TASHKENT (TCA) — On July 19, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan was handed over a letter of the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev addressed to the Prime Minister of Tajikistan Kohir Rasulzoda with regard to information published on July 1, 2016 in the mass media of a number of countries on the conclusion of a framework agreement between Tajikistan’s JSC Rogun HPP and Italian company Salini Impregilo S.p.A for the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in Tajikistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan said on July 19.

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KABUL (TCA) — The Taliban group in Afghanistan has issued a statement for the Central Asian countries amid concerns that the ongoing violence in Afghanistan could destabilize the region, Afghanistan’s KHAAMA PRESS news agency reported on July 18.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — Kyrgyzstan’s Dastan agricultural company, with the support from the Single-Window Center in Foreign Trade under the Economy Ministry of Kyrgyzstan, in June concluded a contract with large Russian wholesale company Agrostar for the delivery of Kyrgyz fruit and vegetables to Russia.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — Continued soft commodity prices and the recession in Russia have further dampened the growth outlook for Central Asia, with the earlier 2016 forecast of 2.1% trimmed to 1.7%, and 2017 cut to 2.7% from 2.8%. The slump in revenues from hydrocarbon exports are affecting fiscal consolidation efforts in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, while lower remittances, particularly from Russia, continue to hurt domestic consumption in the Central Asia region, says a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) report.

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DUSHANBE (TCA) — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a local currency loan of up to US $2 million equivalent to the Tajik microfinance institution Arvand for on-lending for local micro and small enterprises (MSMEs). This loan is a part of a larger financing package approved for Arvand which also includes an agricultural component, the EBRD said.

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ALMATY (TCA) — Kazakh authorities say they believe they have captured the lone gunman in multiple attacks that President Nursultan Nazarbayev described as a “terrorist act,” which targeted police and left seven people dead and eight others injured in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, on July 18, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported.

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