Page 580 – The Times Of Central Asia

05 Sep 2024

Central Asian Police and Prosecutors Follow the Money

September 5, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

Gathering intelligence on money laundering and terrorist financing is just one step for authorities trying to crack down on those crimes. Transforming the intelligence into courtroom-ready evidence is just as vital.

That challenge was the focus of a European Union-led workshop in Türkiye this week that drew more than 50 judicial and law enforcement officials, many of them from Central Asian countries. The prosecutors, police and financial intelligence experts discussed asset confiscation and forfeiture, mutual legal aid, open source intelligence and parallel financial investigations, which amount to following the money while separate criminal probes are underway.

“The need to ensure the conversion of financial intelligence into admissible evidence in court is paramount, as it is the step that allows countries to prevent, detect and better prosecute criminals involved in financial crimes,” David Hotte, team leader at the EU Global Facility on money laundering and terrorism financing. The EU project and Türkiye´s financial intelligence unit, which is part of the Ministry of Finance, organized the workshop in Ankara, the Turkish capital. It ended Wednesday.

The participants were from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Somalia.

In recent years, Kazakh authorities have pursued an international campaign to recover assets that they say were stolen and moved abroad. Last month, Kazakh authorities said they had completed an investigation into the case of a nephew of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev and that the equivalent of $1.6 billion worth of assets had been returned to the state.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is also helping Central Asia with efforts against financial crimes. In April, it hosted a training session on money laundering for prosecutors, judges and financial investigators in Kyrgyzstan. Similar workshops have been held in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Some civil society groups in Central Asia say their governments could do a lot more to ensure budget transparency and curb violations of financial legislation.

A 2023 index compiled by Transparency International ranks countries by perceived levels of public sector corruption – 0 is very corrupt and 100 is very clean. Kazakhstan scored 39, followed by Uzbekistan (33), Kyrgyzstan (26), Tajikistan (20) and Turkmenistan (18).

The index scores are based on at least three “data sources” drawn from 13 different corruption studies and collected by institutions including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, according to Transparency International.

05 Sep 2024

Central Asia, Home, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan Environment, International Affairs, Kyrgyzstan International Affairs, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy, Features, Kyrgyzstan Features, Uzbekistan International Affairs

A Model of Cooperation: Kyrgyzstan Selecting Dam Type for Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant

September 5, 2024
By Sergey Kwan

On September 4, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers and the World Bank organized a roundtable on dam type selection for the country’s flagship Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant (HPP). As the Kyrgyz Ministry of Energy reported, Swiss engineering company AFRY presented possible dam types for the flagship energy project at the meeting. A feasibility study will be prepared by May 2025 based on the type of dam chosen.

According to Maksudjon Safarov, Senior Energy Specialist with the World Bank, the institution is financing comprehensive preparations for the Kambarata-1 HPP’s construction. “The Swiss company AFRY is preparing the project’s feasibility study, with world-class experts involved in the work to ensure that the project is efficient, environmentally friendly, and sustainable,” Safarov stated.

The Kambarata-1 HPP will be situated in the upper reaches of the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan. Its installed capacity will be 1,860 megawatts, with an average annual generation of 5.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. The preliminary construction cost for the project is more than $4 billion.

At the roundtable, Deputy Chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers, Bakyt Torobayev, emphasized that time is critical in developing the Kambarata-1 HPP. “As part of the construction, trilateral agreements were signed between the Ministries of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan. This is a unique case when three countries in the region come to a common understanding and support for the project. We are confident that joint work will create a high-quality project to provide Central Asia with clean and renewable energy, improve water and energy resources, and strengthen regional cooperation.”

Kyrgyz Energy Minister Taalaibek Ibrayev noted significant progress in the ongoing preparations. “To date, several important works have already been completed. On August 30, the construction of a 1,388-meter transport tunnel was completed. Work is underway to build 15 km of concrete roads. We are working to provide electricity [for the future construction site], with 80% of overhead transmission lines now complete. Completion of a 110 kv power transmission line and a substation is scheduled for the end of 2024. Construction of a bridge across the Naryn River is underway, and at the same time, a workers’ camp is being built. All work is going according to plan, and we are confident that all preparatory stages will be completed by next May,” the Minister stated.

To support the project, a Donor Coordination Committee for constructing Kambarata-1 HPP was established at the Kyrgyz Republic International Energy Investment Forum, held in Vienna on June 10, 2024. The Committee comprises major international financial institutions and development partners, including the World Bank, the OPEC Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

05 Sep 2024

Central Asia, Justice, Uzbekistan, International Affairs, Uzbekistan Business & Economy, Uzbekistan International Affairs

Proposed Temporary Moratorium on Russian Citizenship for Central Asians

September 5, 2024
By Sadokat Jalolova

Sergey Mironov, leader of the “A Just Russia – For Truth” party, has written on his social media page of the necessity to introduce a temporary moratorium on granting Russian citizenship to immigrants from Central Asia.

