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ASHGABAT (TCA) — Turkmenistan’s appalling human rights record undermines the possibility of a free and fair presidential election on February 12, 2017, Human Rights Watch said on February 7. The election climate in Turkmenistan denies its citizens the ability to choose their president freely or enjoy freedom of expression or access to information.
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TASHKENT (TCA) — Tashkent hosted a ceremony of awarding certificates of the inclusion of Western Tien-Shan (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan) in the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as of the celebration of Navruz and the cultural traditions associated with the national dish pilaf in the Representative List of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Jahon information agency reported on February 5.
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KABUL (TCA) — During talks in Moscow on February 7, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Salahuddin Rabbani discussed the security situation in Afghanistan and prospects for promoting the national reconciliation process in the country, including the formation of a new regional format of consultations on Afghanistan issues. They noted the feasibility of expanding the membership of the trilateral Russia-China-Pakistan consultations to include the countries of the region, first of all, Afghanistan itself, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
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ASTANA (TCA) — During the visit of Kanat Alpysbayev, the head of Kazakhstan’s national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), to Iran on February 6, documentation was updated for the establishment of a joint venture between KTZ Express (a subsidiary of KTZ) and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), the KTZ press service reported.
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BISHKEK (TCA) — In 2016, projects financed by the European Union helped many rural communities in Kyrgyzstan to achieve a higher standard of living, the Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic reported. Integrated Rural Development is one of three focal sectors of the European Union development cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, along with Education and Rule of Law.
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ASTANA (TCA) — On February 5 the first batch of Kazakh grain was shipped through the port of Lianyungang in China to the port of Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam. The pilot shipping of grain was implemented by multimodal company KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), together with LLC ‘Chinese-Kazakhstan international logistics company of Lianyungang city’, KTZ press service reported.
