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30 Apr 2024
Central Asia, Home, International Affairs, Business & Economy, Features

Kyrgyz Authorities Ask Moscow to Improve Situation for Labor Migrants

Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, Jeenbek Kulubayev met with a representative of the Moscow Government, Sergey Cheremin, where they discussed the situation surrounding labor migrants in the Russian capital.

Kulubayev spoke about the large number of Kyrgyz working in Moscow, most of whom are employed in wholesale and retail, construction, catering, hotel and hospitality services, and processing of industrial goods. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 200,000 Kyrgyz live in Greater Moscow, and according to unofficial data, the number is possibly two to three times that. Regulations on Kyrgyz citizens residing and working in Russia are governed by several bilateral agreements and treaties: Kyrgyz citizens can be employed under a civil-law contract without the need to obtain a labor permit; Kyrgyz citizens can also work in Russia using driver’s licenses issued in their homeland.

However, in the aftermath of the attack on the Crocus City Hall on March 22 – allegedly perpetrated by Tajik terrorists – the overall Russian attitude towards migrants who perform many essential jobs has changed, and local authorities want to tighten Russia’s migration legislation.

In late March, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry called on his compatriots to refrain from traveling to Russia until additional security measures are lifted. There are known cases when Kyrgyz citizens have been refused admission by the Federal Customs Service’s passport control at Sheremetyevo International Airport. The migrants who flew in had their documents taken and were not allowed to enter Russia.

Earlier, Cheremin said that the Kyrgyz diaspora occupies a very important place in social and cultural projects in the Russian capital, adding that many Kyrgyz work in high-tech industries.

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EBRD

30 Apr 2024
Tajikistan, Tajikistan Life & Culture, Tajikistan Business Economy, Tajikistan Home, Tajikistan Environment

EBRD Helps Improve Dushanbe’s Environment and Support Tajikistan’s Banking Sector

During a visit by Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to Tajikistan, on 29-30 April, the EBRD committed funds to upgrade Dushanbe’s  infrastructure,  develop sustainable transportation solutions , and  support for women’s entrepreneurship.

The EBRD’s loan of up to €28.45 million will help improve  transportation  in the city’s riverside area through the reconstruction of roads and  a bridge across the Varzob River, as well as the construction of dedicated bus and trolleybus lanes, and purpose-built routes for walking, cycling, electric wheelchairs etc.

“We are very pleased to sign this project with the authorities of Dushanbe,” commented EBRD’s president. “They have been committed to the green agenda ever since the city joined the EBRD Green Cities programme in 2019.”

The Dushanbe Green City Action Plan was developed in collaboration with the EBRD to address environmental and development issues affecting the 800, 000 residents of Tajikistan’s largest municipality. Investment to  promote a strategic shift from carbon-intensive, traditional transportation towards more eco-friendly, sustainable alternatives,  aims to reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 37 percent.

Joined by the Chairman of the National Bank of Tajikistan, Firdavs Nazrimad Tolibzoda, Renaud-Basso then signed a memorandum of understanding to support the country’s development of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code. Representing  providers of financial services, regulators, development banks and other stakeholders, the WE Financial Code was formed to increase financial assistance to women-led micro, small and medium enterprises, and as a globally accepted multi-stakeholder approach, help eliminate constraints and gaps in financing women entrepreneurs in Tajikistan.

The EBRD has now provided fresh funds and created new growth opportunities for women-owned and managed businesses in Tajikistan. Under the auspices of its Women in Business (WiB) programme for Central Asia, a loan of US$ 5 million (€4.6 million) has been granted  to one of the country’s largest lenders, Bank Arvand, alongside technical assistance to help the bank promote women’s entrepreneurship and business activity.

In addition, and under the EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme, a limited loan of US$ 1 million (€0.9 million) was offered to country’s leading microlenders, MDO HUMO, to help local clients both import goods, services, and equipment, and export their products.

 

 

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30 Apr 2024
Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Business & Economy, Uzbekistan Business & Economy

Uzbekistan’s Trade Volume Shows Healthy Growth

According to Uzbekistan’s national statistics agency, from January to March this year the country’s foreign trade value amounted to $15.8 billion, which is $927.9 million (+6.2%) more than the same period last year.

Since the beginning of the year exports have reached $6.38 billion dollars (+10%), while imports have reached $9.43 billion (+3.8%). The foreign trade deficit amounted to $3.05 billion. The largest share of the export mix is held by goods (82.2%), of which 16% were industrial goods worth $1.02 billion. Half of the export volume was accounted for by heavy metals ($538 million), and another $344 million by non-ferrous metals.

Also in 1Q 2024, Uzbek vegetables and fruits worth $224.7 million, oil and oil products worth $129.9 million, and inorganic chemical products worth $218.7 million were exported.

From exports of machinery and transport equipment, Uzbek companies received $248.5 million dollars (-4.5%). Exports of metalworking machines (+203%) and power generation machines (+80.5%) increased significantly.

