Page 213 – The Times Of Central Asia

20 Oct 2025

Central Asia, Home, International Affairs, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan Home

Kazakhstan Launches Electronic Queue System at Border Crossing with Kyrgyzstan

October 20, 2025
By Sergey Kwan

Kazakhstan is expanding the use of its CarGoRuqsat electronic queue system at border crossings with neighboring countries, aiming to streamline freight transport. The system allows transport operators to pre-book border crossing times online or via a mobile app, making the process more efficient and predictable.

Beginning October 20, CarGoRuqsat will be implemented at the Karasu checkpoint on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border, according to the State Revenue Committee of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Finance.

The move has been welcomed by Kyrgyz freight operators, who in recent years have faced multi-day delays at the border, often while transporting perishable agricultural goods. The electronic system is expected to ease these bottlenecks and improve the overall efficiency of cross-border logistics.

CarGoRuqsat is part of Kazakhstan’s broader digitalization initiative across its borders with member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. The system is already operational at Kazakhstan’s borders with China, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. Since its launch, more than 500,000 trucks have used the platform across 33 border crossings with EAEU countries.

A similar initiative has also been introduced on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, an Electronic Queue Management System (e-QMS) was recently launched at the Dostuk checkpoint, the main crossing between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan on the Osh-Andijan highway.

That system, like CarGoRuqsat, enables drivers to reserve crossing slots digitally, reducing wait times, easing congestion, and improving the reliability of transit.

20 Oct 2025

Central Asia, Home, Justice, Kazakhstan Justice, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Home

Crimes Against Individuals Decrease in Kazakhstan

October 20, 2025
By Dmitry Pokidaev

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Internal Affairs Yerzhan Sadenov has reported a decline in serious crimes and public offenses for the January-September 2025 period. According to Sadenov, comprehensive measures implemented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs have produced tangible results: overall crime fell by 7%, a reduction of 6,000 cases, compared to the same period in 2024.

Declines were recorded across key categories, including murder, grievous bodily harm, robbery, assault, hooliganism, and theft. Offenses committed in streets and other public spaces also decreased.

“The main thing is people’s safety: fewer crimes against individuals means greater protection for citizens,” the minister said.

The ministry also reported progress in dismantling criminal organizations. Over the past nine months, 70 criminal cases have been initiated against organized crime groups, including 13 transnational operations, with 248 individuals brought to justice. Priorities include combating illegal extraction of natural resources and ensuring the security of freight transport.

Road safety remains a top concern: more than 26,000 traffic accidents have been recorded so far in 2025, although the number of fatalities has decreased. Meanwhile, efforts to prevent domestic violence have intensified. In the same period, over 70,000 protective orders were issued, and 6,500 women and children were referred to crisis centers.

To strengthen crime prevention and response, Sadenov has called for broader implementation of digital tools, the development of operational control centers, and improved crime detection rates.

Kazakhstan has also expanded its surveillance infrastructure. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, more than 19,000 AI-enabled CCTV cameras have been installed nationwide, enabling law enforcement to respond more quickly to incidents.

20 Oct 2025

Central Asia, healthcare, Home, Uzbekistan, Life & Culture, Uzbekistan Features, Kazakhstan Life & Culture, Uzbekistan Home, Kazakhstan, Features, Uzbekistan Life & Culture, Kazakhstan Featurees, Kazakhstan Home

Kazakh Surgeons Use MAKO Robotic System in Tashkent for the First Time

October 20, 2025
By Dmitry Pokidaev

Kazakh surgeons have performed groundbreaking joint replacement procedures in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent using the MAKO robotic system, an advanced technology in orthopedic surgery. The operations were a centerpiece of the event ‘Days of Kazakh Medicine in Uzbekistan’.

A surgical team led by traumatologist-orthopedist Timur Baidalin, head of the endoprosthetics department at the Batpenov National Scientific Center for Orthopedics and Traumatology, successfully conducted two joint replacements, one knee and one hip, using the MAKO robotic assistant. The system enables surgeons to plan and execute procedures with exceptional precision and reduced risk of complications.

Developed by the U.S. based company Stryker, the MAKO system functions as an intelligent surgical assistant using 3D modeling technology. It creates a virtual replica of the patient’s joint, allowing the surgical team to pre-calculate the optimal implant angle, depth, and trajectory.

During the procedure, the surgeon guides the MAKO manipulator, which operates with micromillimeter accuracy. This significantly lowers the risk of tissue damage and extends the lifespan of the implanted prosthesis.

“The main advantage of MAKO is the ability to combine the surgeon’s experience with machine precision. This sets a new standard in endoprosthetics,” said Baidalin.

For Uzbek specialists, the event served as a hands-on masterclass. In addition to observing the procedures, local doctors operated the system under the supervision of the Kazakh team.

“We’ve been anticipating this technology for a long time. Today, we not only saw it in action but experienced the difference. This is a milestone for Uzbek orthopedics, and we’re grateful to our Kazakh colleagues for the opportunity to gain this experience,” said Odil Valiev, head of the adult orthopedics department at Uzbekistan’s Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Center for Traumatology and Orthopedics.

This collaboration follows another recent highlight: in spring 2025, Kazakh specialists from UMC, led by cardiac surgeon Yuri Pii, presented the ALEM device at EXPO 2025 in Osaka. The technology enables the long-term preservation of donor organs and represents another significant advance in regional medical innovation.

