BISHKEK (TCA) — On November 10, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Sapar Isakov held an emergency Government meeting to discuss the critical situation on the country’s roads.

The Prime Minister signed two Government resolutions, according to which the Main Patrol Police Directorate has been abolished and the Main Directorate for Road Traffic Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be established. The staff of the new unit will be increased.

“Recruitment of employees should be carried out transparently and on a competitive basis. It is necessary to create a new department of professionals who are not involved in scandals and corruption,” he said.

Road accidents record

From November 1 to 9, 2017, 208 road accidents were recorded across the country, in which 42 people were killed and 321 injured. Two accidents, which killed 5 and 10 people respectively, caused a wide public response.

In 10 months of 2017, 5,197 road accidents were registered in the country, in which 695 people died and 7,839 were injured.

“It is vital to understand what is happening on our roads, and what is the reason for so many road accidents in which our compatriots died,” PM Isakov said.

Causes of accidents

Since the beginning of 2017, traffic rules violations have risen 12% compared to 2016.

According to the Patrol Police, the main causes of the accidents were speeding, violation of maneuvering rules, driving along the oncoming lane, violation of the overtaking rules, and drunk driving. The low level of drivers’ training and the low culture of driving were also among the causes of accidents.

Since 2010, the number of vehicles has increased almost 2.5-fold in Kyrgyzstan (from 400 thousand to 1.15 million), Interior Minister Ulan Israilov said. More than 417 thousand vehicles were registered in Bishkek alone.

The number of inexperienced drivers has increased, he added. There were cases when traffic accidents were committed in three or four days after receiving a driver’s license. Drivers often do not pass traffic rules tests and simply buy a driver’s license.

Urgent measures needed

It is necessary to exclude corruption when obtaining a driver’s license, PM Isakov said.

He ordered the Ministry of Education and Science to check all of 223 driving schools operating in the country and proposed creating a single testing center for driver’s licenses.

Isakov reminded that on August 30, 2017, the Government approved an Action Plan to reform the road safety system in Kyrgyzstan. He ordered relevant state bodies to conduct a thorough analysis of the Plan’s implementation within a week.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs was tasked to submit a bill providing for toughening of criminal and administrative liability for violation of the Road Traffic Rules.

The government needs money from the state budget to install video cameras on the roads, parliament members say. In Bishkek, the patrol police now use special cars with cameras and equipment to record violations and search for cars that are wanted.

The MPs proposed that the local governments install cameras and that 50% of the fines for violations recorded by such cameras remain in the local budgets, 40% go to the national budget, and 10% be used for technical maintenance of the cameras.

Only one such camera has been installed in the Kudaibergen car market in Bishkek so far.

Improving legislation

According to MPs, traffic jams occur due to the narrowed roadways caused by paid and spontaneous parking on the roadsides. Therefore, MPs have drafted amendments to the Law on Roads to ban parking on the roadsides. The amendments also provide for the creation of pedestrian passes and accessible parking facilities during urban design and construction.

The MPs also drafted amendments providing that the warranty period for new roads be at least five years instead of two years now, and for reconstructed and renovated highways at least three years instead of one year today. The reason for the amendments was the poor quality of newly-built roads.

The amendments provide for strengthening the responsibility of contractors during the construction of highways, improving quality and providing guarantees for timely road maintenance.

MPs believe that the bill will help destroy corruption schemes in the Transport Ministry.

MPs also initiated a bill according to which citizens who report on violations of the traffic rules may receive compensation.

First above-ground pedestrian crossing in Bishkek

On November 9, a solemn opening of the city’s first above-ground pedestrian crossing took place in the Alamedin market area in Bishkek. The intensive and chaotic pedestrian traffic around the market created emergency situations and hampered the traffic flow.

To improve the situation, local authorities have built the above-ground pedestrian bridge at the expense of a Chinese grant. The 33-meter-long crossing is equipped with LED lighting and elevators with a carrying capacity of one thousand kilograms.

The Bishkek city administration plans to build similar pedestrian crossings near the Madina market, at the intersection of Chui Prospect and Abdrakhmanov Street near the Central Department Store (ZUM), and near the Osh market.

BISHKEK (TCA) — The Publisher’s note: Central Asia is an important geopolitical area between Europe, Russia and China. It is in Central Asia that world powers have confronted each other for centuries; it is here that China needs to succeed with its new Silk Road Belt for direct access to the Western markets; and it is here that a large wealth of raw materials has its origin. Every week thousands of news appears all over the world in printed and online media and it is quite understandable that 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 the region, and for this reason we are presenting this Weekly Digest of Central Asia which compiles what other media have reported during the past week.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — The number of traffic accidents has increased dramatically in Kyrgyzstan over the last 10 years, with 11,553 people killed, including 958 children.

For the first 10 months of 2017, 695 people died in road accidents in Kyrgyzstan, 24.kg news agency reported citing the Kyrgyz Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Last month, during the presidential election campaign, Kyrgyzstan’s Vice Prime Minister Temir Jumakadyrov with his driver and assistant were killed in a road accident, when a Kamaz truck hit their car near the capital, Bishkek. The Kamaz driver had crossed into the oncoming traffic lane which resulted in a deadly head-on crash.

The peak of auto-accidents in Kyrgyzstan is summer, says a local safety expert, Artur Medetbekov.

According to him, there are many reasons contributing to this sad number of traffic accidents on Kyrgyz roads. These are the increasing number of cars, irresponsible behaviour of drivers who do not follow the traffic rules (especially young drivers), drunk drivers, the lack of patrolling police officers and corruption among them, and the natural conditions of Kyrgyzstan.