Clothing brought in $228 million, which is 5.6% less than last year, while footwear supplies to foreign buyers also decreased by $3.5 million (-67.2%). At the same time, the volume of furniture exports increased by a healthy $4.3 million dollars (+20.3%).

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30 Apr 2024
Central Asia, International Affairs, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan International Affairs, Business & Economy, Kyrgyzstan Local Politics, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy

Operator of France’s Courchevel Ski Resort to Build Slopes in Kyrgyzstan

A new ski resort called Three Peaks will soon open in the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan. According to plans, Société Des Trois Vallées, the operator of the elite Courchevel resort in France, will build slopes with a total length of 200 kilometers in the villages of Jyrgalan, Ak-Bulak and Boz-Uchuk.

The first stage of construction will require an investment of $165 million. This money will be used to build 60 kilometers of ski slopes, six cable cars, as well as the full suite of hospitality infrastructure: hotels, restaurants, conference halls and recreation areas. The works are planned to be completed by the end of 2026.

Representatives of a consortium of French companies that develop and manage ski resorts came to Kyrgyzstan in the spring of last year. Later, the French ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, François Delaus, announced the construction of a large tourist facility in Issyk Kul.

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@ibc.kg

30 Apr 2024
Central Asia, International Affairs, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan International Affairs, Business & Economy, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy

U.K. Plans to Open an Investment Fund in Kyrgyzstan

The United Kingdom is weighing up the prospect of opening an investment fund in Kyrgyzstan.

Its main function will be to support small- and medium-sized businesses, according to comments made by the British ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Nicholas Bowler during a recent meeting of the Kyrgyz-British Business Council. “Britain is interested in cooperation in mining, agriculture, consulting, the financial sphere, information technology, education and some other areas,” said Bowler.

According to him, Britain intends to invest £19.5 million ($24.5 million) to create a venture capital investment fund in the country. The series of funds will seek investments in small- and medium-sized enterprises with high potential in the region. The British embassy and business community intend to maintain contacts at the International Business Council and develop trade and economic relations between the two countries.

Ambassador Bowler said that the UK is also interested in mining metals and minerals in Kyrgyzstan. In the near future British geologists will begin work to digitize the republic’s geological data. In addition, Bowler said, negotiations are underway to engage the international consulting company Boston Consulting Group to develop a joint mining strategy.

“Work is now underway in Kyrgyzstan to introduce English commercial law. In the south of the country, United Concrete Canvas is planning to start construction of a concrete canvas [canal lining] plant in the near future, which demonstrates the trust and interest of British companies in Kyrgyzstan,” said Kyrgyz ambassador to the UK Ulan Jusupov at the meeting.

At the end of 2023 bilateral trade volume between Kyrgyzstan and the UK amounted to $92 million. This represented an increase of 287% on the previous year, as European nations looked for new trading partners in Central Asia, and searched for a way for their firms to get their goods into Russia with less scrutiny.

Recently the British authorities have adopted a new trade scheme for developing countries. Under the scheme, Kyrgyzstan can export to the UK more than 8,000 different types of goods at reduced or zero tariffs. So far the main export items are gold, generators, and chemical products.

Earlier this month, British foreign secretary David Cameron met with Kyrgyz president Sadyr Zhaparov as part of his working visit to Central Asia.
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Image TCA, Aleksandr Potolitsyn

30 Apr 2024
Central Asia, Lead Story, Home, Justice, Kazakhstan Local Politics, Kazakhstan Justice, Local Politics, Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Charges Former Minister Yerlan Turgumbayev With Abuse of Power

Kazakhstan’s General Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed its detention of a former high-ranking police officer. Yerlan Turgumbayev, the country’s former minister of internal affairs, has been charged with abuse of power, resulting in grave consequences, during the public unrest and political upheaval in January 2022.

“The Prosecutor General’s Office continues to investigate criminal cases related to the January 2022 events. On April 29, ex-Minister of Internal Affairs Yerlan Turgumbayev was detained for abuse of power and official authority that caused grave consequences,” the prosecutor’s office said in an official statement. The office mentioned that the criminal case contains information that includes classified state secrets; therefore, the data, findings and statements included in the pre-trial investigation are not subject to disclosure.

As has already been widely reported, in early 2022 in Kazakhstan thousands of protests were organized across the country, which, when brutally suppressed by government forces, went down in history as Qandy Qantar — “Bloody January.” What began as peaceful anti-government demonstrations turned into uncontrolled riots with numerous casualties among the civilian population. Rapid response forces from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes Armenia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Kazakhstan, were deployed. After the violent suppression of the protests, a number of high-ranking officials were arrested and accused of attempting a coup d’état.

In March 2024, the General Prosecutor’s Office reported that Turgumbayev was being questioned as part of ongoing investigations against security officials for failing to ensure law and order and public security during the January events, as well as for torturing citizens.

Turgumbayev became head of the Interior Ministry in 2019. Before that he headed the police department of Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty. In February 2022 he was dismissed from his post and appointed as an adviser to Kazakhstan’s president, Kasym-Jomart Tokayev.

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