20 Oct 2025

Central Asia, Turkmenistan Home, Home, Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan Local Politics, Local Politics, Turkmenistan Features

Turkmen Activist Saddam Gulamov Faces Harsh Sentence for Government Criticism

October 20, 2025
By Sadokat Jalolova

Russia has extradited Saddam Gulamov, a Turkmen citizen and outspoken critic of the regime, to Turkmenistan, where he was sentenced to a lengthy prison term in 2024, according to a report by Turkmen.news.

Born in 1991 in Ashgabat, Gulamov had publicly condemned the government’s handling of the food crisis, its denial of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its silence following a devastating hurricane. He is reportedly being held in solitary confinement in prison alongside another activist.

Gulamov had been residing in Russia, working in minor roles in theater and film. He was deported to Turkmenistan between late 2023 and early 2024 and convicted by the spring of 2024. The precise charges and length of his sentence have not been disclosed.

Before his arrest, Gulamov had used social media to denounce the country’s former president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, calling him a “dictator and thief,” and urging citizens to reject the culture of blind obedience toward Turkmenistan’s leadership. All of his online content has since been removed.

His case is part of a broader crackdown on dissent that intensified in 2020, when the government’s inaction during crises led to rising political awareness among citizens. This growing unrest sparked the formation of opposition movements abroad, with activists using social media to call for unity and reform. Turkmen intelligence services closely monitored these activities, and once pandemic-era border restrictions were lifted, many dissidents were forcibly repatriated.

Several activists, including Farhat Meymankuliev, Rovshen Klychev, and Merdan Mukhammedov, were deported from Turkey, while others sought asylum in European Union countries. Russia, though less involved than Turkey, has also played a significant role in these forced returns. Notable cases include Azat Isakov, who disappeared in Moscow in 2021 after saying he was hiding from security agents, and Myalikberdy Allamuradov, who was deported in December 2023 and later imprisoned.

The list of targeted activists now includes Gulamov. According to Turkmen.news, both he and Allamuradov are being held in solitary confinement in the LB-E/12 penal colony.

His extradition follows a similar incident in May, when activist Umida Bekchanova was detained in Istanbul and faced possible deportation to Turkmenistan. Human rights groups warn these actions are part of an expanding campaign of transnational repression aimed at silencing critics abroad through intimidation and forced returns.

20 Oct 2025

Central Asia, Uzbekistan, International Affairs, Uzbekistan Home, Uzbekistan International Affairs

Uzbek Man Forced into Russian Army Pleads for Help to Return Home from Ukraine

October 20, 2025
By Sadokat Jalolova

A 31-year-old Uzbek citizen from Bukhara, Zukhriddin Yuldoshev, who was forcibly recruited into the Russian army, surrendered to Ukrainian forces almost immediately after arriving at the front. His case, reported by Nexta Live and other media outlets, highlights the growing number of Central Asian nationals being coerced into Russia’s war against Ukraine.

According to Yuldoshev, Russian police planted narcotics on him and threatened him with a prison sentence of 12 to 18 years unless he signed a military contract. “I was given two choices: prison or the front,” he said. After arriving at the battlefield, he was quickly detected by a Ukrainian drone and surrendered without resistance.

Yuldoshev described dire conditions within the Russian military, saying he had to purchase his own communication equipment and gear. He also spoke of widespread disarray and deception among Russian troops. “There were so many dead bodies that there was nowhere to step,” he recalled. He says he has no intention of returning to Russia and is appealing to the Uzbek government for assistance in returning home.

In a June report, Ukraine’s military intelligence stated that citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and other Central Asian countries are increasingly being coerced or misled into joining the Russian war effort. Many had initially traveled to Russia as labor migrants and were later pressured into signing military contracts, often with promises of fast cash. Ukrainian officials say many of these recruits are deployed to the most dangerous sections of the front and face high casualty rates.

The forced conscription of migrants has drawn increasing criticism from human rights groups, who argue the practice violates international law. Yuldoshev’s plea for repatriation places added pressure on the Uzbek government to act on behalf of its citizens caught up in Russia’s war.

20 Oct 2025

Central Asia, Home, Kyrgyzstan, Business & Economy, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy, Kyrgyzstan Home

Kyrgyzstan to Eliminate Service Charges in Cafes and Restaurants

October 20, 2025
By Anton Chipegin

Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved amendments to the regulations governing public catering establishments, effectively banning separate service charges in cafes and restaurants. Beginning January 1, 2026, businesses across the country will no longer be allowed to list service fees, typically 10-15% of the total bill, as a separate line item.

Under the new rules, the full cost of service must be incorporated into the listed prices of food and beverages on the menu. According to the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, the reform aims to enhance price transparency and better protect consumer rights.

“The consumer must see the final price before placing an order. Information about the cost of services must be transparent, accessible, and understandable,” the ministry stated.

While customers may still tip at their discretion, the tipping culture in Kyrgyzstan remains underdeveloped, largely due to the existing practice of automatically including service charges. Authorities expect the new pricing model to gradually shift public attitudes toward discretionary tipping.

Government officials emphasized that the primary objective of the reform is to eliminate hidden charges and simplify oversight.

“Consumers should understand how much they are paying and what they are paying for. This not only protects citizens’ rights but also streamlines tax control,” the Ministry of Economy and Commerce added.

Restaurant and café operators have been urged to adjust their menu pricing and update point-of-sale systems ahead of the new regulation’s implementation. Staff are advised to inform customers about the changes and ensure that menu prices match the final bill.