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TASHKENT (TCA) — The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on August 1 in Tashkent received the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Suma Chakrabarti to discuss the development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the EBRD, the official Jahon news agency reported.
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DUSHANBE (TCA) — The Iranian government has summoned the Tajik ambassador to Tehran to protest allegations linking Iran to an attack that killed four foreign cyclists in Tajikistan, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned Ambassador Nematullo Emomzoda on August 1 to convey Iran’s “strong” protest over “false and unfounded” claims made by the Tajik government.
The attack on a group of foreign cyclists on a remote mountain road on July 29 claimed the lives of two Americans, a Dutchman, and a Swiss citizen. Three other foreigners — one Dutch, one Swiss, and one French — were injured.
The Islamic State (IS) has released a video of what it said were the attackers pledging allegiance to the extremist organization.
However, the Tajik Interior Ministry on July 31 accused the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) of being behind the attack. The group denied the allegation as “baseless and irrational.”
The ministry also said that the attackers were led by an “active member” of the IRPT who “underwent training in Iran.”
The Tajik authorities offered no immediate proof of the claims.
Iranian officials told the Tajik envoy in Tehran that showing “indifference” to and “tolerance” of Sunni extremists would undermine peace, stability, and security in the region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on August 1.
Human rights groups have condemned Tajikistan’s treatment of the IRPT, which was branded a “terrorist organization” and banned in 2015 after the government accused it of plotting a failed coup.
Tajikistan’s relations with Iran have been tense in recent years.
BISHKEK (TCA) — Afghanistan’s economy, agriculture and growing exports are set to benefit from China’s transport infrastructure and trade expansion projects in Central and South Asia. We are republishing this article on the issue, written by Tristan Kenderdine, originally published by the CACI Analyst:
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BISHKEK (TCA) — Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which are highly prone to natural disasters and future climate change risks, will benefit from improved hydrometeorological services thanks to additional financing to the Central Asia Hydrometeorology Modernization Project (CAHMP). The World Bank Board of Executive Directors on August 1 approved US$ 11.5 million in additional loan financing for the project, which has aimed since 2011 to improve the accuracy and timeliness of weather and water forecasting in Central Asia, and thereby contribute to national efforts to protect the population and livelihoods from impacts of natural disasters.
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TASHKENT (TCA) — Strengthening its support for the private sector in Uzbekistan, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a synthetic local currency loan of up to US$ 5 million to DAVR Bank. This is the first EBRD loan to the bank aimed at expanding access to finance for local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
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ASTANA (TCA) — A court in Kazakhstan has convicted ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizen Sairagul Sauytbay of illegal border crossing, but ordered her release and said she will not be deported to China, where she feared she would face “the most extreme” punishment, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported.
