Page 597 – The Times Of Central Asia

28 Aug 2024

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

ADB New Partnership Strategy for Uzbekistan Focuses on Transition to Green Economy

September 2, 2024
By Sergey Kwan

On August 27, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced the launch of a five-year country partnership strategy for Uzbekistan from 2024 to 2028. The strategy will support the country’s reforms to transform into a green and inclusive economy.

Aligned with the government’s priorities in its long-term development plan, known as “Uzbekistan-2030,” the ADB strategy will assist the Uzbek government in facilitating the country’s transition to a green economy, supporting private sector development and competitiveness, and promoting investments in human capital.

ADB’s Director General for Central and West Asia, Eugene Zhukov, commented: “ADB’s new partnership strategy for Uzbekistan will support the country in achieving its strategic goals in transitioning to a green economy by 2030. As a long-term trusted partner of Uzbekistan, ADB remains committed to helping the country sustain its robust economic expansion and reduce poverty even amid external global and regional shocks.”

The new strategy provides ADB interventions in various sectors, including energy, public sector management and governance, finance, transport, agriculture and natural resource management, and urban development. The bank will also support development in education and social protection.

ADB will strengthen macroeconomic and fiscal reforms, as well as the transformation and preparation of state-owned enterprises for privatization. The bank will support private sector engagement in economic development, including improvements to the domestic financial markets and infrastructure investments.

ADB support will focus on improving the quality and inclusivity of education and skills development in Uzbekistan, enhancing access to health and social services, and encouraging greater private sector participation.

ADB will also continue its partnerships with Uzbek civil society organizations to combat climate change, invest in people, advocate for gender equality, and support vulnerable groups.

Since 1995, ADB has provided Uzbekistan $12.5 billion worth of loans, grants, and technical assistance.

28 Aug 2024

Kazakhstan Environment, Kazakhstan Life & Culture, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Home

Tajikistan Sending Higher Volumes of Irrigation Water to Kazakhstan

September 2, 2024
By Sergey Kwan

Since June 1, Tajikistan has sent 488.6 million cubic meters of water to Kazakhstan via the transboundary Dostyk canal. This is 40 million cubic meters more than in the entirety of last year, and is already 45 million cubic meters more than the volume planned for this year, the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced on August 27.

During his state visit to Tajikistan on August 22, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the importance of cooperation with Tajikistan in the water sector and the rational use of resources of transboundary rivers of Central Asia.

Kazakhstan’s agriculture, especially in the dry southern regions, depends on irrigation water supplies from upstream Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.

According to the Ministry of Water Resources, since April 1, Uzbekistan has sent over 4 billion cubic meters of water to Kazakhstan via the Syr Darya River. Kyrgyzstan has committed to supply Kazakhstan with 180 million cubic meters of water via the transboundary Shu River, and 380 million cubic meters via the Talas River.

28 Aug 2024

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

South Korea Helps Launch A New Payment System in Kyrgyzstan

August 28, 2024
By Sergey Kwan

On August 27, a Kyrgyz-Korean joint company, BC Card Kyrgyzstan, officially opened as a partnership between the leading South Korean companies BC Card and Smartro and the Interbank Processing Center of Kyrgyzstan.

The chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers, Akylbek Japarov, attended the opening ceremony and made the first payment in the BC Card Kyrgyzstan system.

In his speech, Japarov emphasized the importance of this event for further developing the country’s financial infrastructure.

“The company was created to modernize and adapt the advanced payment processing system developed by BC Card Korea to the conditions of the financial market of Kyrgyzstan. The company’s main objective is to ensure optimal processing of domestic payments using cards of international payment systems and managing the business of POS terminals and payment services within Kyrgyzstan,” he said.

The head of the Cabinet of Ministers added that in recent years, the government has consistently supported the development of non-cash payments in Kyrgyzstan.

“The development of non-cash payments is not only a step towards modernizing our economy, but also towards strengthening financial security and increasing financial inclusion,” Japarov stated.

