbayev grumbled that some lenders were misusing bailout funds provided by the government.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/s/kazakhstan-presidents-remarks-precipitate-crisis-at-bank

The cost of changing an entire country’s alphabet

A story of the economics of Kazakhstan’s change from its Cyrillic script to a Latin-based alphabet — the move is more about politics rather than economics

Apr 25 — “The change, announced on a blustery Tuesday morning in mid-February, was small but significant – and it elicited a big response. “This one is more beautiful!” Asset Kaipiyev exclaims in surprise. The co-founder of a small restaurant in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Kaipiyev had just been shown the latest version of the new alphabet, approved by President Nursultan Nazarbayev earlier in the day.” READ MORE: http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20180424-the-cost-of-changing-an-entire-countrys-alphabet

Kazakh Man Recounts ‘Reeducation’ In Western Chinese Camp

Beijing’s reeducation campaign initially targeted Uyghurs, the largest Muslim group living in Xinjiang, but later Chinese authorities included other Muslim peoples: Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, and even Dungans

Apr 26 — “‘They taught [us]…not to be Muslims.’ Thirty-year-old Kayrat Samarkan is an ethnic Kazakh from China. He has just received citizenship in Kazakhstan, after living there since May 2009. But he almost didn’t make it. On February 15, Samarkan was released from a “reeducation” facility in China’s western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakh-recounts-reeducation-in-western-chinese-camp/29194106.html

Kazakhstan’s government squelches the least hint of dissent

Authorities in Kazakhstan are tough in suppressing any dissent, but a protest movement may be brewing in the country

Apr 26 — “TO THE untrained eye, the activity looked innocent enough. Patriotic Kazakhs marked a public holiday in March by displaying balloons of the same turquoise colour as the national flag. The hitch was that Mukhtar Ablyazov, an exiled oligarch, had urged citizens to display turquoise balloons to demonstrate their support for his political movement, Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan” READ MORE: https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21741197-also-insists-77-year-old-president-universally-adored-kazakhstans-government

KYRGYZSTAN

Temirlan Ormukov, Kyrgyzstan’s blind satirist poet, is facing politically motivated prosecution

In Kyrgyzstan, authorities have often used law enforcement and courts to silence political opponents

Apr 23 — “Poet Temirlan Ormukov, who pens satirical poetry critical of the Kyrgyz authorities, cut his stomach open on 29 March with a razor in protest against being imprisoned at an Interior Ministry building. Ormukov was treated by emergency services, and on 5 April was placed in investigative detention in Bishkek. Ormukov, who is blind and is recognised as having a disability, was kept in a tiny, three-metre-square ward.” READ MORE: https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/elnura-alkanova/temirlan-ormukov-kyrgyzstan-s-blind-satirist-poet-is-facing-prosecution

Kyrgyzstan and its government: New names, old faces, uncertain future

The new, 30th cabinet has been sworn in in Kyrgyzstan, which includes old faces and pursues the old goals left over from the previous governments

Apr 26 — “There is at least one new thing about Kyrgyzstan’s latest prime minister. In a faintly populist move, Mukhammedkaliy Abylgaziyev, 50, has announced he’s relinquishing his motorcade and says he no longer wants traffic blocked whenever he is passing through town. True to his word, on April 23, he turned up for work without a security detail at 7:30 a.m., in time to avoid the rush hour jam.” READ MORE: https://timesca.com/index.php/news/19666-kyrgyzstan-and-its-government-new-names-old-faces-uncertain-future

Head of Kyrgyzstan’s corruption agency fired after 10 days in job

Another high-ranking appointee of the former President Atambayev has lost his job in Kyrgyzstan — for the second time during a month

Apr 26 — “Every shashlik cook worth his salt knows the secret is to give the meat a good marinade before sticking it on the skewer. A similar softening-up approach was adopted before the head of Kyrgyzstan’s state economic crimes service was ejected from his post.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/s/kyrgyzstan-head-of-corruption-agency-fired-after-10-days-in-job

Kyrgyzstan: Power, Prime Ministers, and Power Plants

The corruption case regarding the modernization of the Bishkek heating plant through a Chinese loan may cost many Kyrgyz officials their chairs

Apr 27 — “A week after being fired, former Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sapar Isakov says he has been questioned by investigators about the modernization of a power plant that failed in late January in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. On Thursday, Isakov posted a photo of the summons on his Facebook.” READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2018/04/kyrgyzstan-power-prime-ministers-and-power-plants/

TAJIKISTAN

Tajikistan Still Considering Engagement With the Eurasian Economic Union

Moscow is taking steps to lure Tajikistan into Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, which would strengthen Russia’s influence on the Central Asian country

Apr 23 — “Once again, it seems Russia has suggested that Tajikistan take a hard look at the Eurasian Economic Union. Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov told reporters in Moscow on April 20 that the Russian sidehad suggested observer status to their Tajik counterparts during a meeting of the Tajik-Russian commission for trade and economic cooperation.” READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2018/04/tajikistan-still-considering-engagement-with-the-eurasian-economic-union/