“Most of Kyrgyzstan is mountains. People die from landslides and snowslides in Too-Ashuu, Ala-Bel, Otmok mountain passes every year,” says Artur Medetbekov. Every winter and spring, landslides and avalanches are a usual phenomenon at mountain passes.

The expert also mentioned that another reason for high numbers of injuries and deaths from road accidents is right-handed cars. The Kyrgyz roads have been designed for left-handed cars. But a local activist, Aibek Baratov, believes that the right-handed cars are not to be blamed for the increase in road accidents. “If a person drives badly in a right-handed car, he still will be doing the same thing in a left-handed car,” he said, adding that the number of road accidents has decreased in the last couple of years thanks to social media users who have recorded the bad behaviour of drivers on roads and shamed them online.

Dastan Bekeshov is a parliamentarian who has been raising this issue in the Kyrgyz parliament. The MP suggested tougher punishment of bad drivers by introducing penalties up to a million som (nearly US $15,000). Also, such drivers might lose their driver’s license for up to 3 years if Bekeshov’s proposal finds support. But it is at the stage of discussion only and haven’t gone any further yet.

How do Kyrgyz drivers obtain their driver’s licenses?

In Kyrgyzstan, there are no probationary plates. In order to obtain a driver’s license, you need to attend a 3.5-month long drivers’ school. After that, you need to take a traffic rules and a driving test. But many fail in those tests. Unfortunately, many drivers prefer buying a license, as corruption is widespread in the driver’s schools and road police department.

According to Aibek Baratov, raising penalties will help solve the problem partly but not completely. “We need to solve this issue comprehensively,” the activist says.

BISHKEK (TCA) — The Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, the European Union’s (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, and the European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development met on 10 November in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for the 13th EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting.

During the meeting, the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian nations signed a Program on Mutual Cooperation for 2018-2019, which outlines joint efforts to boost security, trade and economic cooperation, investment, transportation, energy, tourism, and culture across the region, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said.

The Participants of the EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting addressed regional and international issues of mutual interest, the security situation in and around Central Asia including Afghanistan, and the security challenges facing the European Union. In this regard they welcomed the support provided to Afghanistan by the countries of the region and the EU and called for continuing relevant common efforts, the European External Action Service said.

The Participants also focused on the potential for enhanced economic relations between the EU and the Central Asian countries. Strengthening the nexus between security, migration, climate change and economic sustainable development could contribute to stronger economies. Transparent rules and regulations, as well as increased use of e-governance solutions, are important for a favourable investment climate and private sector development in the countries of Central Asia, which will promote the region’s further sustainable economic development, the EEAS said.

It added that particular attention should be paid to enhancing Central Asia’s economic, transit and transport potential, which will require the implementation of programmes aimed at improving the investment climate, ensuring sustainable economic growth, effective border management, developing human capital through education and supporting small- and medium-sized businesses and employment.

The Foreign Ministers welcomed the European Union’s commitment to a relationship with Central Asia based on the principles of responsibility and cooperation and aimed at assisting the stable, secure and sustainable development of this region. They welcomed the European Union’s continued financial support amounting to €1 billion for programmes to be implemented in Central Asia until 2020. They also welcomed the involvement of EU Member States in regional and bilateral development programmes.

The five Foreign Ministers also welcomed the call by the EU Foreign Affairs Council for a new EU Central Asia Strategy by the end of 2019, which should be based on mutual interests, common approaches and values of the EU and countries of the region.

DUSHANBE (TCA) — An agreement to establish a Regional Explosive Hazards Training Centre at Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defence was signed by Ambassador Tuula Yrjölä, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, and Lieutenant General Sherali Mirzo, Tajikistan’s Minister of Defence, in Dushanbe on November 9.

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ASTANA (TCA) — Investment opportunities of Kazakhstan and Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) were presented on November 9 to government and private business officials of Great Britain during the Kazakh-British Investment Forum in London City, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported.

The event was organized by London City Corporation, AIFC and National Company Kazakh Invest, and supported by Kazakhstan’s Embassy in the UK.

During the Forum, welcome speeches were delivered by Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the UK Yerlan Idrissov, Ambassador of Great Britain to Kazakhstan Caroline Brown, AIFC Governor Kairat Kelimbetov, and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Invest Birzhan Kaneshev, as well as London City Lord Mayor Andrew Parmly and Trade Envoy of the UK Prime Minister to Kazakhstan, Baroness Emma Nicholson.

Yerlan Idrissov noted in his speech that for 25-year history of cooperation, the status of relationships between Kazakhstan and Great Britain reached the level of strategic partnership.

“Based on strong and trusting relations, our countries actively cooperate in the implementation of such priority projects as creation and development of AIFC, the program of privatization of Kazakhstan’s national companies, interaction within the framework of the Chinese initiative One Belt, One Road,” the Kazakh ambassador to Great Britain said.

Ambassador of Great Britain to Kazakhstan Caroline Brown said that “International confidence is a key to success of Astana International Financial Center. The more investors from Great Britain and other countries and a variety of economic sectors consider the investment opportunities in Kazakhstan, the more will be the role of AIFC in providing financial and juridical services that investors will need.”

Kairat Kelimbetov, the Governor of AIFC, mentioned during his speech that the platform being built provides for numerous privileges for investors and those advantages should be supportive in creating comfortable conditions of investment inflow to Kazakhstan.

“AIFC is well placed to become a Eurasian gate providing trade and financial flows between East and West countries,” Kelimbetov said.

Deputy Chairman of Kazakh Invest Birzhan Kaneshev said that “The total direct investments volume from the UK to Kazakh economy exceeds $12 billion. According to the National Investment Strategy of Kazakhstan, Great Britain is one of the high-priority countries in the context of investment attraction, which makes collaboration between our countries even stronger.”