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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DUSHANBE (TCA) — As Russian President Vladimir Putin is to visit Tajikistan late in February amid troubles Russian companies experiencing in this country, we are republishing this article by Kamila Ibragimova, originally published by EurasiaNet.org:

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TASHKENT (TCA) — The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Agricultural Value Chains (AVC) program, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan, on February 16 convened a workshop on “Cold Storage in Horticulture: Current State and Perspectives in Uzbekistan.” U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Pamela Spratlen provided opening remarks at the event, which brought together seventy cold store business representatives and over thirty representatives from government, the private sector, and international organizations to showcase the successful development of the Uzbekistan cold storage industry, the US Embassy in Tashkent said.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — The European Commission has signed new support to the Kyrgyz Republic with the focus on strengthening the rule of law (€13 million) and rural development (€10 million) in the country.

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ASTANA (TCA) — Kazakhstan has improved its ranking in the updated Index of Economic Freedom of US research center The Heritage Foundation. Kazakhstan now ranks 42nd, leaving behind Russia and Belarus, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reports.   

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ASTANA (TCA) — Kazakhstan’s revenues from transit by all types of transport should reach 1.3 trillion tenge (a little more than US $4 billion) by 2020, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported citing Deputy Minister for Investment and Development Roman Sklyar.

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