TASHKENT (TCA) — As the new Uzbek president has embarked on economic reforms, a task that requires a team of loyal government functionaries, we are republishing this article originally published by The Jamestown Foundation’s Eurasia Daily Monitor:
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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.
Stratfor
BISHKEK (TCA) — On 26th January India will celebrate its national day. It will be a day of celebration and confrontation between great achievements and the ambition to become a global player. Problems at home, as fiscal constraints and a demographic explosion, limit the country’s investment and economic development, and although New Delhi has been looking internationally for a quite some time, it has so far not been able to develop a proper strategy toward Central Asia. There is no doubt that a more result oriented policy toward an expanded Central Asia may help India achieve a better result and undisputed links for its business. The situation with Pakistan and China is far from being resolved, and it certainly restrains additional investments and creates barriers toward a global role for India irrespective of its consistent economic growth. The Times of Central Asia is republishing this article of Stratfor under its Geopolitical Diary:
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TASHKENT (TCA) — Uzbekistan has succeeded in growing its economy over the past decade, lifting many people out of poverty and improving the lives of its citizens, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Cyril Muller said during his visit to Uzbekistan on January 20, the World Bank reported.
LONDON (TCA) — What is at stake at the upcoming negotiations in Astana between the parties involved in the terrible civil war in Syria? The fact that the Syrian government and most (though not all) of the so-called moderate opposition have promised to be present means little. Those “moderate” groups are in fact armed militias grouped around political chiefs after the notorious model of Lebanon during its 16-year civil war. Iran, Turkey, Russia and most European states appear to be willing to live with that. Two wildcards remain: the USA and Saudi Arabia.
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BISHKEK (TCA) — A round table was held on January 19 dedicated to the start of a new EU funded project “Technical Assistance to the Implementation of the Sector Reform Contract: Social Protection Kyrgyzstan”. The project is for two years and will be implemented by a consortium led by Oxford Policy Management, a British consulting company. The budget of the project is EUR 1,820,800, the Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic said.
