Page 625 – The Times Of Central Asia

24 Jul 2024

Central Asia, Environment, Kazakhstan Environment, International Affairs, Kazakhstan, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan Business & Economy, Features, Kazakhstan Featurees

China to Help Kazakhstan Plant Artificial Forests on the Aral Sea

July 31, 2024
By Sergey Kwan

On July 23, Kazakhstan’s minister of ecology and natural resources Erlan Nysanbayev met scientists from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to discuss the creation of artificial forest plantations on the dried base of the Aral Sea.

Following a proposal to establish a joint Kazakh-Chinese center to resolve environmental issues on the Aral Sea, the Chinese scientists will visit the Kyzylorda region to closely examine work being undertaken on the dried sea base.

Spanning across Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the Aral Sea was once the fourth largest inland body of water in the world, covering 68,000 km². The destruction of the Aral Sea first dates back as far as the U.S. Civil War, when, finding his supply of American cotton under threat, the Russian tsar decided to use the sea’s tributaries to irrigate Central Asia and create his own cotton bowl. With 1.8 million liters of water needed for every bale of cotton, the water soon began to run out. By 2007, the Aral had shrunk to one-tenth its original size.

Up until the late-1990s, the land surrounding the Aral Sea was still cotton fields; today, it’s largely an expanse of salinized grey emptiness. The desiccation of the landscape has led to vast toxic dust-storms that ravage around 1.5 million square kilometers. Spreading nitrates and carcinogens, these storms – visible from space – used to occur once every five years, but now strike ten times a year.

According to reports, Kazakhstan intends to plant saxaul shrubs on 1.1 million hectares of dried-up sections of the Aral Sea by 2025. Through joint efforts of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the region’s administration, 544,500 hectares of saxaul have been sown over the past three years, with a further 275,000 hectares to be planted on the former seabed this year.

Wind-borne salt and dust cause significant damage to areas adjacent to the Aral Sea and their inhabitants. Every year, over 100 million tons of salt, dust, and sand are blown from the bottom of the former Aral Sea and mixed into the air.

24 Jul 2024

Education, Central Asia, Life & Culture, International Affairs, Kazakhstan Life & Culture, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Kazakhstan Welcomes Prospect of French Cuisine in Almaty

July 24, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

The Almaty City Tourism Department has reported that the famous French culinary school, Ecole Lenôtre, is considering establishing joint programs with the city’s universities and restaurants.

During his visit to Almaty, Jean Pierre Alba, Development Director of Ecole Lenôtre, familiarized himself with educational institutions and restaurants with a view to setting up partnerships and introducing training in French cuisine to Kazakhstan’s educational curriculum.

“Almaty is a unique city in its geographical location and the diversity of its cuisine. I have noticed that local pastry chefs are inspired by culinary experience and international cooking while honouring and preserving national gastronomic traditions. This combination can help launch joint educational programs and business collaborations. We are eager to share our knowledge with the city’s restaurant professionals and learn the secrets of national cooking,” announced Jean Pierre Alba.

Established in Paris in 1971, Ecole Lenôtre is a professional training school for chefs and pastry chefs. Its founder, chef, and pastry chef, Gaston Lenôtre, is renowned worldwide as an outstanding innovator in the culinary field. Every year, over 3,000 pastry chefs are trained at the French culinary school, and many of its graduates are Michelin-starred.

Looking to the future, the Almaty Tourism Department commented, “Gastronomic tourism in Almaty is rapidly gaining popularity due to its rich cultural heritage and variety of culinary delights. The visit to Ecole Lenôtre is a significant event for our city.”

24 Jul 2024

Central Asia, Environment, Kazakhstan Environment, Kazakhstan Local Politics, Local Politics, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Kazakhstan Refuses to Finance an Artificial Rain Project over the Aral Sea

July 26, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture has decided not to support a project by inventor Altay Ainabek aimed at bringing artificial rain over the Aral Sea to revive it. At a recent government briefing, the deputy minister for agriculture, Azat Sultanov, answered journalists’ questions about public interest in the project.

Sultanov said that the decision not to fund the project is related to environmental and legal issues. Firstly, artificially inducing precipitation could negatively affect the ecosystems and natural resources of the region where the experiment will be conducted, leading to unintended consequences and environmental harm.