Since problems related to migration are currently central to the attention of legislators, he believes that the party’s previous proposal of a similar initiative should be revisited.

According to Mironov, the state should oppose “mass passports for workers” and protect its interests in national security, by introducing a moratorium on granting Russian citizenship to residents of Central Asian countries, “at least until 2026. And during this time, it will be possible to regulate the legislation, reform the migration service, clear it of bribe-takers, and check the legality of previously issued passports.”

Mironov’s recommendation follows in the wake of a previous report by The Times of Central Asia and the President of Uzbekistan’s opinion that the increase in geopolitical tensions and disputes, as well as the lack of mutual trust, harm the development of international cooperation in the fight against the threats of terrorism and extremism.

05 Sep 2024

Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan Local Politics, Business & Economy, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy

Store Selling Gold Bars to Open in Kyrgyzstan

September 5, 2024
By Sergey Kwan

Kyrgyzstan’s state-owned gold-producing company, Kyrgyzaltyn OJSC, will open a store in Bishkek on September 5 to sell gold bars. On August 30, Kyrgyzaltyn opened a workshop for the production of gold bars in Kara-Balta, a town 100km west of Bishkek.

It is Kyrgyzstan’s first enterprise to produce measured gold bars, with a monthly production capacity of up to 14,000 units.
The facility uses advanced technologies and modern equipment from Italy and Germany, allowing the production of souvenir coins and medals.

Earlier, the mayor of Kara-Balta, Mirlan Jekshenov, told Birinchi Radio that over the next year, the enterprise plans to release up to 3,600 kilograms of gold in bars of various weights — 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 ounces and 50-100 grams — for the domestic market.

In recent years, the country’s government has encouraged the population to buy gold from the National Bank, saying that it is the best way for citizens to keep their savings.

According to official statistics, gold accounts for almost 39% of Kyrgyzstan’s exports; in 2023, Kyrgyzstan sold more than 20 tons of gold.
Most of Kyrgyzstan’s gold is produced at the country’s largest gold mine, Kumtor. Last year the mine produced 13,567 tons of gold, with a total revenue of $848 million and a net profit of $302.5 million.

05 Sep 2024

Central Asia, Defense, Uzbekistan, International Affairs, Uzbekistan International Affairs

Uzbek Security Chief: SCO Must Help Afghanistan to Fight Islamic State Khorasan Province

March 25, 2025
By Sadokat Jalolova

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is holding its 10th regional anti-terrorism conference in Tashkent. The conference is being held on September 4 and 5.

At the conference’s plenary session, Lieutenant General Abdusalam Azizov, the head of Uzbekistan’s State Security Service, emphasized that the member countries of the SCO must work together to fight against international terrorism, extremism, and radicalism.

“The Afghan government is fighting international terrorism based on its capabilities and resources, and the Afghan special service is leading the fight against the Islamic State and achieving results. We must fight together against the enemy,” Azizov said.

Regarding the branch of Islamic State known as Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), which has claimed responsibility for several fatal attacks in SCO member countries, including the attack on the Crocus City concert hall outside Moscow earlier this year, Azizov said: “It is important to help Afghanistan in the fight against ISKP, because the weakening of countermeasures will lead to the strengthening of this group, which, in turn, poses a threat to the security of the region.”

ISKP was formed in 2014 as a collective of defectors from groups including al-Qaeda, Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), and former Taliban fighters from Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is estimated that ISKP has between 4,000 and 6,000 members. Since the Taliban killed its leader Sanaullah Ghafari in 2023, it is unclear who runs the group.

05 Sep 2024

Central Asia, Uzbekistan, International Affairs, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Business & Economy, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan Business & Economy, Uzbekistan International Affairs

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan Plan to Launch Satellites into Space

September 5, 2024
By Sadokat Jalolova

Representatives of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies attended the recent Asia-Pacific Conference on Digital Transformation, which was held in Astana on September 2-3. The event was organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

The conference touched upon possible cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on launching a group of satellites into space. In August Uzbekistan became a signatory to the Outer Space Treaty, which regulates international cooperation in space exploration.

The Times of Central Asia has also reported that Kazakhstan plans to use Amazon’s “Project Kuiper” satellite internet, a competitor to Elon Musk’s famous Starlink.