Tajikistan takes another go at bond market

The new sale of bonds, if successful, would only increase Tajikistan’s fast-mounting foreign debt, which stood at $2.9 billion at the start of this year

Apr 24 — “Heavily indebted Tajikistan has reportedly decided to take another run at the bond market by touting $500 million worth of notes. RFE/RL’s Tajikistan service, Radio Ozodi, reported on April 23, citing an unnamed official in the Finance Ministry, that Merrill Lynch, the wealth management division of Bank of America, intends to buy a large chunk of the bonds.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/s/tajikistan-takes-another-go-at-bond-market

An Islamic State Orphan Returns To Tajikistan

Tajik authorities say there are some 200 children among more than 1,000 Tajik nationals who are believed to have left for Iraq and Syria to join IS since 2014

Apr 25 — “Muhammadrahim Shoev has finally gotten his wish — the Tajik man has been reunited with his 10-year-old granddaughter, the only member of his son’s family of six to have survived their move to Iraq.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/tajikistan-child-orphaned-islamic-state-returns/29192078.html

Tajikistan calls on EBRD to participate in completion of Roghun HPP

Tajikistan is striving to raise funds for completion of its major hydro plant which, if completed, will turn the country suffering from chronic power shortages into an electricity exporter

Apr 26 — “Tajikistan has called on the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Bank (EBRD) to participate in construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant (HPP), Tajik news agency “Asia-Plus” reported on April 26.” READ MORE: https://en.trend.az/business/energy/2893754.html

TURKMENISTAN

Good News For Uzbekistan Is Not Good News For Turkmenistan

For decades, authoritarian Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan had much in common, but things are changing now as the Uzbek president has embarked on political and economic reforms, while the situation in Turkmenistan is not likely to change

Apr 25 — “As if Turkmenistan didn’t already have an image problem, it must now contend with neighboring Uzbekistan changing its policies and earning cautious but consistent praise from the global community and renewed interest from international companies and investors.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/qishloq-turkmenistan-uzbnkistan-comparison-berdymukhammedov-mirziyoev-economic-woes-rights-abuses/29191479.html

NIGC managing director hopes to resolve the gas dispute with Turkmenistan without taking the case to the court

Iran and Turkmenistan seem to be looking for a compromise in their long-lasting dispute over the alleged Iran’s debt for Turkmen natural-gas supplies

Apr 25 — “The Iranian news agency IRNA reports that on 24 April Hamid Reza Araqi, managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), said that by next month, Iranian and Turkmen experts will review Iran-Turkmenistan differences on their dispute and hoped to reach agreement on the issue so that the case is not referred to the court.” READ MORE: https://en.hronikatm.com/2018/04/nigc-managing-director-hopes-to-resolve-the-gas-dispute-with-turkmenistan-without-taking-the-case-to-the-court/

Turkmenistan is a closed country, but will have to open: an expert

Director of a Tashkent think tank on the results of the Turkmen president’s visit to Uzbekistan

Apr 26 — “President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on April 24 completed his two-day visit to Uzbekistan. It was a reciprocal trip of the Turkmen leader – he was invited to visit Tashkent during his counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to Ashgabat, the first, by the way, foreign visit of the newly elected president of Uzbekistan. Perhaps the main result of the visit was that modern technologies were used in its coverage: the ceremony at the airport and the joint press conference of the presidents were broadcasted through the Uzbek leader personal page in Facebook.” READ MORE: https://eadaily.com/en/news/2018/04/26/turkmenistan-is-a-closed-country-but-will-have-to-open-an-expert

UZBEKISTAN

Uzbekistan looks up from Central Asia’s cockpit of the world

A new look at the past and the present of Uzbekistan

Apr 20 — “”The sun does not shine on Bukhara. It is Bukhara that shines on the sun,” is a common refrain in this mythical, ancient city on the old Silk Road. It sprang to mind as I was having coffee with a local business figure in Bukhara’s old quarter, an area dating back to the 15th century with its spellbinding array of Central Asia’s three M’s – mosques, madrassas and mausoleums.” READ MORE: http://www.afr.com/news/world/asia/uzbekistan-looks-up-from-central-asias-cockpit-of-the-world-20180418-h0yxu5

Rustam & Rustam’s Fish And Chicken Emporium

President Mirziyoev has successfully removed his two chief rivals for power — one of them is now overseeing the fishing industry in Uzbekistan and the other the poultry industry

Apr 21 — “Mmmmm. Humiliation never tasted so good. Those dining in restaurants in Uzbekistan should consider that their meal may have come courtesy of two men who just two years ago were among the most powerful people in the country. I speak of Rustam Inoyatov, the former head of the National Security Service (SNB), and Rustam Azimov, the former finance minister.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-rustam-rustam-s-fish-and-chicken-emporium/29183819.html

