TASHKENT (TCA) — After years of being condemned by international rights organizations for the use of forced and child labor on cotton fields, the government of Uzbekistan has suddenly abandoned the practice during the ongoing harvesting season. It remains to be seen if the move is irreversible or just a campaign to mend the country’s poor rights record. We are republishing this article on the issue, originally published by EurasiaNet.org:

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BISHKEK (TCA) — The EU Special Representative for Central Asia, Ambassador Peter Burian, visited Kyrgyzstan on 27-29 September.

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ASTANA (TCA) — At a press conference on September 28 on the application of new technologies presented at the recently concluded Expo-2017 in Astana, Deputy Chairperson of KazAgro JSC Gulnaz Atamkulova told about KazAgro’s exposition presenting the application of “green” technologies in agriculture and demonstrating the potential of Kazakhstan in the production of organic products, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported.

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ALMATY (TCA) — A two-day regional conference on major trends and developments in the media in Central Asia, entitled #MediaCA, concluded on 28 September in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The conference was supported by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

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ALMATY (TCA) — The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) says it has become the largest investor to take part in the primary issuance, at the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE), of 10-year international bonds of JSC KazTransGaz, the largest gas production and transportation company of Kazakhstan which represents state interests both in the domestic and foreign gas markets. The EDB accounts for 76.92% (US$ 60 million) of all closed bids for KazMunaiGaz bonds received by KASE.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — The recent visit to Kyrgyzstan by Uzbekistan’s President and the milestone agreements reached between the two countries were considered by many as the outgoing Kyrgyz President’s attempt to reinforce the position of his party’s candidate, Sooronbay Zheyenbekov, in the upcoming presidential vote. At the same time, Zheyenbekov’s main rival — Omurbek Babanov — seems to have secured the support of Central Asia’s political heavyweight — Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev. We are republishing this article by Farkhad Sharip on the issue, originally published by The Jamestown Foundation’s Eurasia Daily Monitor:

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