BISHKEK (TCA) — On February 14, the Ministry of Economy of Kyrgyzstan invited representatives of relevant state bodies, expert community and international organizations to discuss specific measures for the optimization of services provided at the local level. The discussion was based on a draft “Plan of measures for optimization of the system of municipal services provided at the local level for 2018-2023”. The elaboration of this plan was supported by the “Public Service Improvement” project, which is financed by the Government of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by the Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and the Development Policy Institute, the Embassy of Switzerland in the Kyrgyz Republic reported.

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DUSHANBE (TCA) — A dance teacher at a choreography school in Dushanbe has been fired for not listening to Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon’s annual address to the nation on television, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

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KABUL (TCA) — Officials from the Afghanistan National Railway Authority (ANRA) on February 14 said that the technical and economic survey for the establishment of the multinational railway project is about 50 percent complete. Some 880 kilometers of railway line will be built in Afghanistan and will connect Afghanistan’s northern regions to the west. Five nations including Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China take part in the project, TOLOnews reports.

Meanwhile, Sediq Qasimi Zakeri, the economic advisor for the Iranian embassy in Kabul, said his country strongly supports the establishment of the project between the five countries which will also cover Iran’s Chabahar and Bandar-e-Abbas ports.

“We fully support this project, work has already been started on it, we hope that all countries in the region come forward for this project,” said Zakeri.

Based on the agreement signed between the five countries in this respect, every member country has to establish a total of 2,100 kilometers of railway line within the next five years.

“This project plays a vital role for regional connectivity, we are trying to wrap up the preliminary work,” said Bari Sediq, director general of ANRA.

Economic experts have heralded the project as a milestone to further boost economic cooperation in the region.

A preliminary agreement for developing the proposed China–Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan–Afghanistan–Iran railway line was signed in the Tajik capital Dushanbe in December 2014.

The rail corridor aims to increase regional commerce and spur job creation along with larger trade volumes. This project connects China on one end and Iran on the other over a total distance of 2,100 kilometers, traversing Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. Over one thousand kilometers of the rail corridor will stretch through the Afghan provinces of Herat, Badghis, Faryab, Jawozjan, Balkh and Kunduz.

The Afghan section of the rail line will be partially funded by the ADB and improve Afghanistan’s access to the Iranian ports of Chabahar and Bandar Abbas.

KABUL (TCA) — In a letter addressed on February 14 to “the American people, officials of independent nongovernmental organizations, and the peace-loving Congressmen,” the Taliban has urged the “American people” to press their government to withdraw from Afghanistan, RFE/RL reported.

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TASHKENT (TCA) — The first Uzbek-Korean meeting on economic cooperation was held in Tashkent on February 13. The Uzbek delegation was headed by Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Kim Dong Yong headed the Korean delegation, which comprised some 60 representatives of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea, the Jahon information agency reported.

The parties discussed the implementation of projects under the framework agreement between the governments of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea in respect of loans of the Fund for economic cooperation and development for 2018-2020. The amount of the program is $500 million.

The participants also considered a project to create a children’s multidisciplinary medical center and the organization of a modern specialized medical center in Uzbekistan.

The parties also discussed the timely implementation of the project to create a textile Technopark in Tashkent, together with the Korean Institute of Advanced Technologies (KIAT), the creation of the Uzbek-Korean business center, and the opening of the House of Korean culture and art in Uzbekistan.

Relations between the two countries have risen to a qualitatively new level after the state visit of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to South Korea in November 2017.

South Korean companies are taking an active part in development of the economy of Uzbekistan. In recent years, new areas of partnership have been opened, and a number of joint projects are being implemented in the oil and gas industry, energy, education, information technologies, engineering, and chemical industry.

ASTANA (TCA) — The Chairman of the Board of Kazakhstan’s national company for investment support and promotion Kazakh Invest, Saparbek Tuyakbaev, and Ambassador of Japan to Kazakhstan Kawabata Ichiro on February 12 discussed issues of boosting investment cooperation between the two countries, Kazakh Invest reported.

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