In addition, according to Sultanov, the legality and legitimacy of using such technologies is questionable. The agriculture ministry does not yet have a scientific conclusion and does not have sufficient experience in this area. These factors make it impossible to finance such projects from the state budget.

The deputy minister added: “We have researched the law many times. Specialists from abroad have already come to us with questions. You probably know that in Mangistau and West Kazakhstan regions 2-3 years ago, there were problems with water. Then, it was suggested to cause precipitation to make it rain. However, there are several aspects to this problem. On the one hand, there are environmental issues; it’s nature. Even though it rained in one place, it can cause harm in another.”

In 2021, artificially inducing rain was tested for the first time in Mangistau. The sprinkler system works using Clear Sky Manager technology.

However, a little later, it became known that the installations affected the amount of rainfall. Abnormal rains led to floods and river overflows in the traditionally arid region, so the experiment was halted.

24 Jul 2024

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

EFSD to Build Nine Schools in Kyrgyzstan

July 24, 2024
By Sergey Kwan

On July 23, Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva, Minister of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan, and Andrey Shirokov, Executive Director of the Project Unit at the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD), signed an agreement to construct and fully equip nine secondary schools in Kyrgyzstan on a grant basis.

The EFSD is a financial institution established in 2009 by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan to promote economic and financial stability in its member states.

The document was signed following a meeting between Andrey Shirokov and Akylbek Japarov, Chairman of the Kyrgyz Republic’s Cabinet of Ministers, during which the latter reiterated the parties’ commitment to cooperate on the implementation of projects prioritized by his country.

In addition to the schools, a $60 million project will be launched to provide drinking water to 32 villages in the southern Osh region. Other proposed initiatives include improving the country’s irrigation system and purchasing ambulances.

EFSD is also invested in cooperating on improvements to Kyrgyzstan’s roads and as stated by Japarov, “the planned Aral–Suusamyr highway project is expected to reconstruct approximately 80 km of the road connecting the Bishkek–Osh and North-South transport corridors, vital to the Kyrgyz Republic. The successful implementation of this project will promote the socio-economic development of the Naryn and Talas regions and the remote areas of the Chui region, reduce travel times, and significantly improve road safety in the country.”

24 Jul 2024

Central Asia, Environment, Home, Tajikistan International Affairs, Tajikistan Business Economy, Tajikistan, Business & Economy, Tajikistan Features, Tajikistan Environment, Features

ADB to Support Climate-Friendly Business Environment in Tajikistan

July 24, 2024
By Sergey Kwan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) says it has approved a $50 million policy-based grant for a program that will help the government of Tajikistan foster a climate-responsive business environment and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

The program aims to transform Tajikistan’s business environment through digitization, reforms to increase exports, improvement of infrastructure governance, fiscal transparency, and support for climate-friendly SMEs.

Underscoring ADB’s commitment to supporting Tajikistan in its transition to a green economy, ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov commented, “By promoting climate-responsive investments and improving the overall business environment, we aim to stimulate economic growth, create green jobs, and enhance the country’s resilience to climate change.”

The program will support reforms subsidizing climate-friendly SMEs, and prioritizing funding for female entrepreneurs. It advances digitization and e-commerce through the Agency for Innovation and Digitization and the approval of the E-Commerce program.

The program will also support enhanced public investment management through assessments to recommend improvements and prioritize climate-focused projects. Fiscal transparency will improve the Ministry of Finance’s capacity to publish government finance statistics. The program will also promote international trade and investment by streamlining trade documentation processes and updating regulatory frameworks for issuing local and green bonds.

24 Jul 2024

Kyrgyzstan, Local Politics, Kyrgyzstan Local Politics, Business & Economy, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy

Kyrgyzstan to Introduce Tourist Tax for Foreign Visitors

July 24, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek plans to introduce a tourist tax for foreign visitors staying in the city.

The Kabar news agency reported that according to the draft resolution submitted by the mayor’s office for public discussion, visitors will be charged 50 KGS (approximately 0.59 dollars) for every day spent in the Bishkek’s hotels, hostels, campsites, guest houses, and holiday lets.

The fee is not included in the cost of accommodation. Instead, operators will be obliged to advise their guests of the charges and collect the fee when they register their stay.

Following the requirements of the Kyrgyz Republic’s tax legislation, cash register machines are mandatory in all types of accommodation and the fee, paid in Kyrgyzstan’s national currency, will be accepted either in cash or by bank card.