DUSHANBE (TCA) — The project “Networking Intermediaries & Competitive Enterprises in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan” (NICE-TAK) has started in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in the ranks of the European Union programme Central Asia Invest IV. This project is the continuation of the projects “Handicraft and Business through Regional Integration and Fair Trade Market” and “Tajik Women Economic Empowerment” that have been successfully implemented in the previous years, the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan said on May 19.

Continue reading

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.

Continue reading

DUSHANBE (TCA) — The European Union-funded project — Technical Assistance to Support Pension Reform in Tajikistan — was launched on May 19 in Dushanbe. The project will run over three years (until January 2020) and will provide support to the Agency for Social Insurance and Pensions (ASIP) in the areas of Information and Communications Technology, legal reform, actuarial projections, and training and capacity building for ASIP staff, the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan said.

Continue reading

KABUL (TCA) — Entrepreneurs in Afghanistan can obtain a permit for setting up a business with relative ease, but they face considerable hurdles in other areas which are important for a firm to start up and operate, says the World Bank Group’s Subnational Doing Business in Afghanistan 2017 report, released this week.

Continue reading