Uzbekistan Agrees to ‘Take Part’ in TAPI

It is yet to be seen if Tashkent’s commitment will remain just words or will see implementation

Apr 24 — “Uzbekistan has reportedly agreed to participate in the massive Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline. The news comes as Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov paid a visit to Tashkent on Monday.” READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2018/04/uzbekistan-agrees-to-take-part-in-tapi/

Reforming Customs, Uzbekistan Nods Toward the Eurasian Economic Union

Uzbekistan is harmonizing its import tariffs with Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union’s norms, which could be considered as a step towards the country’s integration with the post-Soviet trade bloc

Apr 26 — “For all the doom and gloom associated with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a funny thing is happening in Central Asia – Uzbekistan is harmonizing its import tariffs with EAEU norms. The move comes amid a larger reorganization of the country’s customs service in an attempt to improve tax collection, the investment climate, and opportunities for the country’s businesses.” READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2018/04/reforming-customs-uzbekistan-nods-toward-the-eurasian-economic-union/

AFGHANISTAN

Watchdog Says Billions In Afghanistan Funding At Risk Of Misuse

As corruption is rampant in Afghanistan, much of the huge amounts of money allocated by international donors for the country’s reconstruction may end up in someone’s pockets

Apr 25 — “Over the course of 15 years, the U.S. has contributed more than $3 billion into a trust fund that is aimed at helping Afghanistan with its reconstruction. In total, donors from around the world have given the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, which is administered by the World Bank, more than $10 billion.” READ MORE: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/25/605304003/watchdog-says-billions-in-afghanistan-funding-at-risk-of-misuse

Project to exploit Afghanistan’s giant copper deposit languishes

China’s plans to tap into Afghanistan’s copper wealth have stalled, largely due to concerns over security

Apr 25 — “All was quiet at Mes Aynak during a visit in early February. The bright sun had partly melted a thin layer of snow on the gentle hills and craggy mountains that surround and intersperse the area. Guard houses dotted the hilltops and a fence with watchtowers protected a group of barracks in an otherwise pristine landscape.” READ MORE: https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/10577-Project-to-exploit-Afghanistan-s-giant-copper-deposit-languishes

Is America Ready for a Peace Deal in Afghanistan?

In Afghanistan, military stalemate could be an essential precondition for negotiated conflict resolution

Apr 26 — “The Afghan Taliban announced the launch of their annual spring offensive on April 25, on the same schedule they’ve stuck to for many years. At the same time, the United States is reported to have dropped more bombs in Afghanistan in the first quarter of 2018 than in the same period of any of the last fifteen years.” READ MORE: http://nationalinterest.org/feature/america-ready-peace-deal-afghanistan-25583

Exclusive: Inside an Afghan prison holding detained ISIL fighters

Hundreds militants entered Afghanistan over the past two years, as the Islamic State group lost territory in Syria and Iraq

Apr 26 — “Al Jazeera has gained exclusive access to a prison where fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group detained by the Afghan government are being held.” READ MORE: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/exclusive-afghan-prison-holding-detained-foreign-isil-fighters-180426080445862.html

WORLD

India and China jostle for influence in Iran and Central Asia

India’s International North-South Transport Corridor emerges as a competitor to China’s Belt and Road in the wider Central Asia region

Apr 24 — “China and India’s new Great Game has reached the playing field of the original imperial power rivalry in the 19th century: Iran and Central Asia. Each of the rising giants wants to be the one to shape a new regional order.” READ MORE: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Asia-Insight/India-and-China-jostle-for-influence-in-Iran-and-Central-Asia

China and Georgia Deepen Transit Cooperation

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor would give China opportunities to access European markets via a previously underutilized transport route

Apr 25 — “On April 12, Georgia’s Economy Minister Dimitry Kumsishvili, along with three other high-level Georgian officials, participated in a joint People’s Bank of China–International Monetary Fund conference on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in Beijing.” READ MORE: https://jamestown.org/program/china-and-georgia-deepen-transit-cooperation/

US-Kazakh accord to use Caspian ports as Afghan support hubs irks Moscow

The latest developments concerning the Caspian Sea and involving the US, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan may turn this landlocked sea into an area of new regional tensions

Apr 27 — “Since 1991, two key questions have dominated discussions of the fate of the Caspian Sea: First, how will it be divided now that there are five littoral states rather than two, as was the case in Soviet times? And second, will this landlocked body of water be an east-west transit bridge between China and Central Asia in the east and Europe in the West, or a north-south route for the projection of Russian power toward Iran and the Middle East?” READ MORE: https://timesca.com/index.php/news/26-opinion-head/19671-us-kazakh-accord-to-use-caspian-ports-as-afghan-support-hubs-irks-moscow