27 Aug 2024

Central Asia, Tajikistan International Affairs, Tajikistan Business Economy, Tajikistan, International Affairs, Local Politics, Business & Economy

Eurasian Fund for Stability and Development to Fund Renovation of Tajikistan’s Roads

August 27, 2024
By Sadokat Jalolova

The Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD) has announced that it will allocate funds to renovate Tajikistan’s main roads.

The work will involve construction of 51 anti-avalanche galleries, extending to over 5,200 meters, in vulnerable sections of Tajikistan’s highways.

Established in 2009 to operate in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, the EFSD promotes economic and financial stability in these countries to support their sustainable development.

The Times of Central Asia has previously reported that the EFSD’s financing of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant is one of the main risks to Tajikistan’s budget and debt sustainability. Analysts from the fund have emphasized that “in the face of uncertainty regarding funding sources, starting in 2025, the government of Tajikistan may have additional needs for budgetary support from international financial organizations.”

27 Aug 2024

Central Asia, Home, Kazakhstan Local Politics, Local Politics, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan Business & Economy, Features

Kazakhstan Officially Backs Nuclear Power Referendum

August 27, 2024
By Vagit Ismailov

The government of Kazakhstan has approved a draft resolution to hold a national referendum on constructing a nuclear power plant (NPP). The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, discussed the prospects for developing nuclear energy in the country.

Energy Minister. Almasadam Satkaliyev noted that the referendum will allow Kazakhstanis to make an important decision about the future of the country’s energy security.

Bektenov emphasized that Kazakhstan has mastered almost the entire cycle of nuclear fuel production and has experience with small reactors. However, the current shortage of energy capacity requires new solutions to avoid purchasing electricity from abroad. With the global abandonment of coal-fired power plants and the limited potential of renewable energy sources, the development of nuclear power is the most promising direction.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, 415 nuclear power units operate worldwide, and 61 new units are under construction in 15 countries, including China and the UK. With its significant uranium resource base, Kazakhstan can ensure stable electricity tariffs and independence from raw material price fluctuations.

Modern NPPs have a multi-level safety system that meets IAEA international standards. According to Bektenov, nuclear power should become the basis for Kazakhstan’s energy-intensive economy, stimulating innovation and industry development.

The draft resolution was supported unanimously. The Ministry of Energy and the Government Office were instructed to submit a draft decree to the Presidential Administration.
Talks on constructing a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan have been ongoing for many years; the idea of the need for a nuclear power plant first appeared after the closure of the Soviet reactor in Aktau in 1999. Since then, the country has repeatedly raised questions about the development of nuclear power, especially in the context of improving energy security and climate change resilience. However, public opinion remains divided; many people in the country remember the consequences of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site and fear environmental risks.

In 2021, discussions about constructing a nuclear power plant intensified when a possible site for Kazakhstan’s first atomic power plant began to be considered in Almaty Oblast, near the village of Ulken. These plans sparked lively public debate and protests among residents and environmentalists. President Kassandra-Jomart Tokayev proposed a national referendum to give citizens a say on this critical issue.

27 Aug 2024

Cultural Heritage, Central Asia, Turkmenistan Life & Culture, Life & Culture, Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan International Affairs, International Affairs

Ashgabat Exhibition to Mark Ukraine’s Independence Day

August 27, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

The Embassy of Ukraine in Turkmenistan is poised to display an exhibition of archival photographs in Ashgabat, dedicated to Ukraine’s Independence Day.

Titled “Ukraine and Ukrainians,” the exhibition will run from August 30 – September 6 2024, and comprise a selection of rare images from the Ivan Honchar Museum.

Funded by the National Center of Folk Culture, an organization actively engaged in preserving and disseminating folk cultural traditions, the museum’s vast collections of historical photographs provide the younger generation with a deeper understanding of their cultural roots and heritage.

The forthcoming exhibition follows “Cultural Values of the Turkmen People”; an exhibition of photographs, books, and national dress previously mounted in Kyiv to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of Turkmen poet and philosopher Makhtumkuli Fraghi.

Aimed to attract young audiences, the exhibition was complemented by excursions for pupils of eight of Kyiv’s schools and lyceums, as well as students studying journalism, with talks presented on Turkmenistan’s archaeological monuments located in the ancient cities of Merv, Kunyaurgench, and Nisa fortresses, and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.